Ever been told you have a small chin? Or that you used to have a stronger chin? Or worse, have you ever been told you have a weak chin? It might be time to look into chin implants.
At my Toronto plastic surgery practice, I often emphasize to my patients that the chin is a very important facial feature. It is a commanding feature for alpha males and alpha females as it brings distinction and nobility to a person’s face. A well-chosen chin implant can complement a nose and enhance facial harmony in profile.
It can also make a woman’s face more oval and more triangular with the cheeks. A young female face is triangular and becomes more square — and more masculine — with age. So a chin implant can increase the projection of a person’s chin and also increase the vertical height of the lower third of the face, an important consideration for women.
A chin implant can also pull forward the neck skin slightly. In doing so, it can help a person achieve a more youthful 90-degree angle where the underside of the chin meets the neck, particularly along with some liposuction, muscle repair, and neck skin redraping as in a neck and facelift.
As we age, we do lose fat, bone mass, and muscle mass in the face, and this is likely the reason many people think that their chins are getting “weaker” with age.
But no more! Chin implants can be a very effective way to reverse those changes and bring your face into better harmony. They come in many shapes and sizes.
Chin implants can be added via an external incision under the chin, the same incision used when your plastic surgeon repairs the hanging muscles and skin under your chin (turkey or chicken neck). Chin implants are also commonly inserted via a hidden intraoral incision (in the mouth). The intraoral approach makes it feasible to carve and sculpt the bony edges for a smoother contour prior to inserting the implant.
When I trained in Paris in 2002, we were not thinking of chin implants then. But my experience using fillers such as JUVÉDERM®, JUVÉDERM VOLUMA®, and Restylane® for cheek and chin augmentation made me reconsider the use of chin implants with all my facelift and neck lift patients. I must say, today, most of those procedures will benefit from the addition of a chin implant.
If you’re interested in whether you might benefit from a chin implant, I invite you to contact me for a consultation. Until then, long lives to strong-minded, strong-chinned alpha males and alpha females!
