Should I Remove My Jawline Implant To Have A BSSO Osteotomy?

Q: Dr. Eppley, I’m proceeding to have orthognathic surgery next month (BSSO, Lefort 1 and genioplasty) to fix skeletal jaw issues and a 8mm overbite. I currently have a full silicone wrap around jaw implant. The surgeon is going to attempt to maintain the posterior portion of the the implant (jaw angles) and just remove the anterior portion and chin in order to execute BSSO and genioplasty. My surgeon has admittedly never tried to salvage existing jaw implants. My question is, do you foresee any issue with the surgeon cutting through and removing only a portion of the implant while attempting to keep the jaw angles intact? Thank you!

A: It makes little sense to try and keep any portion of your existing jawline implant. The risks of infection of it dramatically increases and it makes it harder to do the BSSO.

Dr. Barry Eppley

World-Renowned Plastic Surgeon