What Type Of Jaw Angle Implant Do I Need To Make A Smooth Jawline Behind A Vertical Lengthening Chin Implant?

Q: Dr. Eppley, I am a 24 year old male who currently has a Vertical Lengthening Chin implant (Medium) in. This implant has made my face more wide, square and my chin now comes a little past my bottom lip. I actually like this new look, but I am very bothered by the mandible area not blending into the front of my face. I have a slightly visible ridge on one side too. I presume that this is because the rest of my jawline is not as thick as the implant – so it does not have a very seamless look to it. 

I am interested in a Vertical Lengthening Jaw implant to bring down the jaw angle and make my new chin look more natural. However, I want there to be something that fills the space between the Vertical Lengthening Jaw implant and my chin implant so that there are no visible or very palpable ridges/deformities/etc. I do not mind more bulk on my face, as I am very slim and the bulk of the chin implant has improved my aesthetics. 

I have looked through the Eppley blog and researched the potential options for my goals. It is not in my budget to have a custom wraparound jaw implant. I am not preoccupied with the sharpest angles or the most symmetrical face so I am hoping an off-the-shelf or semi-custom option would satisfy my goals. I’d like an elegantly squared off look like the reference photos I have attached. From my research, I am interested in these potential options listed below (unless there is an option that you find to be more appropriate, of course): 

– Vertical Lengthening Jaw implant and carving from a silicone block to fill out the lengths of my jawline in accordance with the chin/jaw implant(s) 

– Semi-custom implant of some sort? 

I am inquiring about the cost of these options and what you think would be the best option for me in particular. Anything that will not show irregularities and is more affordable than a custom wraparound implant would be a considerable option. 

A: There is no question that the only effective way to make the jawline behind the chin implant be augmented in a seamless manner to it is a custom implant design approach. Any other method is going to have its aesthetic complications because 1) placing jaw angle/jawline implants is infinitely more challenging than the simple chin implant and 2) there are two sides/implants which adds to the difficulty of the procedure. I would not even try to do it any other way because I well know what will happen. There are times in this type of surgery, and this is one of them, where trying to do in less than an optimal manner just creates a whole new set of aesthetic problems.

Dr. Barry Eppley

World Renowned Plastic Surgeon