Is Chin Augmentation the New Nose Job?

With nothing to do but stare at our ever-changing faces day after day, plus the copious Zoom calls that force us to examine our (usually makeup-free) complexions, it’s gotten a lot easier to nit-pick all of our biggest facial insecurities. There’s the usual: Is my nose off-kilter? Should I do something to define my cheekbones? How’s my hairline looking? But now there’s been increasing interest in an emerging category in the world of plastic surgery: chins.

Of course there are other options to consider before heading to the plastic surgeon or dermatologist’s office, like contouring, facial yoga exercises, and simply rocking your natural features—but if you do want to explore a cosmetic procedure, that’s your prerogative. And you wouldn’t be alone in that thought, either: According to RealSelf, chin-filler procedures have a 97 percent “worth it” rating, whereas chin implants are pegged at 86 percent.

If you’re curious about the various options to sculpt and define your chin, you’ll want to do some research prior to your doctor visit. Below, we tapped the experts to help us break down everything you need to know about chin augmentations.
 

Why Is Chin Augmentation Becoming More Popular?

So why is the concept of a chin augmentation so appealing to people? According to Dr. Lara Devgan, board-certified plastic surgeon and founder of Dr. Lara Devgan Skincare, this procedure is intriguing for a number of reasons, but one of the most significant may be the off-hand influence from quarantine.

“During this strange time, we’ve all been spending so much more time on social media and our cell phones, and I think we’re all seeing the power of these tiny little transformations,” she says. “Plastic surgery used to be this kind of hush-hush, almost taboo world that nobody knew anything about. You knew that people went into a doctor’s office and emerged and something happened, but there was a lot of opacity to it. And now, with social sharing and de-stigmatization around procedures, along with celebrities and reality stars taking people through their surgical and injectables journeys, there’s just a lot more awareness that this is something that is possible and this is what it looks like before, during, and after.”

Another major reason why chin augmentation might pique our interest is its capacity to balance out the overall shape of the face, says Dr. Anne Chapas, board-certified dermatologist and medical director of Union Square Laser Dermatology.

As she explains, “Your face should really have three equal thirds, so the top half of your face, which goes from the side of your eye to your forehead, should be about equal height to the part of your eye here to right to your nose, and then from the bottom of your nose to your chin. So really, it’s all about better proportions.”

Both experts emphasize that a chin augmentation can also correct issues such as facial sagging, disproportionate facial features (such as the nose), cheekbone definition, facial profile imbalance, and overall bone structure.

“Particularly with profile balancing, I would say maybe in half of my nasal cases, we’re making some adjustment to the chin because the nose and chin have a very important relationship with each other, as well,” says Dr. Devgan. “If you’re looking at the face and profile and you drop a perpendicular line from the top of the nose to the base of the columella, which is the bottom of the nose and down, that’s the vertical plane that you would like the chin to lie on. And so if someone’s chin is behind that, typically they can benefit from a little bit of filler or an implant.”
 

What Are My Options?

If you’re intrigued by the prospect of a more defined chin and jawline, there are a few options available to you. Though Dr. Chapas notes that a chin implant is the “gold standard” of chin augmentation procedures—for its bespoke approach and permanent results—hyaluronic acid fillers are a much cheaper and less invasive option.

“[An implant] is always done under general anesthesia, it is permanent, and it can really change someone’s appearance, but not everyone’s running to get general anesthesia right now or to have surgery,” she says. “Filler gives people an alternative that is safe, quick, there’s very little downtime with it, and it has a long-lasting effect.”

One of the most popular filler options for the chin is Restylane Defyne, which is the first and only chin filler to demonstrate results across a wide range of participants, including participants with all skin types, male subjects, and subjects over the age of 52. Although your doctor might suggest a certain filler for off-label use in your chin (which is common in aesthetics, like using Botox for enlarged masseter muscles), this particular filler is considered top of the line for this area.

“Restylane Defyne is a highly dense, highly cohesive acid gel filler. It lasts about one to two years, and it gradually diminishes over time,” says Dr. Devgan. “It allows you to create more of a built-out structure than some of the softer fillers that we might use for, let’s say, the lips.” Comparatively, other facial fillers typically last between three and six months depending on the amount and your body’s metabolism. Dr. Chapas adds that this particular filler is considered “more flexible” and is ideal for more active areas of the face like the chin and cheeks.

In comparison to a chin implant’s pricier bill, which Dr. Devgan says will average out between $10,000 and $14,000, fillers would cost you “typically in the range of $1,800 to $3,600, depending on the amount and types of fillers needed to give someone their desired results.”
 

What Else Should I Know?

If you want to inquire about a chin augmentation, both experts agree that the best first step is to have a consultation with a board-certified dermatologist and/or plastic surgeon in order to get truly customized results for your face.

“I will also say that it’s becoming increasingly common for patients to want to try a result with injectable filler, just to make sure that they like it and they want to live with it,” Dr. Devgan says. “Then, instead of maintaining the filler, you can ultimately convert to surgery down the road.”

But Dr. Chapas stresses that you should visit a medical professional with plenty of experience with this type of treatment who can show you before-and-after photos of previous work. And remember, although it may be more expensive, your results will only be as good as the person performing the procedure. 

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