While some think having a cleft (or butt) chin is a detriment, not an advantage, many people, including bearers of the cleft/dimpled chin, find it a distinguishing feature and very attractive on both men and women. The very beautiful Sandra Bullock is the first person that comes to mind when women with a cleft chin are mentioned.
Ben Affleck leads the list of males with cleft chins and is in good company with many other famous and beautiful people like John Travolta and Kirk Douglas, and since a cleft chin is a dominant trait, Kirk’s son Michael Doulas has one also. Many people turn to plastic surgery to create this feature, but shockingly, some people “hate” theirs and wish to either reduce the dent or remove it altogether. Is that possible? It is.
Botox Injections
A cleft chin is caused by one of two issues; either the bone in the lower jar did not fuse properly in the chin area causing an indentation or the muscles on either side of the dimple are spaced farther apart than normal, pulling in the skin. What Botox does in this instance is to paralyze these muscles so that the cleft is relaxed, minimizing the appearance of the cleft. Botox will not fill the cleft but it will make it less noticeable. This solution is not permanent and will need to be repeated regularly every three to four months by a Botox injection specialty doctor in Miami.
Other Alternatives
However, Botox is not the best solution to address this issue. Botox is primarily used to relax the muscles that cause wrinkles, which keeps the offending muscles from contracting and pulling on the skin, but since a cleft chin is actually a depression in the chin area, Botox is an unsuitable treatment for this problem. One option better suited to address this concern is to use a filler like Juvederm or Restylane, which are two types of dermal fillers.
Dermal Fillers
Dermal fillers contain the naturally occurring hyaluronic acid and are administered by injection to fill in deeper lines and wrinkles in the skin. Since these fillers actually plump up those areas, not just relax the muscles, it can better address the issue of a cleft chin. Filler injected into the dimpled area raises the skin in the dimple bringing it into line with the rest of the chin. Since this procedure uses a substance that naturally occurs in the human body it is very safe. You can expect a filler to last between 9 and 12 months, significantly longer than Botox.
What Else Can Be Done?
There are several permanent solutions for fixing a cleft chin. Some patients opt for a chin implant where a piece of bone, real or artificial, is placed against the underside of the lower jawbone and under the muscles on either side, creating a rounder shape to the chin. Where there is an indentation in the underlying bone, there is also the option of having a plastic surgeon shave the bone to blend with the rest of the chin. Still another option is to modify the underlying muscles; however, this is a somewhat risky procedure since, if the surgeon is not careful, the chin line may become somewhat distorted and cause a new, sometimes worse, chin line requiring more surgery to correct.
Through oral surgery, an incision can be made inside the mouth allowing the surgeon access to the jawbone where he can then shave the bone utilizing a drill and have access to the muscles as well. Where the jawbone may be more rounded creating a masculine silhouette, the bone can be refined into more of a tapered shape that is more feminine.
Next, the jaw muscles are “relaxed” to allow them to be moved closer together to prevent pulling and accenting the cleft. In the case of a very deep dimple, soft tissue in that area can be grafted between the muscles to further fill in the area.
Despite other options, should you decide to pursue Botox as your method of choice to address your chin dimple contact a Miami Botox injection specialty for a consultation and find out what he can do for you.