Chin augmentation
Encyclopedia
Chin augmentation using surgical implants
Implant (medicine)
An implant is a medical device manufactured to replace a missing biological structure, support a damaged biological structure, or enhance an existing biological structure. Medical implants are man-made devices, in contrast to a transplant, which is a transplanted biomedical tissue...

 can alter the underlying structure of the face
Face
The face is a central sense organ complex, for those animals that have one, normally on the ventral surface of the head, and can, depending on the definition in the human case, include the hair, forehead, eyebrow, eyelashes, eyes, nose, ears, cheeks, mouth, lips, philtrum, temple, teeth, skin, and...

, providing better balance to the facial features. This operation is often, but not always, performed at the time of rhinoplasty
Rhinoplasty
Rhinoplasty , also nose job, is a plastic surgery procedure for correcting and reconstructing the form, restoring the functions, and aesthetically enhancing the nose, by resolving nasal trauma , congenital defect, respiratory impediment, and a failed primary rhinoplasty...

 to help balance the facial proportions. Chin augmentation may be achieved by manipulation of the jaw bone (mandible) and augmentation utilizing this technique usually provides a more dramatic correction than with the use of prosthetic implants.

Chin
Chin
In the human anatomy, the chin is the lowermost part of the face.It is formed by the lower front of the mandible.People show a wide variety of chin structures. See Cleft chin....

 implants are to build a better profile.
Patients’ own bone is donated from ribs and from part of the pelvis (the ilium.) Unfortunately, use of donated bone implants in chin augmentation, even the patient’s own, appears to be associated with a higher rate of infection
Infection
An infection is the colonization of a host organism by parasite species. Infecting parasites seek to use the host's resources to reproduce, often resulting in disease...

, even after the implant has been in place for decades.

Chin augmentation is still popular because it’s a relatively easy operation for the patient while producing noticeable changes in the silhouette
Silhouette
A silhouette is the image of a person, an object or scene consisting of the outline and a basically featureless interior, with the silhouetted object usually being black. Although the art form has been popular since the mid-18th century, the term “silhouette” was seldom used until the early decades...

 of the face. This type of surgery is usually performed by an oral and maxillofacial surgeon, otolaryngologist, or plastic surgeon.

Potential risks and side effects

The usual complications are relatively minor and include swelling, hematoma
Hematoma
A hematoma, or haematoma, is a localized collection of blood outside the blood vessels, usually in liquid form within the tissue. This distinguishes it from an ecchymosis, which is the spread of blood under the skin in a thin layer, commonly called a bruise...

 (blood pooling) and numbness of the lower lip which usually does not last long. Other, less common risks include infection, bony changes and displacement of the implant.

Chemical compositions

Gore-Tex
Gore-Tex
Gore-Tex is a waterproof/breathable fabric, and a registered trademark of W. L. Gore and Associates. It was co-invented by Wilbert L. Gore, Rowena Taylor, and Gore's son, Robert W. Gore. Robert Gore was granted on April 27, 1976, for a porous form of polytetrafluoroethylene with a...

 used in plastic surgery and other operations is known by an abbreviation of its chemical name, ePTFE (expanded polytetrafluoroethylene
Polytetrafluoroethylene
Polytetrafluoroethylene is a synthetic fluoropolymer of tetrafluoroethylene that finds numerous applications. PTFE is most well known by the DuPont brand name Teflon....

) or Gore S.A.M. (subcutaneous augmentation material.)

ePTFE is used in medicine because it is biocompatible and does not cause problems inside the human body. Because ePTFE is flexible and soft but very strong, it is inserted during operations in trimmed sheets and carved blocks and held to the bone by titanium
Titanium
Titanium is a chemical element with the symbol Ti and atomic number 22. It has a low density and is a strong, lustrous, corrosion-resistant transition metal with a silver color....

 screws. But because the material is porous, the force that really holds the implant in place is soft tissue and bone growing through and into the implant.

Another chin augmentation implant material is commercially known as AlloDerm and known to physicians as acellular human cadavertic derms. AlloDerm comes from tissue donors; just after death, technicians remove a thin layer of skin and use antibiotics and other substances to remove the cells and donor DNA
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...

 that may cause rejection. The graft
Skin grafting
Skin grafting is a type of graft surgery involving the transplantation of skin. The transplanted tissue is called a skin graft.Skin grafting is often used to treat:*Extensive wounding or trauma*Burns...

 that emerges is often used to cover chin implants. Other typical types of chin implants include silicone
Silicone
Silicones are inert, synthetic compounds with a variety of forms and uses. Typically heat-resistant and rubber-like, they are used in sealants, adhesives, lubricants, medical applications , cookware, and insulation....

 implants in varying degrees of softness; silicone elastomers (any of various polymers having the elastic properties of natural rubber) and porous polyethylene
Polyethylene
Polyethylene or polythene is the most widely used plastic, with an annual production of approximately 80 million metric tons...

 implants.
Other common implant materials include Supramid, a braided nonabsorbale synthetic suture material in polymer shell and Mersiline, a mesh-like material that provides a scaffold on the bone.

See also

  • Chin sling
    Chin sling
    A chin sling is a synthetic lining used in chin augmentation to lift the tissues under the chin and neck. The sling is surgically implanted under the skin of the chin and hooked behind the ears, giving a more youthful appearance, and reversing the effects of aging such as accumulated fat, lost skin...

  • Orthognathic surgery
    Orthognathic surgery
    Orthognathic surgery is surgery to correct conditions of the jaw and face related to structure, growth, sleep apnea, TMJ disorders, malocclusion problems owing to skeletal disharmonies, or other orthodontic problems that cannot be easily treated with braces. Originally coined by Dr. Harold...

  • Maxillofacial Surgery
  • Plastic Surgery
    Plastic surgery
    Plastic surgery is a medical specialty concerned with the correction or restoration of form and function. Though cosmetic or aesthetic surgery is the best-known kind of plastic surgery, most plastic surgery is not cosmetic: plastic surgery includes many types of reconstructive surgery, hand...

  • Otolaryngology
    Otolaryngology
    Otolaryngology or ENT is the branch of medicine and surgery that specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of ear, nose, throat, and head and neck disorders....


External links

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