What is mentoplasty for?

Chin surgery or mentoplasty is carried out to harmonize or balance the facial proportions:

  • When the position, shape or size of the chin is not acceptable due to the following causes:
    • Congenital (from birth). In this case mentoplasty is often combined with other techniques of orthognathic surgery.
    • Traumatic injuries (accidents, blows, etc.)
    • Change of gender. In this case it is often combined with other techniques of facial feminization.
  • When the changes in the position of the chin changes the perception we have of our nose. In other words, a receding chin makes it look as though we have a bigger nose.

Many patients who consult us about rhinoplasty have this problem which is why on many occasions it is undertaken together with the rhinoplasty so that the final result is more natural and harmonious and the nose surgery less aggressive (as can be seen in the photo above).

Augmentation of the chin

This is done on receding chins, in other words, it is when the patient is viewed from the side it can be noticed that the chin is too far back with respect to the nose and the rest of the profile.

Chin augmentation can be done using different techniques:

With implants:

  1. Hard, synthetic:
    In Cirugía Facial Benidorm we fit Nagor® silicon prostheses which we fix to the bone with micro-screws. They are fitted using a trans-oral approach (from inside the mouth), with no scarring, under local anaesthesia. In a simple procedure which takes less than 1 hour.As the surgery is only minimally invasive, recuperation is rapid and the patient can return to their normal everyday life in 4-7 days. Although the implants are safe, have the disadvantage that they may become infected and are always a “foreign body” within the organism.
  2. Soft:
    Natural:
    From the patient’s own fat: the autologous fat is extracted from the patient normally in the context of facial remodelling or microlipoinjection. It is taken from the abdomen and thighs or buttocks by aspiration with a syringe. These are simple techniques but with the disadvantage that the fat may be partially reabsorbed which means that the results are less predictable.Of bone: in Cirugía Facial Benidorm we are pioneers in the use of ground bone for facial remodelling. This bone may be of animal or human origin and is the same bone which we use in regeneration in patients who have lost bone and need dental implants. This bone is placed in position through cannulas and has the advantage that it is not reabsorbed like the fat (neither do we need to find a zone to extract fat) and does not disappear like Radiesse.Synthetic:
    Filling: in our clinic we use Radiesse® for facial remodelling of the nose, cheekbones and chin. It is a very simple procedure, without anaesthesia, and with the advantage of not requiring the extraction of fat. The result is very predictable but the Radiesse, as we have mentioned, is reabsorbed within a period of 12-18 months.

 

Without implants:

Bone mentoplasty. This is carried out by a controlled, precise cutting of the jawbone which is then fixed with screws and/or plates into the desired position. In Cirugía Facial Benidorm we are specialists in surgery of the skeleton so, in the majority of occasions, this is our preferred technique. With skeletal mentoplasty, the results are more remarkable than with implants.

It is a simple surgical technique carried out in outpatients under local anaesthesia or sedation and takes less than 1 hour. It is also undertaken from inside the mouth.  Logically, the postoperative period is rather longer than with chin implants, but the patient can return to their normal, everyday life after 7-10 days.

Chin and jaw reduction

Chin reduction is always a surgical procedure called osteotomy or “Shaving”.

It can be applied just to the chin or in the context of a complete remodelling of the jaw for example in transgender patients or patients with wide jaws and jaw angles. In these cases the gonial angles and/or the external cortical plate of the jawbone are eliminated using ultrasonic cutting instruments (PiezoSurgery®) which allow very fine precision cuts and respect the soft tissues.

Depending on the context and the technique used, chin reduction is practiced under local anaesthesia, local + sedation or general anaesthesia if undertaken together with other procedures.