Chin Advancement, Augmentation, and Reduction as Adjuncts to Rhinoplasty

Overview

Chin deformities are described as common in patients seeking rhinoplasty, because nose and chin together set the profile. Careful assessment before surgery can identify patients who would benefit from having the chin built up or reduced at the same time. The article sets out how to analyse the chin and reviews the treatment options.

Sections of note

• The article is a review chapter, not a study of patients.
• Chin problems are described as commonly present in rhinoplasty patients.
• Two accepted methods of chin augmentation are named: synthetic chin implants and sliding genioplasty.
• Both can be used for a chin set too far back or one that is underdeveloped.
• Sliding genioplasty can additionally correct chin asymmetry, a chin that projects too far forward, and differences in vertical height.
• The article outlines methods for analysing the chin. No patient numbers, complication rates or outcome data appear in the abstract.

What it means for a patient

• A nose can look large partly because the chin is small, so assessing both is part of planning a profile change.
• An implant is the simpler option but adds a foreign material. Sliding genioplasty repositions the patient's own bone and can correct more kinds of problem.
• Only sliding genioplasty addresses a chin that is uneven, too prominent, or too long or short vertically.
• A narrative review with no reported cases or outcomes cannot indicate how often either method succeeds or what complications occur.

Why this paper matters

Profile balance is a matter of proportion between features, and correcting one in isolation can leave the imbalance intact. Setting out when to add chin surgery to rhinoplasty is the practical contribution. How implants compare with genioplasty in long-term outcomes is not addressed here.

Terms

• Mentoplasty: surgery to change the shape or position of the chin.
• Alloplastic chin implant: a manufactured implant placed over the chin bone to add projection.
• Sliding genioplasty: an operation cutting the chin bone and repositioning it.
• Retrognathia: a lower jaw set further back than normal.
• Microgenia: an underdeveloped, small chin.
• Prognathia: a lower jaw or chin projecting further forward than normal.