Do you ever look in the mirror and think that your face seems unbalanced? Perhaps your nose looks too big in relation to your chin or your neck looks larger than the rest of your face. While the first thought you have might be to consider rhinoplasty more seriously, in some cases, the best solution might be to adjust the size of the chin, instead. If your neck seems wider than your face, chin augmentation can also be the more appropriate option.
Implants
A weak chin is one that looks as though it is receding into the neck. When you have a weak chin, the profile of your face isn’t well-defined when you look in a mirror. One option for strengthening a weak chin is to have a surgeon place an implant to enhance its size and shape.
Although getting a chin implant does involve surgery, it is a less complicated surgical procedure than something such as rhinoplasty or a facelift. The procedure involves making a small incision either beneath the chin or inside of the mouth, then placing a silicone implant into the chin area. Silicone implants are safe and have a natural feel and look.
Typically, recovery from the surgery takes a few days or about a week. There may be some bruising and swelling in the area, which will gradually decrease.
Injectables
Perhaps you’re unsure if a chin implant is the right option for you at the moment. Or, you might not have the time to commit to surgery and to recovery afterwards. One temporary option is to ask your surgeon to use an injectable filler to add volume to the chin area. There are a few benefits to getting an injection over surgery. For one thing, it allows you to try on an augmented chin before you decide to commit to an implant. For another, it provides instant results with limited downtime. Many people are able to return to their usual activities immediately after a treatment with a filler.
Although a filler won’t provide permanent results, you can get a good amount of mileage out of it. Depending on the type of filler your surgeon uses, it’s possible for your results to last up to two years.
Chin Reduction
Not everyone has a too-small chin. In some instances, the chin might actually be too large in comparison to the rest of a person’s facial features, dwarfing the nose or other features. In those cases, the best option is often to have a chin reduction surgery.
While chin implants involves placing something into the chin area, a chin reduction procedure involves taking something away from the area. Usually, during the treatment, the surgeon will make a small incision inside the mouth or beneath the chin, then remove some of the chin bone. He might also reshape the remaining bone to create an appealing and realistic looking chin contour.
As with a chin augmentation surgery, some amount of recovery time is needed after chin reduction. Usually, initial recovery takes about a week. There is likely to be a considerable amount of bruising and swelling in the area, which will decrease over time and be fully gone after a few months.
Rhinoplasty
Sometimes, it really isn’t the chin that’s the problem, but the size or shape of a person’s nose. If your chin looks weak or too big for your face, the issue could be that your nose is either too large or too small in comparison to the rest of your features. If your nose is also crooked or has any other abnormalities in terms of its shape, your surgeon might recommend rhinoplasty to better balance your facial features and to correct the overall shape of the nose.
It might also be that you’ll benefit from both options – rhinoplasty to reshape the nose and chin surgery to either reduce or augment the size of your chin. A consultation with a facial plastic surgeon, such as Dr. Michael Schwartz in West Palm Beach, Florida, can help you determine which option is best for you, whether it’s nasal surgery, chin surgery, or both. To schedule a consultation with Dr. Schwartz, call 561-228-5888 today.