Many people are born with a receding or “weak” chin – which causes their face and profile to look out of proportion. Often this causes the nose to be out of balance, particularly if the nose is very prominent, or it makes a double chin and jowl area look worse than it would have if one had a stronger projection of the chin on profile.

It is not uncommon during a rhinoplasty consultation that Dr. Perkins may recommend correction or augmentation of a receding chin to help improve the overall results of the reduction in the size of the nose and the rhinoplasty itself. This is because the facial plastic surgeon does not consider the nose as an isolated feature; rather he/she sees it as a part of the entire face and, therefore, makes recommendations to treat not just the nose but also the chin to achieve the best aesthetic result and balanced face. In evaluating the aesthetic facial proportions, Dr. Perkins thinks in terms of the best possible profile obtainable for each individual patient. Therefore, in conjunction with rhinoplasty, it is sometimes necessary to augment the chin (build it up and bring it forward) utilizing an implant, in order to balance the entire profile. By augmenting the chin, a more pleasing facial harmony can be achieved, assuring a “natural” nasal appearance (i.e., not over reducing the nose so that it remains looking natural – and continues to function well).

Of course, there are also individuals who have a receding chin, but have no need to fix their nose. A chin augmentation can be an ideal procedure as an isolated surgical option to improve one’s profile. Certainly, a patient needs to take into consideration, either the need for orthodontia or previous orthodontia for an over bite. Occasionally, a patient is best served by orthognathic surgery, or actually moving the jaw bone forward, rather than just augmenting the chin with an implant. It is not uncommon for Dr. Perkins to recommend a chin implant or augmenting the chin and mandibular line when he discusses the possibility of a facelift for improvement of the jaw and neckline for a patient who has this aging and hereditary condition.

Sometimes a more youthful patient may just be concerned about a fatty deposit or hereditary condition of lipoptosis (fat collecting under the chin and jawline) and would like to have this corrected. This is not uncommonly associated with a weak or less projected chin, and combining the liposuction with chin augmentation can achieve the best immediate and long-term aesthetic result.

In general, when looking at your profile in the mirror, the chin should approximate an image of a vertical line dropped from the edge of the lower lip straight downward. Theoretically, that line should just touch the prominence of the chin. It is not uncommon to have a slight recession of the chin from that vertical line and still look quite nice but, if it is very obvious or significant, augmenting the chin can often be the ideal procedure. Again, often times, patients desiring rhinoplasty are unaware that their chin is too small or out of balance with the rest of their face.

Dr. Perkins will discuss the type of implant he would recommend for augmenting the chin and how easy it can be to undergo a chin augmentation at the same time as a rhinoplasty with minimum or no addition to the healing process. Finally, in cases where the chin is severely receded, even if a person has had braces or orthodontia, additional options might at least be brought up, such as, orthognathic surgery described above.