Should I Try and Deepen My Labiomental Sulcus After Chin Resuspension Surgery?

Q: Dr. Eppley, thank you for your time. I know you are busy. I am an avid reader of your online content, blog, and responses on forums. I have a question I hope you can answer, as I feel you are the best expert on this. 

I have long history of many intra-oral chin implant surgeries, which unfortunately resulted in me having lower lip incompetence. I then underwent a mentalis resuspension using a large PEEK implant with holes to accept sutures for the mentalis, as well as holes made in the alveolar bone to re-attach the mentalis. This resulted in shortening of the vestibular sulcus and restoration of my original lip height and labial competence. 

However, my mentolabial groove is no longer as deep/pronounced as it used to be. I have read that this groove is supposedly an anatomically fixed site that cannot be made more shallow unless through fillers, fat grafting, or even implants, but I insist that I used to have a deep groove, and it is now shallow/less noticeable. 

Oddly enough, I liked having the deep groove, as I felt it made my chin look more pronounced as a man. Everything I read online is about patients and surgeons attempting to minimize this groove and prevent it from becoming too deep, but I *want* the deeper groove I used to have. 

My questions are: 

1) Is it possible that intra-oral procedures and mentalis resuspension can inadvertently make the mentolabial groove more shallow. 

2) Is it possible to make this groove *deeper*, perhaps through liposuction, or further vestibuloplasty. 

I appreciate your time. I know you are busy. I am thankful for your time.

A: Given what you have been through to get to this point, I would accept the tradeoff of a less shallow labiomental sulcus for the lower lip competence improvement., Trying to make it deep again risks a return of some of the very improvements you have now obtained.

Dr. Barry Eppley

World-Renowned Plastic Surgeon