Surgery of the Aging Chin

In surgery of the aging face, one must look at all anatomic areas of the face requiring rejuvenation in order to produce a harmonious appearance. Traditional face lift techniques have emphasized specific areas, such as lower face and neck contour, but frequently, the appearance of the aging chin is the same following surgery unless a significant degree of chin deformity was noted preoperatively and corrected. Many techniques1–5 have been designed for the aging chin deformity utilizing dermal flaps, muscle flaps, and tissue excision. While results with these techniques can be excellent, the degree of difficulty developing various flaps, coupled with the potential for creating a permanent deformity, frequently causes the surgeon to omit aging chin rejuvenation while performing a face lift. In the course of developing the concept of the composite rhytidectomy,6, 7 I have developed a simple technique for surgery of the aging chin which can be utilized in every patient. It is used routinely to recontour the earliest signs of aging and is equally useful in the most advanced stages of the aging chin, including witch's chin deformity. It is particularly beneficial when doing a chin augmentation or a chin reduction.