ABSTRACT
The chin is located on the center of the face and plays an important role in making an esthetic and harmonious appearance of the face. A deformity of this part can either be an isolated problem, or coexist with malformations of the jaw or other facial structures. Surgery of the chin is performed to correct the size, shape, and appearance of the tip of the chin. The operation, also known as a genioplasty(chin reshaping), is performed most commonly to enlarge the chin. For those with a receded chin, it would improve the projection of the chin and result in better balance with the remainder of the face. Occasionally, the operation may also be performed to reduce the volume of an over-sized chin. Since the first description of the genioplasty by Hofer, 1942, it was performed more frequently and effectively in that patient's satisfaction has been higher than any other esthetic surgery. We have carried out 20 cases of esthetic genioplasty in recent 10 years from 1990 to 2000. We have restored the chin contour by using several methods including silastic or Medpor implant onlay support, ostectomy, horizontal sliding osteotomy. In this paper, we have retrospectively reviewed the experiences with many kinds of genioplasty through the patient's records, photographs and radiologic films. The results were summarized as follows: 1) The mean age of the patients was 26.2 years old, and the sex ratio was nearly equal. 2) The methods of operations included 8 cases of augmentation genioplasty, 8 cases of reduction genioplasty, 4 cases of horizontal osteotomy. 3) The procedures were done mainly with intraoral approach. 4) No special postoperative complications were noted except one case of infection. We have noted that all the patients who received the esthetic genioplasty were satisfied with the results and had no special complications except in one case. In this study, we present the various clinical experiences of correcting each malformed chin. The preoperative planning, operation methods, and postoperative complications are presented in detail.