What Can I Do With Loose Skin Around My Chin After A Chin Reduction Operation?

Q: Dear Dr Eppley, I underwent a chin reduction with a jaw contouring operation about one year ago. As for the result, have always found that it looked odd. My chin was reduced by 1cm and now my mouth does not close properly at rest and there is a ‘balling’ shape to the muscle and a wrinkled look. I recently had a MACS lift as my jaw muscles also looked slack after the op. However my chin is unchanged and still feels loose, unattached and ‘balled up’. I have come across your writing online and think your expertise may help resolve this. What do you suggest?

A: If your chin reduction was done through an intraoral vertical osteotomy reduction technique, then you would likely end up with soft tissue excess over the chin area when a large amount (1 cm) is vertically reduced.. (mentalis muscle and skin) These excess soft tissues could very well end up looking like a ‘ball’ over the chin area. This could really be predicted beforehand as where is all of the soft tissue that covered the 1 cm that was removed supposed to go?

No form of a facelift would solve the excess tissue problems in the chin area nor should it be expected to. A MACS lift, like any form of a limited facelift, is a lateral or side of the face operation based on soft tissue pull. So it will tighten up any loose skin over the side of the jaw/jaw angle area/jowls, but will do nothing for the chin area. The chin area excess is a central problem that requires direct excision and tightening, most commonly done through a submental incisional technique.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis Indiana