Rhinoplasty and Chin Surgery in Medellín

It means having rhinoplasty and chin surgery in the same operation, so your nose and chin are in balance in your profile. You may also see it called profileplasty, or nose and chin surgery. In an article from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), one surgeon compares the nose and chin to a seesaw: if the chin gains projection, the nose can look smaller, and vice versa. The same article notes that balancing the chin alongside a rhinoplasty is very common. Your surgeon decides at your in-person consultation whether chin surgery makes sense in your case.

Both are done in one surgical session, under general anesthesia, in the licensed operating rooms at Q2. The nose is operated on from the inside (closed technique) or through an incision across the columella (open). For the chin, an implant goes over the bone or the bone itself is reshaped. According to a surgeon on the ASPS blog, moving the bone forward is a more extensive surgery than an implant, with a more involved recovery. On their own, rhinoplasty takes 2 to 3 hours and chin surgery 1 to 2. Your surgeon tells you how long both take together.

According to the ASPS, for rhinoplasty your face must have finished growing, and for chin surgery a stable weight is recommended. For both: good health, not smoking and realistic goals. Now isn't the time if:

• Your face is still growing. If you're under 18, mention it when you book: in Colombia, Law 1799 of 2016 regulates these procedures for minors.
• Your test results aren't in order: surgery is postponed.
• You want chin surgery only because someone else told you to. In the ASPS article, a surgeon notes the decision has to come from you.

Every surgery has risks, and this one carries those of both. The ASPS mentions, among others:

• For both: anesthesia risks, infection, poor healing, changes in skin sensation or color, and swelling.
• For the nose: difficulty breathing and, rarely, septal perforation (a hole in the septum).
• For the chin: asymmetry, bleeding or a hematoma, deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and, with an implant, the implant shifting or thick scar tissue forming around it.
• A result that isn't what you expected, or needing revision surgery.

Before you decide, we go over them with you and you sign an informed consent form.

Get your pre-op tests done, stop smoking and review your medications with your specialist: according to the ASPS, aspirin, anti-inflammatory drugs and herbal supplements can increase bleeding. We tell you what to stop taking and what to bring. An adult takes you home and stays with you the first night.

Afterward, you wear a nasal splint and a chin support bandage. If the chin incision is inside your mouth, you may need a liquid diet or mouth rinses. Plan on 10 to 15 days off work, as for rhinoplasty alone; your surgeon confirms whether the chin adds more.

Not every profile needs both surgeries.

• If your nose bothers you and your chin is in proportion: rhinoplasty.
• If you like your nose and your chin looks small or set back: chin surgery.
• If you'd rather not have surgery, in some cases the chin can be improved with hyaluronic acid filler, which is temporary; that consultation is with Dr. Valeria Enciso, our aesthetic physician. For the nose, according to the ASPS, filler only adds volume: it doesn't make the nose smaller or improve breathing.
• If what stands out is fat under your chin: chin liposuction.