Is There A More Natural Solution to A Short Chin Other Than An Implant?

Q: Dr. Eppley, I have a mentalist strain and my chin is receding, I was told i needed a chin implant. Problem is that i’m not a fan of plastic surgery and I want to be natural. Is it still considered plastic surgery if I need it? Are there other options?

A: A small chin combined with a mentalis muscle strain is ideally treated with a sliding genioplasty. This brings the chin bone forward with the muscle and is a more effective and ‘natural’ (non-implant) solution to your problem.  It is more effective because, rather than just stretching out the strained muscle which is already short, moving the chin bone forward actually lengthens the muscle by the bony movement. (thus eliminating the muscle strain) You may consider that approach a reconstructive solution to your chin concerns rather than a pure cosmetic one if that makes you feel more comfortable.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana