Will A Sliding Genioplasty Create A More Defined Jawline?

Q: Dr. Eppley, Hello Doctor! My primary facial concern would be my lower third, particularly my chin/jaw. From my side profile, I believe that I have recessed chin. I looked into sliding genioplasty and it looks promising, but I want get your opinion on it first. My goal is to have a more masculine chin/jaw. Would a sliding genioplasty help me achieve this goal, or do I need more than that? Thank you for the help and have a great rest of your day!

A: Thank you for your inquiry and sending your pictures. You have a significant chin deficiency which is the result of a high angle or overall lower jaw growth deficiency,. This gives you a very short but long chin and high jaw angles. You are correct in that a sliding genioplasty is the correct procedure for the front of the jaw as the chin needs to come forward and up. (vertically shorter) This is a chin dimensional change that an implant can not do or does so very poorly. This will leave the jaw angle ‘behind’ meaning they will remain high and may even look higher afterwards as the anterior mandibular plane angle is altered by the sliding genioplasty. Whether the jaw angle deficiency should be managed and, if so, how (standard vs custom jaw angle implants) is a topic for more in depth discussion that this format allows in an effective manner.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana