What is chin ptosis?
Chin ptosis is basically irregularities of the chin muscle. The chin muscle or mentalis consists of two parts, and it's really important to maintain the shape and function of the lip and chin. Chin ptosis is when the muscle is not functioning well and the chin is hanging down.
What causes chin ptosis?
The causes of chin ptosis are usually due to a surgeon's actions. When the surgeon is not experienced in doing chin surgeries, this happens. The muscle after the chin correction should be attached to the right place carefully. This is a very sensitive procedure. It takes a long time to close the area, and these days, unfortunately, we see a lot of all-on-four implants and the bone is cut and the gums are cut. Again, if the muscle is not reattached properly, then the whole chin falls down. We get chin ptosis.
How is chin ptosis diagnosed?
Chin ptosis is diagnosed by an experienced practitioner. Usually, patients cannot completely close their lips after surgery where they could have before. They can see the lower teeth when talking when they wouldn't see it before, and also from the side view, the chin is hanging down, you get a double chin and you get irregularities of the chin.
What are the treatment options for chin ptosis?
The different treatment options for chin ptosis are really surgical, and it is pretty difficult to correct it, but it's possible.
Can chin ptosis be corrected with non-surgical treatments like Botox or fillers?
Chin ptosis unfortunately cannot be corrected by a non-surgical procedure like fillers or Botox. Botox may help a little bit with the irregularities, but first of all, this is temporary and also doesn't treat the underlying problem.
What surgical procedures are available to correct chin ptosis?
The only surgical procedure that is available to correct chin ptosis is really to open the area from the inside of the lip and sometimes, depending on the severity, from outside under the chin. Usually, these patients have had a chin implant or another chin surgery, so there's a scar here, and we go in and release everything and reattach the muscle upward and close everything, and maybe sometimes we remove some of the skin here under the neck to tighten things up.
How effective is a chin tuck or submental tuck-up for chin ptosis?
A chin tuck may be effective, but really it only resolves some of the problem. This muscle here, this part of the muscle, may be treated, but really the function of the muscle here that lifts up the lip and closes it is not treated properly, so it continues to be hanging down.
What is the recovery time after surgery for chin ptosis?
Recovery time for chin ptosis treatment is really the same as doing a chin surgery, at least in my office, so I would say about 10 days to 2 weeks of swelling and bruising, but with minimum pain.
Are there risks or side effects associated with chin ptosis surgery?
Risks and side effects with chin ptosis exist. This really depends on the first surgery, how rough it was, how much scar tissue there is, if there was damage to the mental nerve which comes out around here, or if there's scar tissue here and we have to release that. But the only risk that I can think of is that it doesn't resolve afterward. But I think even if it resolves 25%, that's pretty good.
How does chin ptosis affect facial aesthetics and self-esteem?
Chin ptosis can affect facial asymmetry and aesthetics, and also self-esteem. People who have chin ptosis usually are concerned about their chin. They have an increase in the vertical height of the face because the chin is hanging down. There's irregularities of the chin, really bad sometimes, and when they talk or smile, it's really visible. Again, the lip is not functioning properly, so it can really affect your self-esteem and function.