Surgical · chin
Genioplasty or chin implant
Two different operations on the same region. One moves your own bone, the other sits an implant on top of it, and the choice between them is mostly a question of what needs to change.
Not medical advice. This page explains what a procedure is and what is known about it. It is not a recommendation, and it says nothing about whether you are a candidate for anything. Only a licensed provider who has examined you can tell you that.
What it maps to in LooksRatio
- Chin heightthe vertical proportion of the lower third, which a genioplasty can change directly
What it is
A sliding genioplasty cuts the lower part of the chin bone horizontally and moves that segment, then fixes it with a plate. Because the segment can be moved in any direction, it can bring a chin forward or back, shorten or lengthen it vertically, and correct a chin that sits off centre.
A chin implant is a preformed piece, usually silicone, placed on the front of the chin bone through an incision inside the lip or under the chin. It adds projection and width. It does not change vertical height and does not correct asymmetry beyond what its shape provides.
How it works
The distinction that matters: the implant is additive and the genioplasty is positional. If the problem is that the chin is small, an implant answers it. If the problem is that the chin is too long, too short, or crooked, only moving the bone answers it, because there is no implant shape that subtracts height.
Recovery
Implant patients are commonly back to normal activity in about a week. A genioplasty is a larger operation but its early recovery is similar, several days to a week for the basics, with swelling and numbness in the lower lip and chin taking longer to fully settle.
Risks and what actually goes wrong
For implants: displacement, infection, and bone resorption. That last one is the characteristic long-term problem. Constant pressure from the implant erodes the bone underneath it over years, which can undo the projection it was placed for and occasionally requires revision.
For genioplasty: relapse, bleeding, infection, and hardware that can need removal. Injury to the mental nerve, which supplies sensation to the lower lip, is described as an uncommon complication. One published series reported under 0.5mm of bone resorption and 37 of 43 patients extremely satisfied.
Lower-commitment alternatives
Filler adds a small amount of chin projection and lasts months rather than permanently. It is a reasonable way to preview a direction before committing to an operation, and a poor way to achieve a large change.
What LooksRatio assumes
The projection moves chin height 85% of the way to its ideal. That figure assumes the bone can be moved, so it describes a genioplasty rather than an implant. An implant will not reach it if the measurement that is off is vertical.