Dr. Fechner prefers the term chin enhancement over augmentation. Although it may be technically correct in the sense that the chin area is made larger, many patients are concerned that they will end up with a chin that is too big. When it comes to the chin the goal is rather a balanced and harmonious face without undue attention to the chin. It is rare that we meet a person and remember one’s facial characteristic as “beautiful chin”. But a chin that disturbs the harmony of the face will draw attention away from the important beauty features such as one’s eyes or an attractive smile.
In general, women should have slightly softer chins than men. In addition, the whole physique of the person has to be taken into consideration. For instance, a woman who is only 5 feet tall can have a smaller chin then a lady who stands 10 inches taller.
After successful chin enhancement, the aesthetic change should be subtle and undetectable to the observer.
The chin anatomy has direct influences on the aesthetics of other aspects of the face. For instance, a large chin will automatically make the nose appear smaller and vice versa because the chin serves as a natural point of counter balance to the nose. After chin enhancement, the nose will appear relatively smaller and for many better fitting to the face, even without any change to the nose itself. In addition, a small chin will provide for a weaker jawline with less definition. People with small chins also find that their neck is less distinct, a concern which gets more significant as aging occurs.
Many options for surgical chin enhancement do exist including the use of bone grafts (from the patient or a cadaver), artificial implants, fat grafting and rearrangement of the chin bones using bone cuts (osteotomies). Unless the patient desires realignment of their teeth (occlusion), Dr. Fechner does not recommend mandibular osteotomies for chin enhancement. Man-made implants provide the preferred options for aesthetic chin enhancement in Dr. Fechner’s opinion.
To learn more about chin enhancement, please schedule a consultation with our cosmetic specialist.
