Thank you for
your question.
You submitted your question with two photos.
And you stated in your question that you had a chin augmentation done about 11 days prior
that was uncomplicated.
And you state that in the last 48 hours, you developed significant swelling as well as
struggling with smiling and chewing and movement.
You state that your plastic surgeon told you to just take acetaminophen and warm compresses.
So you’re looking for some guidance as to what to do given this change.
Well, I can certainly share with you my perspective of course limited without a physical examination.
A little bit of background, I’m a Board-certified cosmetic surgeon and Fellowship-trained oculofacial
plastic and reconstructive surgeon.
I have been in practice in Manhattan and Long Island for over 20 years.
Helping people improve the appearance of the chin is part of my daily practice whether
it’s the use of a chin implant like you had or with injectable fillers through a method
called Structural Volumizing again using injectable fillers.
So I would say that when you talk about chin implants, any specialist who performs this
type of surgery, generally, it’s fairly a straightforward procedure where after a
small incision is made under the chin or from inside the mouth, a silicone type of implant
is generally placed under the periosteum which is a layer that’s overlying the bone.
And as I said, generally speaking, once it’s placed, it can be fixated and usually stays
in place without any problem.
And most people feel pretty good even a week out.
Yes, they can have some degree of some mild swelling, a little bit of irregularities when
it comes to facial movement.
However, chin implants are not without complications and problems.
And even with the well respected surgeons with tremendous experience will periodically
have problems with implants.
Sometimes, things just don't go the way you expect them to.
And you can have a problem such as bleeding or infection.
And so I think that, what basically raises a red flag for me is that in the short course
of 48 hours, which is about 9 days after your surgery, you had a sudden change, a sudden
worsening of symptoms to the point where you are struggling to move your mouth.
Now that doesn't sound right and you describe in your question that you didn't have a double
chin before the procedure which speaks to me of a significant amount of swelling.
Now your doctor advising you about the acetaminophen and the warm compress, what you didn't clarify
in your question was whether or not your doctor examined you.
I think that what is very important was for your doctor who performed the surgery to examine
you and to evaluate and feel.
This is the doctor who knows your face and knows your anatomy.
And if you are dealing with either some bleeding or the onset of an infection, then there is
only one option which is to remove the chin implant.
So I think it’s very important that you see your doctor in person.
If your doctor isn't available, see another doctor.
These are the kind of symptoms that are very concerning and should not be just minimized
as something that’s normal.
Again, for an uncomplicated process of chin augmentation, it is routine for our patients
to feel really good.
And in a week later, we take those stitches out and they really love their appearance.
And two weeks later, they look even better.
So this sudden change is concerning and I would really encourage you to see your doctor
and see them in person to examine you because there is no clear basis that could be justified
for a normal course of healing that would involve a sudden worsening of symptoms as
specific as yours.
So I hope that was helpful, I wish you the best of luck and thank you for your question.