What Type Of Jaw Angle Implants Do I Need?

Q: Dr. Eppley, I am interested in jaw angle implants for jawline enhancement. I already had a chin implant placed nine years ago but the lack of jawline definition is making my face look really long. Laterally you can see small bumps of saggy tissue along the weak jawline which has become more visible as I get older or when I lose weight.

A:  A weak or high jaw angle (steep mandibular plane) can become magnified with chin augmentation. This is particularly evident when the amount of chin augmentation is considerable, indicating an overall small jaw in both the horizontal and vertical dimensions. This indicates that you need vertical lengthening jaw angle implants rather than width only style implants. With vertical lengthening jaw angle implants the loose tissue which is now in the neck (‘saggy tissue along the weak jawline’) will became redraped over the new jaw angles that have been created. This will smooth out the jawline and make the back match the front for a better overall jawline effect.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana