Reversal Jaw Reduction

Q: Dr. Eppley, I am interested in reversal jaw reduction surgery. I used to have a very strong square jaw, and last year I went and had a sliding genoplasty to add some shape to my face. The surgeon suggested that I should shave down my jaw angles a little to elongate my chin without increasing the vertical projection too much as it would make my face look too long for my body. However, they went completely overboard and shaved down so much of my jaw that I now have an oval face, which I am not happy with. I am looking to put in a jaw angle implant to bring back some definition.

A: I would need to see some pictures of your face for my assessment and recommendations. If you have any before pictures prior to your last surgery that would be very helpful as well. The typical treatment for overzealous jaw angle reduction would be vertical lengthening jaw angle implants to create a reversal jaw angle surgery effect. Because very few jaw angle reductions are symmetric, there are can be a role for custom jaw angle implants as opposed to standard shapes depending upon that degree of jaw asymmetry.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana