Sliding Genioplasty

Q: Dr. Eppley, I have a question about what can be done with the sliding genioplasty technique without any implants. I am not to keen on implants as it’s not natural and I have read that it can lead to atrophy and infection and I am still young.

I have attached photos – I don’t like my chin I feel it is too thin and too short vertically in relation to my nose and face.Is it possible to add vertical length using sliding genioplasty in my case as I already have good horizontal projection? My chin is already narrow,
can something make it wider? Also will sliding make it look slimmer if it is increased vertically? I really want vertical increase without any future possible complications like with an implant. Thanks a lot for the help.

A: The most common technique to just vertically lengthen the chin is an opening genioplasty procedure. Rather than ‘sliding’ the bone forward it is just vertically dropped down. Be aware that this will not widen your chin. As the chin bone becomes longer it will by definition not become wider and may, in fact, look a little bit more narrow.

Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana