JBill's Chin Augmentation Journal

I read through the many posts on this forum leading up to my decision to have a chin augmentation. This site is great. Extremely informative and helpful people.

I had never had any plastic surgery done before. One of the things that I really wanted to know about was the recovery process and the long-term effects. Reading the boards for me was informative but also disconcerting because so many people who are post-op on the boards are struggling with complications. So I wanted to describe my experience. Maybe it will answer a question for someone?

I scheduled a chin augmentation over five months ago. The doctor is a very skilled plastic surgeon in Los Angeles, though his specialty is not chins. Regardless, I appreciated his approach and his desire for a natural look. We decided on a medium sized implant. Incision on the bottom of my chin.

I am a male in my twenties. My doctor told me that in five days I would be back for work, six weeks I would be completely healed. Over time, he said the incision would not be noticeable. I scheduled two weeks off with no visitors.

I was severely swollen following the surgery. The swelling decreased gradually. However one week after the surgery, I was still horribly swollen. After two weeks I was comfortable being in public. But very glad that I had two weeks scheduled off. In addition, the sides of my neck and chin were yellow from bruising. The bruising gradually disappeared but was still noticeable for three and a half weeks.

In the first few weeks following the surgery, I was concerned because half of my chin was more swollen than the other half. This affected my smile making half of my lower face smile while the other half remained fairly motionless. Very concerning. This has now disappeared.

After four weeks, I started exercising lightly. I noticed slight swelling. Against the advice that I had read, I started snowboarding after five weeks.

Today, it has been four months since my surgery. I snowboard every week and never worry about my implant. Originally, I felt as though something was attached to my chin. Now I don't notice anything. My chin feels completely normal and all swelling has subsided. The incision on the bottom of my chin is still noticeable. People tell me that I look older but they don't know why. I will probably never tell my friends or family. I would do this all over again. My face is more balanced and I feel more masculine. I am very happy with the results. Although overall, I would warn that the recovery process was longer for me than represented.

JBill