Chin surgery in Puebla

What is mentoplasty?

Mentoplasty modifies chin projection: it augments a recessed chin (a "weak" chin or mild retrognathia) or reduces one that is too prominent. It also corrects asymmetry and, in selected cases, a chin that is excessively long or short vertically.

It is the most underestimated surgery of the facial profile. Many patients arrive convinced their nose is large when the real imbalance is a chin that does not project: the nose only looks large because it has no counterweight. That is why the profile is always assessed as a whole —nose, lips, chin and neck— and not piece by piece. Correcting the chin can resolve the complaint without touching the nose; and when both do need surgery, doing them in the same operation gives a far more harmonious profile than either alone.

Techniques used by Dr. Arístides Arellano

The technique is defined by what the chin lacks —or has in excess— and by whether the issue is projection alone or also height and symmetry:

• Augmentation mentoplasty with an implant: a silicone or biocompatible implant, selected to the patient’s measurements, is placed in a deep plane on the bone, where it sits stable and natural to the touch. It is the most frequent route when the deficit is purely one of projection.
• Augmentation with bone advancement (sliding genioplasty): instead of adding an implant, the patient’s own chin bone is cut and advanced, then fixed in its new position. This is the option when the deficit is greater, when vertical height must also be corrected, or when the patient prefers not to carry an implant.
• Reduction mentoplasty: the bone is reshaped to decrease the projection or height of an overly prominent chin.
• Asymmetry correction: a deviated chin is centred on the facial midline — a detail that changes the perception of the whole face from the front, not only in profile.
• Profileplasty (mentoplasty + rhinoplasty): planning nose and chin in the same operation produces the most harmonious profile change, because both ends of the same axis are balanced.
• Chin and double chin: where submental fat is also present, submental liposuction is frequently combined to define the cervicomental angle — the line between chin and neck, which is what truly refines the profile.

How is it performed?

It is performed under local anaesthesia with sedation or general anaesthesia, depending on the case and whether it is combined with another procedure, in a hospital operating room. It lasts approximately 1 to 2 hours. The incision is hidden inside the mouth (intraoral, no skin scar) or in the crease under the chin (submental, concealed in the natural shadow). It is usually outpatient.

All surgery carries risk and requires a prior medical assessment. Results may vary according to each patient, their anatomy and their individual healing process.

Who is a good candidate?

• A profile imbalance from an under-projected chin —one that "falls away" when seen from the side— or, conversely, an overly prominent one.
• Patients considering rhinoplasty whose assessment reveals that part of the imbalance comes from the chin, not only the nose.
• Asymmetry of the chin relative to the facial midline.
• Good general health and complete facial development.
• Realistic expectations: mentoplasty balances the profile; it does not change the bite and does not replace orthognathic surgery when the problem is a genuine jaw discrepancy — that is identified at the assessment and referred to the appropriate specialist.

Recommended post-surgical treatments

To reduce swelling in the area —which is noticeable in the first days— Dr. Arístides may recommend facial manual lymphatic drainage and hyperbaric chamber sessions once the initial phase has passed. See the full guide: Post-surgical recovery and care.

Before and after

Most patients want to see before-and-after photographs before deciding. Out of respect for each person’s privacy, Dr. Arístides Arellano shows real cases —always with documented consent— during your in-person consultation, where you can review results from patients with a starting point similar to yours. Results may vary from patient to patient.

Approximate price

Mentoplasty has a reference cost of $40,000 MXN. Approximate price — the definitive cost is set at your private consultation with Dr. Arístides Arellano. The final cost depends on whether it is implant augmentation or bone reshaping, and on whether it is combined with rhinoplasty in the same operation —which is usually more efficient than operating separately—. See the references in the price list. Full breakdown: how much chin surgery costs in Mexico — the price table, what the figure includes and what it does not.

About Dr. Arístides Arellano

Dr. Arístides Arellano is a plastic surgeon holding a specialty licence: he practises under a Mexican medical licence (D.G.P. 1125959) and a specialty licence in Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery (0002008), both issued by the Directorate General of Professions (DGP), which reissued his certificate of professional standing in 2025. His career began before Mexico’s present-day specialty-board system existed: he belongs to the founding generation of plastic surgery in Puebla, the second generation of a surgical tradition started in 1971 by Dr. Francisco Arellano Ocampo. Trust is verified, not promised: both licences are public and anyone can look them up in the DGP’s National Registry of Professionals.

Related patient guide

If you are assessing the whole profile: How long do rhinoplasty results last? A month-by-month timeline — part of the informational guide series reviewed by Dr. Arístides Arellano.

Documented training in facial-profile surgery

The chin and the nose are read together: whoever operates on the profile must understand both. Dr. Arístides Arellano is a plastic surgeon holding a specialty licence (cédula de especialidad) issued by the DGP, and his facial training is documented from 1989 onward:

• Facial surgery course — Sociedade Brasileira de Cirurgia Plástica · Río de Janeiro
• Course: facial aesthetics — XXVI Congresso Brasileiro de Cirurgia Plástica · Blumenau, 1989
• 1st International Facial Plastic Surgery Course: the nose, its function and appearance — U. de Montréal / Canadian Academy of Facial Plastic Surgery / Soc. de Otorrinolaringología del Sureste · Puebla, 18–21 de octubre de 1990
• International course: Science and Art in Rhinology and Facial Surgery — Dr. M. Eugene Tardy Jr. · Guadalajara, noviembre de 1999

Trust is verified, not promised. All 210 scanned documents —degree, licences, diplomas, publications and certificates, from 1977 to 2025— are open in Dr. Arístides Arellano’s credential archive, alongside an explanation of the difference between a specialty licence and a board certification.

Recovery · step by step

• Days 1–7Tape or dressing, swelling and soft diet if the route is intraoral.
• Week 2Suture removal; return to social life.
• Weeks 3–4Progressive activity.
• Months 1–3Swelling subsides and the profile defines.

Risks and contraindications

Chin surgery risks revolve around three protagonists: the mental nerve — which gives the lower lip its sensation —, the implant as a device, and the chin’s relationship with the bite. These are the specific ones:

• Sensory changes of the lower lip and chin: the mental nerve emerges right in the working area. Temporary numbness is common and usually resolves over weeks to months; permanent alteration is infrequent.
• Implant displacement: the implant can shift from its position and require surgical repositioning.
• Infection: uncommon; in some cases the implant must be removed temporarily until the process resolves.
• Extrusion: rare; the implant works its way toward the surface and must be removed.
• Bone resorption: the bone under the implant can remodel over the years; it is watched at long-term check-ups.
• Asymmetry or projection different from the plan: may require implant adjustment or exchange.
• Hematoma: blood collecting in the implant pocket, which may need drainage.

Chin surgery is postponed or reconsidered in these situations:

• Active dental or gum infection: the surgical field shares territory with the mouth, so that is treated first.
• When the real problem is the bite (dental occlusion): facial analysis may show the appropriate correction is orthognathic, not an implant. Telling them apart is part of the consultation.
• Unmanaged chronic disease or clotting disorders.
• Expectations the bony profile cannot meet with an implant: the plan is defined with the profile analysis, not against it.

Frequently asked questions

Every figure published on this site is approximate and is not a quote. Any procedure or treatment first requires a private assessment consultation with Dr. Arístides Arellano —$800 MXN, charged separately— and it is at that consultation that the definitive cost of your case is determined.

Educational content; it does not replace a medical consultation. Results may vary from person to person.