Why Doesn’t Chin Augmentation Make Me Look Better?

Q:  Dr. Eppley, I have some questions about chin augmentation for me.Here is a picture that I myself adjusted (I included the original). I actually like my front but as you can tell from my profile, my chin is weak. If you adjust my chin, it really doesn’t do anything to make me look better. My question is after a chin augmentation what can I do to achieve better symmetry in my profile and make me look better from the front (cheek reduction?). It’s quite odd because I look good from the front and correcting my chin doesn’t seem to make me any better looking. In before and afters online you can clearly see how it makes people look remarkably better. Perhaps this is as good as it will get for my chin. Do you think it will dramatically change the way I look from the front? I am interested to hear your professional opinion because I’m puzzled, I was thinking this procedure would make me better looking.

A: Thank you for sending your pictures. What you are perceiving is absolutely correct. While from a profile view, bringing your chin forward increases its prominence and is better by facial proportions measurements, it does not necessarily improve your overall appearance. The reason that more chin prominence does not fit in ‘better’ with the rest of the shape of your face is due your ethnicity in which your facial shape is broader, wider and flatter. You do not have an angular thinner face in which more chin prominence helps make the rest of the face look better as well. (balance) You have to be careful in your facial type that increasing your lower facial prominence does not make it look heavier and too prominent. The only way that chin augmentation would be a benefit is that from the frontal view the chin becomes more tapered rather than wider. This requires more of a central button implant and not the typical anatomic chin implant with long wrap-around wings.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana