Vertical Chin Lengthening

Q: Dr. Eppley, Hi! i have been interested in vertical chin lengthening for awhile and I came across your site and liked your work. My chin is horizontally deficient but the vertical length bothers me the most. When I push my chin down about 5mm to 7mms I like the way my face looks. I understand you cant tell me if a sliding genioplasty is better than an implant without examination but what are the pros and the cons for each? I also like when my chin comes to a point, (a “v” line so to say) is that possible to achieve through surgery? I have pictures attached if that helps. Thanks!

A: When it comes to vertical chin lengthening, an opening bony genioplasty with an interpositional graft is best for most patients. This is a variation of the more well known sliding genioplasty. This is particularly true when the opening is 5 to 7mms. As the chin comes down and slightly forward in our case it will make the front part of the jaw look more narrow or v-shaped. Whether this will make your whole jawline look that way I can not say since you only provided a side view picture.

Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana