The performance of mentoplasties is increasing worldwide.

The boom for surgically altering the chin’s appearance seems to have started in 2011 when the annual report carried out by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) mentioned an increase in the number of these operations of more than 70%. But what is the reason for this significant growth? Apparently, and although it may be surprising, the fault lies with the new technologies.

And not precisely because these technological advances have occurred in the field of medicine -which also-, but because, as pointed out by a large number of surgeons, the fact of new communication systems -and their popularization- allow the person can be seen and photographed in any circumstance –provided that she gives her consent- has caused the public to attend to parts of the body that, in face to face, can go more unnoticed.

What does it consist of?

Chin surgery is a type of intervention that can be done with several objectives:

• Correct expression lines may appear since the chin is one of the areas that most denotes the passage of time.
• Increase the chin volume if it presents some retraction to give more personality to the face – it is the most frequent type of operation in men.
• Reduce chin volume to soften overall facial features.

To do this, there are two main techniques :

• Implantation of prostheses –usually made of silicone- with a similar hardness to the bone to avoid differences with the natural chin. It is generally used when you want to rejuvenate the area or increase the volume of the chin.
• Bone restructuring: it is a somewhat more complex intervention that involves modifying the chin’s shape without the inclusion of a prosthesis. This technique also allows correcting, for example, jaw asymmetries or other requirements directly related to the bone structure of the face.

In any case, the surgeon must carry out a complete study and determine what type of intervention will be the most appropriate and allow obtaining the results that the patient wants with all the guarantees for their health.