Side Effects After Facial Contouring (Square Jaw, Chin Tip) Surgery: Double Chin and Salivary Gland Enlargement

Hello. I’m Dr. Jo Hyun-woo of 입체성형외과.

Today, I’d like to talk about a few side effects that can occur after square jaw surgery.

The first is a double chin.

These days, many people come in for consultations worried about sagging cheeks and loose skin, and they often ask about this.

So, if you have square jaw surgery and chin tip surgery, does a double chin inevitably develop?

That is not the case.

In fact, the double chin is related to chin tip surgery, but it does not occur simply because of dissection, nor does sagging skin automatically develop.

In general, if you undergo a T-shaped osteotomy to advance the chin, the double chin may actually improve.

Simply put, as the chin bone moves forward, the skin in the double chin area can be pulled forward, which may reduce the appearance of a double chin.

The problem occurs when, instead of advancing the chin, the jawbone is pushed backward or moved upward.

If the front chin bone is T-osteotomized and pushed backward, the attached soft tissue is also pushed back, and as fat and muscle overlap to some extent, it can appear as a double chin.

Also, if someone has a long chin and the length of the jawbone is reduced, the soft tissue that was located lower down may move upward, making the double chin look more pronounced.

Therefore, when performing surgery to reduce the chin bone or push it backward, it is important to carefully observe your own double chin condition before surgery.

For patients who already have a double chin before surgery, if they undergo surgery to reduce the chin, combining it with liposuction may be helpful.

Even if it is not done at the same time, after swelling has fully gone down following surgery, sufficient correction is possible through liposuction or neck line lifting.

Residual swelling can remain for at least six months after surgery, so it would be helpful to judge and correct it after six months.

A case where a double chin developed after chin reduction surgery

The second is a salivary gland issue.

Some people say that after square jaw surgery, a bulging appearance has formed under the chin.

As shown in the illustration, the structure located just below the jawbone is called the submandibular gland.

In people with a large square jaw, this submandibular gland is usually located inside the bone and is not visible.

In people with a smaller square jaw or a larger submandibular gland, it may be visible from the outside even before surgery.

When square jaw surgery is performed in such cases, the submandibular gland may become more exposed than before surgery.

A case where the submandibular gland is visible after square jaw reduction surgery

As shown in the photo, the submandibular gland may appear bulging after surgery.

If the square jawbone is excessively resected, it can look as severe as in this photo, but for most people it does not appear this pronounced.

For those who are bothered by this bulging, salivary gland Botox can be a very effective treatment option.

There have been reports suggesting that in people with developed submandibular glands, periodic salivary gland Botox injections can reduce the size of the salivary gland, so it may be worth noting.

So far, we have looked at side effects that can occur after square jaw and chin tip surgery.

In all surgeries, I think that if there is something that improves, there is also something that may worsen in return.

I hope patients carefully think about and decide what should take priority before undergoing surgery.

However, the side effects mentioned above are all things that can be sufficiently corrected, so I think they are worth keeping in mind.

Thank you.