Augmentation Genioplasty Using Double Folded Dermal Graft.

Abstract

The chin is a very important aesthetic subunit of the face. The diverse materials and methods for chin augmentation can be classified according to autologous tissues and artificial ones. Among them, reports on the effectiveness of dermal graft for chin augmentation are scarce. The authors report on our new techniques and surgical results regarding chin augmentation using a dermal graft. From July 2010 to January 2013, the authors performed supraperiosteal chin augmentation using a double folded dermal graft for 58 patients (15 men and 43 women; range of age: 20-45, average was 29.4). Periodic sonography was performed routinely to measure the change of thickness of the dermal graft (preoperative, postoperatively 1, 6, and 12 months). Thickness of the survived dermal graft was 8.33 ± 1.21 mm and 7.99 ± 1.19 mm at postoperative 6 and 12 months separately. Statistics showed that the average resorption rate was 32.17% (SD = 10.99) at postoperative 6 months and 34.93% (SD = 10.74) at postoperative 12 months. Of 56 patients 54 (2 patients were excluded from the study) did not request additional surgery during the 3-year follow-up period and showed a high level of satisfaction with the surgical results. The authors consider that our unique design and surgical techniques of double folded dermal graft have many advantages and provide consistent evidence-based results to meet patients' desire for a natural appearance after chin augmentation, particularly patients who refuse to get artificial implants.