Long Midface Treatment Options

Q: Dr. Eppley, I am someone who has an extremely long

midface (long nose length) distance between the eyebrow and bottom of the nose, which makes my face extremely long and thin looking.

I also have a severely recessed chin (about 11 mm deficient) 

I have been looking up procedures to give more horizontal projection to my chin and also widen my chin, and give it a more masculine and square look. However, my biggest fear is that a sliding genioplasty of 11-12 mm would elongate my already tremendously long face. 

I am wondering, if someone were to want to completely avoid elongating their face, and wants to add horizontal projection to their chin, and square width to their chin, without adding any vertical height to the chin, should they opt for a genioplasty or a chin implant?

I was initially leaning towards a genioplasty, but fear of elongating the face, caused me to research other options, but I also have heard that chin implants erode the chin bone under the implant etc.

Which would you recommend for a 25 year old male? Really insecure about my recessed thin width chin, but keeping my face as short as possible is definitely a priority.

Thank you!

A: In answer to your long midface treatment questions:

1) Only a sliding genioplasty can bring the chin forward AND vertically shorten it. A chin implant can’t have that dual effect.

2) Chin implants do not cause bone erosion, they are only associated with self-limiting implant settling.

I would need to see pictures of your face to provide a more qualified chin augmentation recommendation.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana