Esthetic effect of a genioplasty

Hello Doctor,

I approach you because I wish to undergo a genioplasty. I am a 22-year-old young girl. My jaw is quite narrow (I had to undergo an orthodontic treatment with extractions at 12 years of age, which did not fix anything, but I was too young to be fully aware of what was happening and my parents made the decision for me), and I have a recessed chin.

Originally, I probably suffer from retrognathia, but I do not think that it is severe enough to justify a jaw surgery since my face is relatively in harmony. Anyway, I do not think that I have enough courage to undergo this surgery. Yet, I vividly wish that my chin was larger and projected forward. However, I was told that a genioplasty accentuated the narrowness of a small chin even more, which I mostly do not want. When in presence of a weak bone volume, can a genioplasty widen the chin without too many risks?

Or maybe would it be preferable, only in this precise case, to use a prosthesis that would “fill” the sides of the chin?

No matter what, many thanks for your attention and the interactive work that you do with your site that helps a lot of patients.

Regards, Maylis

There are a few things to consider from your question.

First, I would like to specify that a genioplasty is indicated if a person has a recessed chin, if a muscular contraction is required to close the lips together and/or if there is a vertical excess to the lower third of the face.

The figure below shows the typical appearance of an anteroposterior hypoplasia of the chin, an associated vertical excess and a muscular contraction to keep the lips together.

A genioplasty makes it possible to move the tip of the chin forward by performing an osteotomy of the lower edge of the mandible. During healing, a remodeling and beneficial bone apposition occur to support your incisors. See my answer Genioplasty in a teenager on 8 January 2012 (in French).

Since you are 22 years old, you will not necessarily have the same bone apposition as the 15-year-old teenager, but you will have more than a 32-year-old adult.

I do not believe that a genioplasty would make your chin narrower viewed from the front. Not a well-executed genioplasty anyway. Unfortunately, this is what happened to Sandra (in French). Because of my advice, her story ended well and she came to post a testimonial on the web page 2 years later (in French).

In no way do I recommend a chin prosthesis. Damien‘s story (in French) is eloquent enough to convince you that it is not the solution.

In conclusion, I present to you the post genio result one month post surgery of the patient shown above.

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Notice the improved roundness of the chin and its advancement, as well as the absence of muscular contraction. Residual edema is still present, but the improvement is already obvious.

For an even more detailed answer, I invite you to read the scientific article that I published on genioplasty in growing patients.

I wish you the best with the rest.