What are the pros and cons of surgical jaw reduction for a slimmer face? (photo)

Doctor's Answer

Based on your photo, there is some asymmetry along the chin which can be evened out easily with some fillers. If you would consider surgical options, genioplasty or bone shaving procedures can fix that permanently.

When it comes to bone work, your surgeon would need a CT scan of the face to look at the bone structure before determining if there is a need for jaw reduction. The complexities of such a surgery largely depends on the amount of reduction required.

• Minimal reduction done by shaving the bone is relatively simple.

• If resection of bone is required, it will be slightly more invasive but not too difficult as long as there is the CT scan for guidance. Orthodontic preparation of 6 to 12 months may be required before surgery.

In some cases, patients who have undergone jaw reduction may experience nerve injury, numbness of the mouth or lower lip, asymmetry, intraoral wound healing difficulties and these take time to heal. Typically, the downtime for such a procedure would be around 1 month.

If you are considering surgical options, it would be best for you to arrange a consultation with a plastic surgeon so they can assess your facial proportion in totality before recommending if you need any augmentation.

Warmest regards,

Dr Por Yong Chen

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