A small chin is a congenital or acquired pathology of the structure of the lower jaw, in which disharmony of facial features occurs.
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Methods of correction of a small chin
Small chin
The chin is an important detail in a person’s appearance. It plays an important role in shaping the contour of the face. A good first impression is formed about people with a beautiful, pronounced chin.
Ideally, the chin should be extended to the level of the edge of the lower lip. Unfortunately, there are often cases when the chin is so smoothed that it violates the harmony of facial features, as a result of which even the most beautiful person can lose his attractiveness. In this case, it is recommended to perform chin augmentation surgery with different types of implants. In some cases, the chin augmentation procedure can be combined with the installation of prostheses in the jaw.
The chin may be small for the following reasons:
genetic factor;
due to previously unsuccessful facial surgeries;
with congenital anomalies of development;
due to deformities of the chin as a result of injuries;
in some cases, the chin decreases in the elderly as a result of atrophy and a decrease in the volume of soft tissues, a decrease in the amount of bone tissue, the formation of an anterior maxillary furrow.
It is very simple to determine whether a person has a small chin or not. To do this, you need to take measurements. Normally, the height of the chin should correspond to half the height of the lower third of the face. The chin line should be pronounced and gently outlined.
In addition, there is another way to determine the size of the chin. To do this, a person must tilt his head down. It is necessary to draw 2 imaginary lines: one — horizontally passing through the auricle and the bottom of the eye socket, and the second — vertically passing through the deepest point in the area of the root of the nose. In the event that the chin does not extend beyond the vertically positioned line, then it is considered small. In order to determine the size of the chin, another method is used. It consists in determining the bite of the patient.
Fortunately, today a small chin can be easily corrected with the help of plastic surgery. To do this, a special operation is performed — mentoplasty.
After the procedure, the chin becomes expressive, the oval of the face is correct, the patient looks younger. This intervention can be carried out in representatives of both sexes. Although a small chin in men, as a rule, causes more complexes than a small chin in women, so the former often resort to plastic surgery.
Methods of correction of a small chin
To increase the chin, the surgeon can use various types of implants. They may differ in shape and density. The differences may also be in their sizes. All prostheses are divided into two types: artificial and made from their own tissues.
Some implants are made from the patient’s cartilage tissue. For a small increase in the chin, cartilage can be cut out of the patient’s nose or ear. If it is necessary to significantly increase the chin, the implant is made of cartilage tissue taken from the rib. After these manipulations, the cartilage is given the desired shape, after which it is installed in a pre-formed pocket in the area of the chin periosteum.
This method is much safer in comparison with chin augmentation with silicone implants, since no foreign object is installed in the chin, and the risk of rejection is reduced to zero.
The disadvantages of this method include the need to extract bone or cartilage tissue from the body. Unlike ready-made artificial implants, natural ones must be manufactured. In addition, the cartilaginous prosthesis may resolve over time. As a result, after some time, a repeat operation may be required. At the same time, it is impossible to predict the reaction of the body before the intervention. After the installation of the cartilage implant, it may take some time for its complete “shrinkage”. As a rule, it occurs within 3-4 months. At this time, the resulting chin will be approximately 10% larger than desired.
Bone grafting can also be done to increase the chin. During this operation, the surgeon cuts the lower jaw, then pushes the bone wedge and moves it forward, then the bone is fixed in a new position using titanium or collagen plates and screws.
The advantages of the procedure include the possibility of correcting the projection and length of the chin, the absence of scars on the face, since the incision is made in the oral cavity, the absence of foreign objects.
Like any other methods, this one also has its drawbacks. Due to the individual characteristics of the body, the chin of some patients can only be slightly adjusted in this way. It depends on the thickness of the bones. If the patient has a thick bone, the surgeon has more options. In addition, after this operation, severe pain may occur. The rehabilitation period after bone grafting is long. After surgery, lipofilling is required in order to fill the empty space between the spread bones. Although this procedure may not always help, as a result of which a “step” may form on the patient’s chin, which becomes less noticeable over time. After surgery, the jaw may become more fragile, since its integrity was lost during the intervention.
This operation lasts 1.5-2 hours under general anesthesia. During the first 3-4 days, the patient should wear a bandage fixing the new jaw. Severe swelling and hematomas will disappear after 2-3 weeks. Although a slight swelling may persist for another 1-2 weeks. Some patients complain of numbness of the skin and lower lip after the procedure.
Chin augmentation can also be achieved using monolithic or perforated silicone implants. The latter are considered more convenient, since they have a lighter weight. In addition, through the holes that the prosthesis has, over time, the tissues of the body will begin to germinate, so that it will be securely fixed. The incision during the procedure can be made both under the jaw and in the oral cavity. The second option is preferable, since no visible scars remain after it. In addition, it is less traumatic, because a smaller incision is required for implantation through oral access.
The advantages of this method include a huge selection of shapes and sizes of prostheses. The surgeon can choose a small implant with a height of 2-3 mm, or a large one — up to several centimeters. Such implants are durable and have practically no contraindications. In addition, they are invisible to others.
Among the disadvantages of the method, it can be noted the presence of a foreign object in the body, which over time can lead to the formation of capsular contracture. Some implants may migrate or rupture. Also, prostheses have a high cost. Like cartilage implants, silicone implants must “sit down”, so for several months after surgery, the size of the resulting chin will be 5% larger than desired.
General anesthesia is not required for the operation. Hematomas after surgery can be for a week, swelling goes away within a month.
You can slightly increase the chin without surgery. This can be done using filler implants. During the procedure, the doctor uses a thin needle to inject a gel filler based on hyaluronic acid into the chin area. The advantages of this method include the absence of incisions and the ability to experiment with the size and shape of the chin. In addition, this filler is much cheaper than silicone prostheses. The procedure lasts about 30 minutes and takes place under local anesthesia.
Unfortunately, this procedure needs to be carried out again from time to time, since the filler resolves within 4-12 months. This period depends on the density of the injected gel and the individual characteristics of the body.
