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.