You’ve probably spent a good hour—maybe three—scrolling through endless grids of side-profile photos. It’s a specific kind of rabbit hole. On the left, a recessed jawline that someone feels self-conscious about. On the right, a sharp, defined, "strong" chin that looks like it was sculpted by a Renaissance master. The transformation in a chin implant before and after gallery is honestly one of the most dramatic shifts in facial plastic surgery because it changes the entire geometry of the head.
But here is the thing.
Photos are static. They don't show the weird tightness when you try to smile on day four. They don’t show the way your lower lip feels numb for three weeks. If you are looking at these transformations, you need to understand the mechanics behind the "after" shot—the stuff surgeons sometimes gloss over in the brochure but discuss in depth during a real consultation.
Why the chin dictates the rest of your face
Facial harmony is basically a game of proportions. Plastic surgeons like Dr. Barry Eppley or Dr. Rod Rohrich often talk about the "rule of thirds." If your chin is small, your nose looks massive. It’s an optical illusion. You could have a perfectly shaped nose, but if your chin retreats toward your neck, that nose is going to dominate your face.
Genioplasty (the medical term for chin repositioning) or an alloplastic implant (the silicone kind) fixes this by bringing the chin forward to meet the vertical line of the lips. When you look at a chin implant before and after, notice the neck. That’s the "secret" win. By projecting the chin forward, the surgeon stretches the skin and soft tissue under the jaw. It tightens the "turkey gobbler" look and makes the submental angle—the spot where your chin meets your neck—look much more acute and youthful.
It isn’t just about looking "tougher" or more masculine, though that is a common goal for men. For women, it’s often about creating a heart-shaped face or softening the transition from the cheek to the jaw.
The materials: Silicone vs. Medpor vs. Bone
Most of the "after" photos you see involve solid silicone. Why? Because surgeons love it. It’s easy to slide in through a small incision, it doesn't integrate with your tissue (which sounds bad but is actually good if you ever want it out), and it feels relatively natural.
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However, some people go for Medpor. This is a porous polyethylene material. Think of it like a hard, synthetic sponge. Your body’s blood vessels and tissue actually grow into the pores of the implant. This means it’s not going anywhere. It won't shift. But, if you hate it? Getting a Medpor implant out is a literal nightmare for a surgeon because it’s basically become part of your face.
Then there is the sliding genioplasty. This isn't an implant at all. The surgeon saws through your actual chin bone, slides it forward, and screws it into place with titanium plates.
- Silicone: Smooth, removable, slightly higher risk of bone resorption over 20 years.
- Medpor: Stable, permanent, very difficult to revise.
- Sliding Genioplasty: Your own bone, can fix vertical height issues, requires more downtime.
What a "good" after looks like vs. a "bad" one
Honestly, the biggest mistake people make is asking for too much projection. You’ve seen the "Jay Leno" effect. This happens when the implant is too large for the patient's soft tissue to cover naturally. You can see the edges of the implant through the skin. It looks like a block sitting on a shelf.
A successful chin implant before and after result should look like you just lost ten pounds and got a better haircut. It shouldn't look like you had surgery. The best surgeons look at the "jowls." If you put a big implant in someone with sagging skin, you sometimes create "witch’s chin," where the implant sits high and the soft tissue hangs off the bottom.
You also have to consider the mentalis muscle. This is the muscle that lets you pout your lower lip. If the surgeon isn't careful when they create the pocket for the implant, they can damage this muscle or the mental nerve. This leads to a permanent "drooping" lower lip or a chin that feels like a piece of wood when you talk.
The actual timeline of the "after"
Let’s talk about the first two weeks. People post these beautiful "one-month post-op" photos, but the first 72 hours are a mess.
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You’ll have a pressure dressing taped to your face. You’ll be eating yogurt and protein shakes because chewing feels like your chin is being squeezed in a vise. There is usually a weird sensation of "fullness." Your brain hasn't registered that there is a foreign object attached to your mandible yet.
By day ten, the bruising (which usually sinks down into the neck because of gravity) starts to turn that lovely shade of yellowish-green. This is when most people start to panic. They look in the mirror and think, "I look like a different person, and I hate it." This is called post-operative regret, and it’s almost always temporary. The swelling in the chin takes a long time to go away—longer than a rhinoplasty, usually. You won't see your true chin implant before and after result for at least three to six months.
Complications no one wants to talk about
We have to be real here. Every surgery has risks.
Bone resorption is a big one with silicone implants. Because the implant sits directly on the bone, the constant pressure of your chin muscles can actually cause the bone underneath to thin out over a decade or two. Most of the time, this doesn't matter. But in some cases, the implant can actually sink into the bone.
Then there’s nerve damage. The mental nerve exits the jawbone right near where the implant sits. It’s common to have some numbness in the lower lip right after surgery. Usually, it comes back in a few weeks. Sometimes it takes months. In very rare cases (less than 1%), it stays numb forever. Imagine not being able to feel your lip when you’re eating soup. It’s a trade-off some people are okay with for a better jawline, but you should know it's a possibility.
Infection is the other boogeyman. If an implant gets infected, it has to come out. You can’t just "antibiotic" your way out of a contaminated piece of silicone. You take it out, let the face heal for six months, and try again.
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How much does this cost in 2026?
Prices have climbed. You’re looking at anywhere from $4,500 to $9,000 depending on the city and the surgeon's "Instagram fame." A sliding genioplasty is usually more expensive because it involves a hospital stay or a more intensive surgical suite, often landing between $8,000 and $15,000.
Don't bargain hunt for facial surgery. It's your face.
Actionable steps for your consultation
If you are serious about moving from the "before" stage to the "after" stage, don't just walk in and say "make me look better."
- Ask for a 3D CT scan. This is the gold standard now. A surgeon can take a 3D image of your skull and show you exactly how different implant sizes will look on your bone structure. This eliminates the guesswork.
- Check the incision site. Ask if they go through the mouth (intraoral) or under the chin (submental). Under the chin leaves a tiny scar, but it’s more stable and has a lower infection risk. Through the mouth leaves no scar, but there’s more bacteria to deal with during healing.
- Look at "long-term" photos. Anyone can look good at one month. Ask to see a chin implant before and after from a patient who is two or three years out. That's where you see if the implant stayed in place or if the person developed "chin ptosis" (sagging).
- Evaluate your bite. If your teeth don't line up, an implant is just a camouflage. You might actually need orthognathic surgery (moving the whole jaw), which is a much bigger deal. A good surgeon will tell you if your bite is the real problem.
The journey to a new jawline is basically a lesson in patience. You'll look weird for a week, stiff for a month, and like yourself—only better—by the half-year mark. Just make sure you’re doing it for the person in the mirror, not the person on the screen.
Next steps for those ready to move forward:
- Schedule a consultation with a board-certified plastic surgeon or maxillofacial surgeon who specializes specifically in facial implants.
- Request "morphed" imaging during your appointment to see a side-by-side projection of your potential results.
- Clear your schedule for at least 7 full days post-op to allow for initial swelling to subside before returning to social obligations.