CHIN AUGMENTATION
CHIN AUGMENTATION, before and after
During your consultation, Dr. Blackledge will use computer imaging to show exactly what your new chin could look like, and help you select the overall size and shape that is most harmonious on your face. Whether your goal defined and chiseled or soft and subtle, a chin augmentation can help you achieve exactly the look you’ve always dreamed of.
Although we often forget about the chin, it is crucial to our overall appearance. In fact, it is the most important aesthetic aspect of the lower part of your face. The chin helps balance the rest of the face, and an undefined chin can make your face appear undefined as well. Chin augmentation improves your profile with the help of a biocompatible implant installed by Dr. Blackledge in his Jackson, Mississippi, office. Also known as chin implant surgery, chin augmentation can dramatically improve your appearance. Dr. Blackledge makes a tiny incision to place your chin implant, then your quick recovery begins.
What is Chin Augmentation?
Aging causes your bone density to decrease, which can cause the appearance of a ‘weak chin.’ If you have a weak chin, then your nose and upper teeth can look more pronounced, while your jaw and neckline remain undefined. Additionally, your neck can become crowded, which might cause the appearance of a ‘double chin.’ Your face can then begin to look more plump than it actually is. Chin augmentation or chin implant surgery can fix your weak chin by making your chin and its projection larger and improving the appearance of your bone structure. In some instances, Dr. Blackledge may combine chin augmentation with liposuction to give patients an even more defined jawline and to get rid of the appearance of a double chin.
How Do Chin Implants Work?
Over the past few years, chin implants have become more popular because they offer reliable and predictable results for patients who want to improve their jawlines. Chin implants give your face balance and symmetry. Additionally, they maintain their shape and can’t be resabsorbed back into the face.
How Does the Chin Augmentation Procedure Work?
If you choose to have a standalone chin augmentation surgery, the procedure will take 45 minutes to one hour. The procedure uses twilight sleep anesthesia and is usually an outpatient procedure. Dr. Blackledge will make incisions that are hidden inside your mouth, then he will insert your chin impant where your lower lip and gum intersect. He will then close the incisions with sutures which will disappear on their own.
Is a Chin Implant Obvious?
Chin implant procedures are rarely obvious, especially when Dr. Blackledge performs the procedure. Dr. Blackledge knows how to give you natural, beautiful results that don’t make you look like you’ve had ‘work done.’
Chin Augmentation Cost
Although some patients worry about the cost of chin augmentation, the results of an improved profile and overall appearance are priceless.
How Long Does Recovery Take?
After your chin augmentation surgery, Dr. Blackledge and his team suggest that someone stays with you for the first full 24 hours after your procedure. If the incisions are inside your mouth, which they commonly are, then you will need to eat soft foods only for a few days. You will wear bandages around your face and will keep ice packs on your chin until the mild to moderate swelling reduces. Swelling usually goes down around the third day. You will most likely have little downtime and will be able to resume your regular, day-to-day activities after just a few days.
1. What are the benefits of chin augmentation?
One of the most overlooked aspects of the face and what people consider beautiful is facial balance and proportion. Patients often in the consultation tell us that they aren’t sure what exactly disturbs them about their face, but they just want to look better. Dr. Blackledge will then demonstrate on computer generated images how important imbalances are on the face. One of the most commonly deficient areas on the face is the chin, and chin implant surgery often does more to harmonize the face than any other procedure available.
Chin implants add definition to the jawline and improve the profile all at the same time. The beauty of chin implants is the abundance of sizes and shapes now available in implants. During your consultation, Dr. Blackledge will generate many different computer images of your face with different size implants, and then will help you in deciding which size and shape is most proportioned on your face.
Male patients typically want a much stronger looking chin, as this characteristic is identified as a masculine trait. Female patients typically want a softer chin and an improvement in their side profile. The most common procedure performed at the same time as chin implant is liposuction under the chin. Patients with deficient chins may have a small accumulation of fatty tissue under their submental area. Liposuction of this area can be performed at the same time as the placement of the chin implant to create a sculpted jawline.
During your consultation, you will actually get to look and feel at an actual chin implant. They are made of a elastic material that is similar to materials used in heart surgery. This material is biocompatible which means it is capable of remaining in our body without being rejected by our body. With time, the chin implant is almost impossible to feel against our actual chin.
2. How do I prepare for a chin augmentation surgery?
Before Surgery
We will schedule an appointment for you approximately 10 days prior to surgery. At your preoperative appointment, our patient coordinator and nurse will review all the instructions for you both prior to surgery and after surgery. You will receive prescriptions for your necessary medicines at this time, and we will review any of your current medicines that you are taking. This is also an excellent opportunity to ask our Dr. Blackledge any questions you may have thought about since the consultation. At the conclusion of your preoperative visit, we want you to feel totally comfortable with your upcoming experience. Remember, we are here to answer your questions and make the preop and recovery process as easy as possible for you. For many of our long-distance patients, the preoperative appointment may be done over the telephone, via e-mail or even on the morning before surgery if possible.
The Morning of…
Upon your arrival, you will be greeted by one of our nurses, and allowed to change into a more comfortable gown. Wear something that is comfortable and slides easily over your head or zips/buttons up the front. You will then be seen by Dr. Blackledge and will discuss any “last minute” questions. We will also draw on you while you are awake and sitting up – as everything tends to change once you lie down. Once you feel comfortable and all questions are answered, we will give you a cup of pills that should start to drift you off into a relaxed state.
Chin implants are placed either through a small incision in the gum line inside your mouth or through an incision under the chin. We will review the pros and cons of each incision during your consultation and decide which technique is best for you during your consultation.
3. What is recovery time typically like?
Even though the recovery period technically starts immediately after surgery, there are several things that you can do before your surgery day to make the recovery period smoother. During your consultation, we will talk to you about the importance of being physically and mentally prepared for surgery to ensure that we get the best results possible. Now back to the recovery period. Immediately after surgery, ice packs are placed on your chin to minimize bruising and swelling. These are worn as often as possible for the first twenty-four hours. Most patients go home the day of surgery if chin surgery is the only procedure performed. The first day after surgery is strictly a “bed rest” day. Most patients feel better than expected, so the temptation is to “over do” it on this first day. However, patients have less bruising and swelling if they rest with their head elevated on the first day. Swelling is typically mild to moderate reaching its maximum on the third postoperative day, and then it starts to decline. Typically with camouflage makeup and sunglasses, there is little “down-time” involved and you may resume normal activities after a few days. Pain is rarely significant after chin surgery. However, it is not uncommon to feel fatigued for a couple of days after surgery.
4. What are the Post-op Chin Surgery Instructions?
Each day during your recovery period, you will probably have a new and different question. You will be given specific instructions regarding your postoperative care of the eyelid areas. These instructions are meant to help make your recovery period easier and also to ensure that the results of your surgery are as pleasing as possible.
Bruising
Bruising is expected after any kind of surgery. The amount that you bruise is extremely individualized – some people will bruise more than others. However, with every patient, we can expect a reduction in the amount that you bruise by taking Bromelain during the preoperative and postoperative period. We encourage you to drink at least 8 glasses of water each day during your recovery period to flush the bruising out of your system. Our experience with chin surgery is that the combination of Bromelain and water intake will reduce the amount of bruising that you normally would have had.
During the recovery period, you will notice that your bruising changes colors. All bruises initially appear red and change to a purplish hue. By day five, the majority of your bruises will have changed to a green and then yellow color. Once you have reached the yellow stage, you are almost “bruise free.”
Swelling
Just like bruising, expect swelling. The day after surgery, swelling will actually increase over the day. Typically, swelling begins to decrease on the third day after surgery. We often get the question, “what can I do to reduce swelling?” You will be given ice compresses to place over your chin for the first two to three days to reduce swelling.
Sleeping
It is best to sleep in an upright position with your head at least above the level of your heart for the first week after surgery. This helps to reduced swelling and also bruising. The best beds are usually either a recliner or an incline pillow. Both of these keep the head and shoulders in a natural position. If you try to sleep with your head elevated with pillows, you wind up sleeping in an unnatural position and develop muscle spasms in your shoulders.
Exercise
You may begin light walking on the fourth day after surgery. In fact, we usually encourage this because it helps to improve your circulation, which in turn gets rid of bruising and swelling quicker. You can gradually increase the intensity of your walking over the next few days as your body tolerates it. Your body will tell you how much exercise is enough. We usually recommend that you refrain from any competitive sports such as tennis or golf for at least two weeks.
Pain
A popular question is “how much pain will I have after a chin implant?” Most patients will tell you that they had little to no pain after surgery. The common response is that everything felt “tight.” This is usually due to swelling and the tight sensation begins to subside after about 2 – 3 weeks. Patients are given prescriptions prior to surgery for pain medicine and are encouraged to take theme as directed for discomfort. However, most patients switch to Tylenol soon after surgery.
Eating
The day of surgery, you will want to just have soft foods and liquids as the inside of your mouth may be tender. Also, with patients who have an incision inside their mouth, we will want you to stay away from foods that may get caught up in the incision line. As the week progresses, you may upgrade to your normal diet by the end of the week.
5. When Will I Look Presentable?
Obviously, this is a very individualized answer. The average patient is able to go back in public without being obviously swollen or bruised by about 5 – 7 days.
6. Anesthesia?
We encourage you to review the section on anesthesia. The type of anesthesia that is used is determined during the initial consultation. It is at this time that some patients will express a preference of anesthesia, and we will make certain recommendations based on these preferences. Most patients have chin surgery performed under what is called “twilight” sleep. However, some patients opt for general anesthesia. All factors are considered including your general health, past anesthesia experiences, and patient preference.