Prospective Controlled Study of Chin Augmentation by Means of Fat Grafting

Background: Although fat grafting is a valuable tool for different areas of plastic surgery, its use in the chin area has never been evaluated. A variety of methods are available for adjusting suboptimal chin morphology, and they each present drawbacks. Methods: A prospective controlled study was performed to evaluate whether fat grafting increases the chin volume and sagittal projection and to determine the magnitude and nature of the observed changes. Forty-two consecutive patients underwent chin augmentation by means of fat grafting between October of 2014 and January of 2016. All patient images were analyzed using a software program (Fiji package of ImageJ), which creates a three-dimensional version of the chin that is used to produce reliable estimates of the volume and gain in sagittal projection. Results: All 42 patients showed an increase in the sagittal projection and total volume at 4 weeks and 6 months after surgery. The sagittal projection increased from 4 mm to 12 mm (average, 8.9 mm) and from 3 mm to 11 mm (average, 7 mm) after 4 weeks and 6 months, respectively. The total volume increase ranged from 3 to 11 ml (average, 8 ml) after 4 weeks and from 3 to 8 ml (average, 7.4 ml) after 6 months. Conclusion: Fat grafting to the chin area is a reliable method for improving chin volumes (to a maximum of approximately 10 cc in our study) and sagittal projections (to a maximum of approximately 11 mm in our study). CLINICAL QUESTION/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic, IV.