The cleft chin is a depression formed on the middle of your chin during your fetal development. This depression can also be denoted as a “dimple” on the chin. If you have a cleft chin, then there are chances to come from your maternal or paternal genes. Removal or addition of a cleft chin is entirely a personal choice of an individual. The beauty value of a cleft chin is indeed a personal preference.
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What is Cleft Chin?
The cleft chin is a narrow depression formed due to the infused jawbones mandible from both sides during fetal development. Although there is no harm to the body anatomically, the person can only feel a gap or depression or “dimple” on his chin. One can remove or add a cleft chin by going through some surgical procedures by a registered medical surgeon.
What Causes A Cleft Chin?
The cleft chin is caused due to the poor adjoining of the two parts of the lower jaws that is the mandible during fetal development. A Cleft chin can be a hereditary abnormality. A cleft chin is a dominant trait, and if there is a history of the cleft chin in your family, you may have a cleft chin due to its dominant property.
Surgical Options
The addition and removal of the cleft chin is possible through surgery. Without a doubt, it completely depends on a person whether he or she wants a cleft chin or not. There are no particular beauty standards for this. The process of removal and the addition of the cleft chin is called mentoplasty.
Surgery To Remove A Cleft Chin
To remove a cleft chin, your surgeon will most likely suggest an implant or a filler, which will probably be a hyaluronic acid filler. The surgeon will place an implant if the dimple or the depression is quite deep or go with a filler. The raising of the skin near the dimple invariably depends on your face structure.
Your surgeon will induce the right amount of implant or a filler according to your face. In addition to this, after the surgery, your chin will show some amount of swelling, which is normal as the body is adjusting to the foreign material induced in your body.
Surgery To Add A Cleft Chin
In the addition of a cleft chin, your surgeon won’t insert any implant or a filler. Instead of it, your surgeon will remove some amount of the mass from your chin so that it creates a depression or a dimple.
If there is not enough mass present in your chin to create a depression, your surgeon may remove some part of your Chin’s bone to reach a desirable depth to attain a cleft chin. Removing the cleft chin surgery, it takes a while to show the final result, and similarly here as well, it takes a while to recover and show the final result.
Preparation and Safety
There is no real harmful issue as such an effect in your body after the removal or the addition of your cleft chin surgery. Even though there are few steps by which one can take precautions and be aware of the post-surgery effects, they are as follows:
- You should have an excellent overall immunity if you are going through this procedure.
- You should tell your surgeon if you have any allergies or any medical history.
- Your personal history of smoking, drinking, or drugs should be informed to your concerned surgeon before the surgery.
- Any history of surgery should be informed to your concerned surgeon prior to the surgery.
- You should have a healthy discussion which your surgeon about how exactly you want your cleft chin to be.
- After the surgery, you should take proper care of your skin and follow all the post-surgery care as suggested by the surgeon.
- Before the surgery, you will be given local anesthesia. The procedure may take 30-45 minutes.
- You may feel slight discomfort after the surgery as the anesthesia slows down its work, and you might experience pain.
- You should take your time before the surgery to understand each and every consequence of the surgery and then take the right decision.
Risk and Safety
After the surgery, you may suffer from the following conditions:
- Infection
- Excessive bleeding
- Prolonged swelling
- Permanent scarring
- Unsatisfied result
If you have any heart or lung diseases or may have any blood pressure issues, one can go through some severe issues which may lead to serious septic injury. However, all of this happens in a very rare situation. You should always tell your surgeon about each and every health issue. If not said so, this may lead you to more complications with your surgery.
After the surgery, your surgeon will put on a bandage, and if you are getting a cleft chin, you may get 2-3 stitches if the cut is deep. It takes around 10-15 days to heal the wound. Although the recovery of the wound completely depends on the patient and how deeper the cut is. Some may recover in 10-15 days, some may take months to get normal. It is very important to choose the right and experienced surgeon.
How Much Does the Surgery Cost?
The average cost of mentoplasty will cost you around $2,225 according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons and around INR 1,63,775.80. All of the expenses depends on exactly what surgery you are going through. The overall cost of mentoplasty surgery includes anesthesia fees, surgical instruments used, medical tests, medicines, pre-surgery, and post-surgery expenses, surgeon’s fees, and operation theatre charges. The cost of surgery depends on :
- Extend your cleft chin
- Private or government sector hospital (if you opt for a government sector hospital, your expense will be comparatively reduced)
- Number of medical tests
- Medicines prescribed
- The surgeon and his fees
Conclusion
A Cleft chin is a genetic trait presenting as a Y-shaped dimple in the middle of the chin. The cause of cleft chin is hereditary. If most people of your family have the cleft chin, it may have it. The exact cause of cleft is incomplete fusion of two parts of the lower jaw during the period of fetal development.
Through surgery, you can either add or remove the cleft chin. While removing the cleft chin, it’s very important to choose the right implant shape and the right amount of filler induced. If not done it properly, it will lead to further infection in that area.
Before you go through this procedure, you should be well aware of all the consequences of the removal and the addition of cleft chin. Talk to your concerned surgeon and clear all your doubts about the procedure of cleft chin surgery. Post-surgery care is very much delicate.
If not taken proper care, it will lead to some major complications afterward. One should be mentally prepared to see the actual results after several months of the surgery. As the cost of cleft chin surgery is expensive, one should gather all the information about the procedure and the consequences before investing in it.
