Genioplasty
What is a Genioplasty?
Genioplasty is surgery to reshape the chin to improve the appearance and improve how it complements the rest of your face. In certain patients, it can help support your tongue when you sleep, improving how you sleep.
What does surgery involve?
Surgery is performed under general anaethesia, and usually you will be able to go home the same day. There may be incision inside the mouth only or hidden on the underside of your chin. Surgery may take from 1 to 2 hours depending on complexity of surgery.
There are two main types of genioplasty.
The first involves implants i.e. no cuts to the bone. The implants are made of plastic (Medpor) or silicon.
The second type involves making cuts to the bone, and holding the bone in place with titanium plates and screws.
There are pros and cons to each approach, and Dr Kwon will advise which may be suitable for your goals.
What is the recovery period?
The amount of pain experienced after surgery varies from person to person. Simple pain relief such as paracetamol and ibuprofen should help with the discomfort. You can expect there may be some brusing and swelling around the chin, this tends to be most severe at 3-4 days after surgery, before starting to settle.
You may have tape around your chin, this is usually removed after 3-5 days. There will be dissolving sutures inside the mouth or under the chin depending on the approach.
We advise 7-10 days off work, longer if you do physical work. You may return to the gym at 4 weeks after surgery. The swelling will take 6-12 months to fully settle.
What are the risks?
You may notice some numbness around the skin of your chin and the lower lip and teeth. This is usually temporary.
Minor irregularities along the chin may be felt, but usually these are not visible and should not raise concern. Rarely, further surgery may be recommended to improve the contour of the chin.
Other risks include bleeding, infection, asymmetry, permanent numbness and implant movement.
What are the costs?
The surgery is approximately $12,000 to $16,000 depending on what exactly is required. This includes the surgeon's fee, hospital fees and anaesthetic fees.
A personalised quote will be provided after your consultation with Dr Kwon.