Dr. Sam Lam Plastic Surgery Forum

Dear Dr. Lam. I was wondering, can you reshape a bulky chin like the one above in the picture into something vertically smaller (don't know how to put it otherwise) and at the same time more accentuated horizontally (the one below : red line designates the jaw bone before being shaved or whatever you could do / the blue line would represent how it'd look afterward)

that's the image (just paste the address into your browser)
img441.imageshack.us/my.php?image=profilehj8.jpg

Would it be possible to achieve similar results without artificial implants (I mean if implants are needed is it possible to use one's cartilage or anything that comes from our own body?) Thank you for your help, great website, great videos.

i don't perform genioplasty and what you drew looks as if genioplasty could help. you would have to find an OMFS (oro-maxillo-facial surgeon) to do the job. an implant will not work or be safe lower than the inferior jawline border.

Ah I see. I thought genioplasty was something plastic surgeons do, but if an OMF surgeon is to do it, do you know anyone you could refer me to? Besides, what do you mean by an implant wouldnt' be safe lower than the inferior jawline border? if I understand correctly you're talking about an implant under the jaw, right? But what about an implant just two centimeters below the mouth (just where some people have a chin dimple)

both are unsafe. the mental nerves (nerves that give you sensation) sit right there. plus, the bone is thin there and the implant can erode into the dental roots causing you loss of teeth over a few years. i had a gentleman who flew to Texas from another state to have a larger chin implant. to my surprise when i got in there his implant was sitting over the chin dimple, as you call it, and had already started to erode into the bone because the bone is thin there. in 3 to 4 years if he had not come in, he probably would have no teeth. pretty scary surgery that is performed out there.

bottom line, a chin implant must sit only over the thicker lower bone and not over the chin dimple above or below the edge of the jawbone below.

i cannot refer you to another doctor, as this site is not about giving that kind of referral. sorry.

best,
sml