I often get patients that come to my office wanting an improvement in their chin profile. Their chin anatomy can vary and so the surgical correction varies depending on the problem.
The most common problem is a small chin with a weak profile. The treatment is chin augmentation with a chin implant. This is done on an outpatient basis under IV sedation. A small incision is made under the chin in a crease. The implant is then placed and the incision is closed. The recovery is virtually painless and patients can return to work in 4 to 5 days.
Some patients present with a weak chin as well as some excessive fat in the neck. The treatment involves a chin augmentation combined with neck liposuction. The procedure is the same as the one mentioned above with the addition of the liposuction. The recovery is the same.
There are patients that have redundant, or “extra” skin in the neck in addition to having a weak chin and excessive fat in the neck. These patients benefit greatly from a necklift in addition to chin augmentation and neck liposuction. This involves placing the chin implant, performing liposuction, tightening the neck muscles and removing the excess neck skin. Patients undergoing this procedure are typically very pleased with the results, and can return to work in 5 to 6 days.