A chin implant is the operation people discover after chin filler shows them what a few millimetres of projection does to a face. A recessed chin makes the nose look larger, the lips more prominent and the neck fuller; bring it forward and all three rebalance without touching any of them. Surgery makes that permanent, and there are two ways to do it: a shaped silicone implant placed on the bone, or a sliding genioplasty that moves the bone itself. They suit different chins and carry different risks, which most consultation pages blur. This page keeps them apart.
The two operations
Implant. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons describes chin augmentation as usually accomplished by placing an implant directly on the bone, through a small incision either inside the mouth or under the skin of the chin. Solid silicone is the standard material, shaped to sit along the front of the jaw and chosen by size. Forty-five to ninety minutes, often under sedation and local anesthesia, and removable if ever needed.
Sliding genioplasty. The bone from the jaw itself is moved forward: the lower edge of the chin is cut, slid forward, down or across, and fixed with a small titanium plate. One to two hours under general anesthesia, done by plastic surgeons and oral-maxillofacial surgeons. Nothing foreign stays behind, and the chin can be lengthened, shortened or straightened as well as projected.
The 2025 systematic review of seven studies and 1,126 patients puts the choice plainly: implants for mild to moderate deficiency where the chin needs to come forward, genioplasty for severe deficiency and complex three-dimensional problems such as a vertically short or asymmetric chin, with high satisfaction for both and a trend toward higher satisfaction after genioplasty.
Who it suits, and the filler preview
The candidate is anyone whose chin sits behind the lips in profile, whose jawline is soft because the chin does not anchor it, or whose double chin is partly a chin that does not project. Most people find this out through chin filler: one to two syringes shows the effect for a year, reversibly, and those who would rather stop paying annually move to surgery. Filler cannot lengthen a very short chin or fix asymmetry convincingly; those are genioplasty cases from the start. Surgeons also raise the chin during rhinoplasty consultations, because nose and chin are read together in profile, and pair it with chin liposuction or a neck lift, because projecting the chin tightens the line beneath it.
What it costs
A silicone implant runs $4,000 to $8,000 in the US including surgeon, anesthesia and facility; a sliding genioplasty $7,000 to $12,000. Combining with rhinoplasty or neck work in one operation is common and cheaper than separate surgeries. Canadian prices are similar in dollars. Against filler at $700 to $1,500 a year, an implant pays for itself in about five years.
Recovery
A chin strap for a week, swelling and bruising along the jaw for two weeks, one to two weeks off work, and a soft diet with mouth rinses for a week when the incision is inside the mouth. Numbness of the chin and lower lip is expected for weeks to months and lasts longer after genioplasty. Most swelling clears by four to six weeks; the final shape is visible at three months. A healed implant can be felt with a finger but not seen; a genioplasty leaves nothing to feel.
Risks, by method
The ASPS list applies to both: anesthesia risks, bleeding, hematoma, infection, asymmetry, numbness or other sensory change, persistent pain, poor healing, prolonged swelling, a suboptimal result and the possibility of revision. Implants add displacement, capsular contracture and, over years, some erosion of the bone beneath them. The review’s numbers are worth knowing: implant infection ranged from 0% to 23.8% across studies, displacement was rare, and persistent sensory change affected 9.4%; genioplasty infection was 0% to 5.3%, temporary numbness was very common, and numbness lasting beyond a year affected 7.4% to 12.5%. The mental nerve, which supplies feeling to the chin and lower lip, runs exactly where both operations work, and protecting it is the surgeon’s job.
Choosing a surgeon
A board-certified plastic surgeon or facial plastic surgeon for implants, and one of those or an oral-maxillofacial surgeon for genioplasty. Ask which method they recommend for your chin and why, how many of each they do a year, how they choose implant size, how they protect the mental nerve, and to see profile results at a year. A surgeon who offers only implants and calls every chin mild is selling what they do; a surgeon who can do both and tells you which you need is the one to book.
Where to compare chin augmentation surgeons
Compare surgeons in Los Angeles, New York, Miami, Houston and Dallas, or browse chin implant surgeons in your city. The weak jawline page compares every option, from filler to surgery.