A liquid diet is usually recommended in the first 3 days to avoid any pressure around the chin as the sutures are sensitive until healed. The patient is allowed only light activities until the second week. There will be numbness on the area surrounding the implant. While this is normal, the sensation will gradually improve as weeks pass. As with any implant surgery, it generally takes up to a full year for the implant to settle into position and create a final outcome that is soft, natural and normal in feeling.

With the implant and surrounding tissues adjusting to its new position, there will be a loss of sensation around the chin area and the skin around it will feel tighter than usual. This is an expected reaction post-surgery and shouldn’t be a cause of anxiety. Eventually, sensitivity will return to normal, but it may take several months before the patient can regain sensation. The improvement will be gradual during the course of a year.

Chin augmentation is designed to emphasize the jaw line and create a balanced overall facial appearance. If there are excess fat deposits under the chin, which creates an impression of a double chin, liposuction may be performed. Before any cosmetic surgery, it is advised that the patient is close or already at their goal weight so it doesn’t compromise the positive results of surgery. Sometimes, liposuction is sufficient as it already defines the chin without ever needing an implant.

The incisions made during a chin augmentation procedure are placed inconspicuously within the inside of the lip or under the chin, therefore, there is limited to no scarring that occurs with this procedure.

Mentoplasty is a procedure that adds fullness and shape to the chin.

Genioplasty, on the other hand, is a surgical procedure that reconstructs the chin bone. Both procedures may be done at the same time as a combination surgery or as a single procedure depending on the patient’s chin condition and aesthetic goals. Genioplasty is not always cosmetic in nature as there are conditions in which the procedure resolves a patient’s bite or other medical concern.