Sliding Genioplasty Reversal

Q: Dr. Eppley, I am interested in a sliding geniplasty reversal. It was supposed to be a 2mm sliding genioplasty, but ended up being moved forward 4mm. I had the hardware removed thinking it would soften my chin, but really didn’t do anything. I feel like my chin looks entirely too strong for my face, and it also has some places that the bone grew back weird leaving an indention. I also have to regularly get Botox in my chin because it gets dimpled whenever I contract the muscle, and makes it look even more pronounced. Overall, since the surgery I have just been very unhappy with the aesthetic of my face and it constantly draws my attention there. 

A: A 2 or 4mm genioplasty is certainly a small chin bone movement that is rarely done because it is hard to justify the magnitude of the procedure with that small amount of chin change. But that it irrelevant now. The critical question is whether moving the bone back (sliding genioplasty reversal) will improve the adverse symptoms you now have. I think it would soften the aesthetic strength of your chin and may even help the classic notch/indentation deformities along the inferior border. But I doubt very highly that it will improve your chin dimpling and mentalis muscle irregularities that you now have. Whether a sliding genioplasty reversal is worth doing depends on whether one can accept a partial improvement of their symptoms but not a complete resolution. In essence you can not return your chin back exactly to what it was before the sliding genioplasty.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana