Is A Chin Implant Removal Procedure Complex?

Q:  Dr. Eppley, I would like to change the shape of my chin. It seems too wide. Several years ago I went to a doctor for a rhinoplasty and came out with a rhinoplasty and a chin implant.   I went in with no desire for a chin implant but in the consultation he suggested  I had a recessed/ weak jaw and that a chin implant would correct it. So as a young naive first timer to plastic surgery I said ok and every doctor I’ve seen since can not understand why that first doctor recommended that.

I’ve had x-rays done of it and showed them to other doctors, one has said it is minor and not causing much protrusion at all. This he thought it best to leave in as removing it could cause a gap or “witches droop” as he called it .

Another doctor said it can easily be removed, and should be,  so as usual Im confused. But I am erring on the side of caution and not touching it due to potential resulting problems. (i.e. its been there 15 years so I assume all the nerves/ muscles would have grown around it, thus to a non- medical mind as myself the removal of it seems complex) And by the way, that nose job was  a failure too. Its the nose job where I pay $10,000 and come out looking exactly the same except with a round bulky nose.

A: Your chin implant information is very relevant, as while the chin implant may not have provided much horizontal projection, it often adds width. So it could be making a contribution to your chin width issue. This would depend on what type of chin implant it is, but most used today are of the extended or winged type which always adds width. That is usually fine for men but I almost never use them in women because of that issue. Women look better with a more angular or tapered chin.

A chin implant removal is actually very straightforward and not complex at all. The key is to make sure the mentalis muscle is adequately resuspended if done intraorally or a submental tuck-up is done if removed from below.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana