When Does A Chin Implant Feel Normal?

Q: Dr. Eppley, assuming that all goes well when putting in a chin implant, what about the feeling of having it. (mandibular nerves and the touch receptors of the hands?) How physically light is the implant? Will it feel weighted? I’m sure that your own senses will eventually incorporate it into being a part of it, but what about others. Will it be discernible if say someone else touches your face (jaw)? I know this is a tricky question, coming from a post operational/personal standpoint, but thanks for taking the time to answer.

A: The question you are asking it one related to every type of face and body implant…that of incorporating it as part of yourself and no longer have it feeling foreign. And I think the answer is the same for a chin implant as it would be for a breast implant for example. Intially the implant feels different as the tissues are tight and swollen and the overlying skin is numb. It probably takes about 6 weeks after surgery until it begins to feel more natural and really 3 months until it becomes part of you. At this point, the overlying tissues are relaxed and normal feeling has largely returned to the skin. The chin implant can largely not be detected by yourself or anyone else at that point. While for a patient three months seems like a long time, it is actually relatively short and it is amazing how soon one incorporates the new contours of their face into their body image.

The weight of a chin implant is but a few ounces. It is lighter than bone of the same size.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis Indiana