What Are the Types of Chin Implants?

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Question:

I’m a 40-year-old man considering a chin implant to make my jaw line more defined. I’m curious as to how the implants actually work, though. Do chin implants bond to your chin bone, or are they kind of free standing?

Answer:

There are several types of implants used for chins and all of them are quite good.  However, the most common type is a silastic (solid silicone) chin implant.  My implant of choice is a silicone silastic-type implant covered by ePTFE which is the generic name for a gortex type material.  The advantage of these implants is you do have a small amount of tissue ingrowth so that the plant becomes firmly seeded and does not move.  These implants do quite well and actually bond to the surrounding tissue.  There are essentially two approaches, namely, the first going through the inside of the mouth or under the chin.  We prefer to make a small incision under the chin for several reasons, especially the fact that an incision on the inside of the mouth can be bothersome to patients.  Additionally, there is a degree of contamination going through the mouth, although the actual infection rate does not seem to contraindicate this approach as an option.

About the Author: Dr. Edwin Williams

Dr. Edwin Williams is a double board-certified facial plastic surgeon who founded The Williams Center in 1993. He has performed over 10,000 facial plastic surgery procedures and has pioneered the deep plane facelift. He served on the Board of Directors for the American Academy of Facial Plastic Surgery for over a decade, and served as President from 2015-2016. In 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019, Dr. Williams earned the Castle Connelly Top Doctors award in New York Facial Plastic Surgery.

Dr. Edwin F. Williams III attended Cornell University in Ithaca, New York where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in 1982. He began medical school at the State University of Buffalo School of Medicine and received his Doctor of Medicine in 1986.

Dr. Williams is actively involved in teaching facial plastic and reconstruction surgery to the residents of the Albany Medical Center and is former Chief of the Section of Facial and Plastic Reconstruction Surgery at Albany Medical Center where he received an academic appointment of Clinical Professor, Department of Surgery.