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Atlanta chin implant

The Many Faces of Chin Surgery

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Plastic surgery is becoming more and more commonplace within our society, but one procedure that often gets overlooked is chin surgery. For patients who find themselves thinking, “I’m unhappy with the overall structure of my face, but I don’t know what I can do about it,” chin reshaping can often have a powerful effect. Below are a few of the specific concerns that cosmetic chin surgery can address:

“I want a stronger, more masculine jawline.”

For a man, having a “weak” jawline can be a source of self-consciousness, especially considering that there isn’t much that can be done to improve or conceal the jaw’s appearance without surgery. For these patients, chin augmentation may be the right choice. During this procedure, a biocompatible chin implant (with a unique size and shape based on your individual needs) is placed in the chin using an incision that is either concealed within the mouth or discretely located under the chin.

“I want better balance among my facial features.”

The size and shape of the chin can have a powerful effect on the other facial features. For instance, take a look at these two facial illustrations:

HeadProfile HeadProfileWeakChin2

The only difference between the first picture and the second is the man’s chin, but with the weaker chin in the second picture, his nose and forehead look significantly more prominent. Some patients may think that they need rhinoplasty to improve their facial appearance, while chin surgery will actually give them the results they’re looking for. This is why it’s so important to schedule a consultation with a board-certified plastic surgeon who is skilled in determining the best way to achieve your aesthetic goals.

“I want to look younger.”

As we age, our skin becomes thinner and less firm, often giving it a sagging appearance throughout the jawline and neck. Unfortunately, a weak chin can make this aging look worse than it truly is. For some patients who want to look younger, combining cosmetic chin surgery with a neck lift can provide the right balance of minimizing current signs of aging while also creating a more lasting way to make future aging less prominent.

“I want to look thinner.”

Just as a small chin can make sagging skin look worse, it can also intensify the appearance of excess fat under the chin (or a “double chin,” as it’s often called). Fat in this area can be particularly difficult to eliminate with diet and exercise and can make even those with a healthy weight feel self-conscious. In this case, chin augmentation along with liposuction of the chin may be able to provide a slender, more attractive jawline. However, as with liposuction of any area of the body, this procedure is not a substitute for weight loss or for a healthy lifestyle.

Like any other cosmetic surgery, chin reshaping is tailored to the patient’s individual needs and desired results, whether that involves augmentation with a chin implant or reduction by reshaping the structure of the chin. To discuss whether cosmetic chin surgery may be the right choice for you, schedule a consultation with me, Dr. Franklyn Elliott. Or, to learn more and to stay up-to-date on the latest plastic surgery news, follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+.

Ask Dr. Elliott: Can Chin Surgery Make Me Look Younger and Thinner?

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In general, all plastic surgery patients have one goal in mind: having an appearance they can feel confident in. For some patients, that means looking younger. For other patients, it means looking more slender and athletic. While chin surgery is generally thought of as a procedure that gives improved balance and proportion to the facial features, it can actually have a more comprehensive effect on the patient’s appearance and can sometimes create a more youthful or slim look if it aligns with the patient’s cosmetic goals.

The way that cosmetic chin surgery is performed depends on the desired results. For some patients, the procedure involves a chin implant, which is made of a synthetic material that feels much like natural chin tissue. The implant, which is available in a variety of sizes and shapes to fit each patient’s needs, is placed using an incision that is concealed within the mouth or in the natural creases of the chin. On the other hand, if the chin needs to be reduced and re-shaped, similar incisions are used to access the structure of the chin and enable me to sculpt the bone and other tissue into the desired shape. So how can this procedure help patients look younger or thinner?

Turning Back the Clock

For most male patients especially, the goal of chin surgery is a strong, defined chin and jawline—a feature that we associate with youth and strength. But chin surgery can have a more direct and specific rejuvenating effect as well. One of the most noticeable signs of aging is sagging skin—as we age, our skin becomes less firm and less able to withstand the effects of gravity, causing it to become loose and to sag. Chin augmentation alone can provide a subtle tightening for sagging skin of the neck. If aging skin is a more significant concern, chin surgery can often be combined with a facelift or neck lift to achieve a more significant improvement.

Turning Back the Calories

Even those who aren’t overweight can find themselves with an unflattering profile as the result of receding chin, especially considering that excess fat in the neck is notoriously difficult to eliminate naturally. Chin surgery can create a slimming definition between the face, jawline, and neck. For patients who would also benefit from removing fat in the chin and neck area, chin surgery can often be combined with liposuction for a more comprehensive improvement.

For many patients, chin surgery can be the right path to higher confidence in their appearance. But there’s a reason why plastic surgery is such a varied field with so many procedural options—while all patients have the goal of feeling more attractive, the best way to achieve that goal is different for each patient based on their natural anatomy and desired results. Schedule a consultation with me, Dr. Franklyn Elliott, to begin discussing how cosmetic procedures can help you embrace life with less self-consciousness. Or, to start by learning more about the procedures we offer, join me on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+.