Jawline Augmentation

The Jawline is one of the most important facial features in youth as  well as in the mature person. In fact, we are often not even aware that we are noticing a persons jawline, especially when looking directly at them. The jawline forms the ‘shape’ of the face, be it an oval face, a round face  or an angular face. The eye naturally follows the curvatures of the face subconsciously, so that it is critical to the  attractive face to have a well structured jawline. The person who notices a small chin, or a ‘heavy round face’  or a ”double chin, is really noticing the lack of definition of the jawline.

Does the jawline also include the chin?

The jawline is basically composed of 3 sections – the front of the jaw, called the ‘chin’; the middle part of the jaw, called the ‘body’ (contains the support for the teeth); and the back of the jaw, called the ‘ramus’/angle of the jaw. One can be deficient in one or all of these areas, so that a proper refining of the jawline has to consider these anatomic areas to look natural. After all, the chin is often underdeveloped in many persons, but it forms only one dimension to the jawline.

Will it help with a double chin?

Another example is to consider the person with a ‘double chin’ , who is typically lacking definition of the jawline from the chin back to the ‘angle’ of the jaw. Liposuction is only one part of the plan to reduce the look of this type of neckline; since one has to build up the jaw structure to clearly separate the face from the neck.The ‘framework’ of the face is critical to the long term result and support of the overlying soft tissues.

How do I make sure it looks balanced.

Jawline augmentation is clearly one of the most cosmetic procedures to achieve positive Facial Balance. Augmenting and defining the jawline benefits the young and the aging face. The lack of jawline definition in youth can lead to the look of a ‘small, underdeveloped jaw’, even when orthodontic and mandibular advancement surgery is performed. One must also consider the ‘width’ of the face at the angles of the jaw, as well as the angulation of the jawline itself. Combining a jawline augmentation with a chin surgery (as well as a lower jaw advancement surgery in some cases) will reestablish the most ideal facial proportions. The surgery on the ‘chin only’ can often fail to achieve the look of a continuous model-like jawline; which naturally balances the rest of the facial proportions. Augmenting slightly the ‘sides’ of the jaw is critical to ‘blend’ the chin with the rest of the lower jawline.

Will it help with a round face?

The ’round face’ with ‘full cheeks’ is often the result of a lack of jawline balance. Patients can request fat pad removal but the real answer is to ensure the jawline is well structured along with the cheekbone area. These are complementary to achieve a proper proportion to all aspects of the face. Dr Wittenberg can both explain and illustrate the potential of these approaches.

Who benefits from jawline augmentation?

It is common for us to see patients who have had orthodontic treatment which did not satisfy the cosmetic improvement of the jawline. Dr Wittenberg can literally enhance the overall jawline contours to simulate a much improved cosmetic jawline.

In the aging face surgeries, the repositioning of the muscles and skin to create smooth contours will look superior if the jawline is well balanced. If the lower jaw is underdeveloped in any way, the ‘tightening’ of the skin/muscles can not alone create the best jawline appearance. In fact, the “Hollywood’ facelift/necklifts’ which are often criticized for their ‘look’, are missing this key jawline augmentation ingredient. So you have to look at the underlying bone structure first; and that means jawline enhancement will give you the best look.

How is jawline augmentation done?

The procedures are all done from inside the mouth to avoid skin incisions and scars. There are limited incisions made in the back and front of the mouth inside the cheek/lip areas. The genioplasty is accomplished with moving the patient’s own chin forward so the muscle under the chin stretches and flattens the contour; and the profile including the lip/chin contour is managed to ensure a natural curvature. Ideally, an ‘S’ curve is established.

The back of the jaw/ramus and ‘body’ is augmented with gortex-like materials usually (other types of materials can be used) and they are individually shaped by Dr Wittenberg at surgery to ensure a natural jawline and a balance with the rest of the facial structures.

Dr. Wittenberg has extensive experience with the creation and re-establishment of the jawline esthetics and can provide you with appropriate advice. He has the ability to balance both soft and hard tissues of the face to achieve superb results.

Customization of every patient’s jawline

Dr Wittenberg literally customizes the augmentation/definition at the time of the surgery. He always blends the jawline contours from the chin to the angles of the jaw and achieves a superior result for all patients. He is that rare surgeon who will literally contour every implant in all areas of the jawline to achieve these results.

What about recovery?

The procedures are accomplished from inside the mouth to avoid skin incisions and typically require a short physical recovery, dependent upon the person and other procedures being accomplished at the same time. There is swelling which resolves in phases: main phase is 5-7 days, followed by a further reduction of the ‘puffiness’ in one month; leading to a final definition in a few months whereby the jawline is ideally ‘trim and defined’. Esthetically, one can easily go back to normal daily activities after a week. The procedure is not painful, but the muscles in the back of the jaw feel ‘tight’ while they heal. Oral care is paramount during the healing to prevent infection due to the mouth bacteria. The materials utilized are safe and have been available for decades. Various materials can be used for augmentation of the jawline. Common materials would include “GoreTex-like’ material, Silastic, Porex/acrylic based material, and even soft tissues fillers and fat. We would describe the most suitable material and procedure for you and explain the advantages and disadvantages of each.

Dr. Wittenberg is truly expert at the reconstruction of the jawline for cosmetic and functional puposes. He can assist you to understand your situation and help you reach your goals.

Please view our Before & After Jawline Augmentation Gallery for previous patient photos.