V-Line Surgery (Jawline Reshaping)

Q: Dr. Eppley,  I have a question about the genioplasty and v-line surgery. ( jaw reshaping) What’s a good prediction of what the recovery will be like two  weeks forward in terms of speech, looks and smile? 

For the genioplasty, I definitely want to reduce the width. I think rather than projecting it forward to slightly bring in some height, I’d rather just lengthen it vertically right where it is. I prefer this because I don’t want dramatic length added so I wouldn’t think I want to do both, and I assume extending my chin bone downward will help change my chin profile from “slumping up” at the chine edge, to a more aesthetic look. 

In other words, I assume bringing the chin forward wouldn’t help change my chin’s profile and hence, moving the bone downward would benefit me best. I think if anything perhaps my chin could be brought forward a millimeter, but again the real thing I’m looking for is to reduce the width and add a little height for the sake of creating a more v-line jaw line.

A: I think your insights into creating more of a V-line jaw shape are correct. (v-linje surgery) Chin width reduction and vertical lengthening will go a long way towards changing the shape of the front half of the jawline.

It will take a good three weeks to have about 75% recovery and a full 6 weeks to show 90% of the result from V-line surgery. This surgery does not affect speech or the ability to eat but is mainly an appearance issue due to swelling and temporal chin distortion. There is no doubt your chin will be very swollen the first 7 to 10 days after surgery.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana