Chin Augmentations on the Rise in the US - East Idaho News

Chin Augmentations on the Rise in the US

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GETTY H 041612 ChinSurgery?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1334572768062iStockphoto/Thinkstock(ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill.) — Chin augmentations are the fastest growing plastic surgery procedures in the United States, according to new statistics released Monday by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

Numbers showed that there were 20,680 chin implants performed in 2011.  That’s a 71 percent jump from the year before and more than breast implants, Botox and liposuction combined.  The demand for the procedure was evenly split between men and women, and experts say the digital age has contributed to the added demand.

“A chin is a very important part of a person’s profile,” said Dr. Darrick Antell, a New York-based plastic surgeon and member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

An attractive chin on both men and women exudes “confidence, athleticism and trustworthiness,” he said.

Plastic surgeons said they are seeing fewer patients who want extreme makeovers and more who are seeking more subtle changes, and facial rejuvenation — which can include nips and tucks to the eyelids, skin aging, wrinkles, nose and hairline — is also becoming a growing trend.

It might be the digital age that has brought on the added chin attention.

“The digital world has made a huge difference in how people see themselves,” Antell added.  “It used to be that you’d get in front of a camera and take a straight shot, but now it’s different on these devices.”

Video chatting has added a new dimension to the way people see themselves because people can no longer hide behind the phone or email, experts noted.  The technology has caused people to see themselves at completely different angles than before, said Dr. Anita Sethna, assistant professor of otolaryngology at the Emory Facial Center in Atlanta.

“Constantly seeing your own image staring back at you certainly does give one pause to assess all aspects of your image,” Sethna said.  “The jawline and neckline are intimately associated with the chin, as this is the point of suspension of the rest of the neck.”

Dr. John Grossman, a Denver-based plastic surgeon, agreed that social networking encourages “more than just the casual or formal photo and promote on-going updates of what you are doing and where you are going.”

Grossman noted that there should be a comparable jump in the number of rhinoplasties and neck liposuctions, as well, because these are “equally, if not more, prominent in those photos.”

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