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Gangnam before & after

Chin Augmentation before and after: what to expect

A week-by-week recovery timeline from Gangnam clinics.

Chin augmentation increases chin projection using either a silicone implant or a sliding genioplasty (cutting the chin bone forward). Implant recovery is faster, about a week for office work, 4 weeks for full settling, while genioplasty recovery follows the bone-surgery pattern: liquid diet for a week, soft diet through 3–4 weeks, significant swelling for 4–6 weeks, bone consolidation through 6 months. The two approaches have different long-term profiles: implants are reversible but can shift or extrude; genioplasty is permanent but more invasive.

Chin Augmentation — Gangnam recovery timeline

Before surgery: what to prepare

Stop aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen, and blood thinners 10–14 days before (both approaches). Stop fish oil, vitamin E, ginseng, ginkgo. Smoking and vaping must stop 2 weeks before and through 4 weeks after for implant cases, and 4–6 weeks before through 8 weeks after for genioplasty (genioplasty is bone surgery and nicotine raises non-union risk). Dental cleaning 2 weeks pre-op if the incision will be intraoral. Stock liquid and soft foods if genioplasty. Buy straws and a soft toothbrush. If you have a history of teeth grinding, mention it to the surgeon, chronic mentalis muscle activity from grinding can affect implant stability and genioplasty healing.

The day of surgery

Implant chin augmentation is performed under local anaesthesia with sedation or light general, runs 45–90 minutes, and discharges same-day. Incision is inside the mouth or under the chin (extraoral). Genioplasty chin augmentation is performed under general anaesthesia, runs 1.5–2.5 hours, and usually requires one night in hospital. Both procedures discharge you with a compression bandage around the lower face and significant numbness across the lower lip and chin.

Days 1–3: peak swelling

Swelling peaks day 2–3 for implant cases, day 3–5 for genioplasty cases. Pain is mild to moderate for implants and well-controlled, moderate for genioplasty. Head elevation 45 degrees. Cold compresses outside the bandage. Liquid diet for both approaches in the first 3 days; soft diet sooner is acceptable for implant cases that used an external incision. Mouth rinses after every intake for intraoral incisions. Numbness of the lower lip and chin is universal in both approaches.

Week 1: stitches out, bruising fades

Bandage off around day 4–7. Implant cases look noticeably normal by end of week 1. Genioplasty cases are still swollen and the lower lip droop is common and temporary. Sutures (external incisions) out around day 5–7. Mouth opening restricted in genioplasty cases. Liquid diet through day 7 for genioplasty, normal-textured diet from day 4–5 for implants.

Weeks 2–4: back to public

Office work from day 7–10 for implant patients, week 2–3 for genioplasty. Visible bruising is largely gone. The chin still feels stiff and the lower lip can feel slow when smiling, temporary in both approaches. No tough food in genioplasty cases until cleared, usually week 6. Numbness slowly improves in both groups.

Months 2–3: swelling resolves

Implant patients are essentially settled by month 3 and the new chin contour is final. Genioplasty patients see continued swelling resolution and the new contour becomes clear. Lower lip function returns. Numbness continues to improve in both groups.

Months 6–12: the final result

Final result by month 3 for implants and month 6 for genioplasty. Bone consolidation in genioplasty complete by 6 months. Numbness in the lower lip and chin is largely resolved for most patients by month 6; partial residual numbness past 12 months in a minority and occasionally permanent in genioplasty. Implant-specific late issues include shifting and bone resorption underneath the implant, these are the main reasons for implant revision, with overall revision rates of roughly 10–20% over the long term. Genioplasty has a separate risk of mentalis muscle malposition causing a "witch's chin" deformity or lip incompetence; properly reattaching the mentalis muscle during surgery is the surgeon's job and worth asking about in consultation.

Red flags: when to call the clinic

Call the clinic the same day for: fever over 38.5°C after day 3, sudden firm painful one-sided swelling (haematoma), pus or foul taste from the incision, persistent numbness worsening, visible implant edge through the skin or gum, or for genioplasty cases a sudden change in chin position. Go to an emergency room for difficulty breathing or sudden severe airway swelling in the first 72 hours (genioplasty), or for sudden severe one-sided facial pain with vision changes. Routine numbness, lower lip droop, and asymmetric swelling in the first 2 weeks (implants) or 4 weeks (genioplasty) are not red flags.