Chin Fillers in NYC

Leah holding a syringe with a gloved hand

Chin filler is an injectable gel placed at the chin to add projection and change the profile. It is a non-surgical option for a chin that sits back from where the rest of the face would balance it, and it is not the right answer for every chin.

What chin filler does

Chin filler adds projection to the chin by placing a gel under the skin, usually down against the bone. The change is mostly seen in profile: a chin that sits behind the lower lip in side view can be brought forward, and the transition from the chin to the neck can be made more defined.

The chin is a structural part of the lower face, and a short chin changes how everything around it reads. Patients often come in asking about the nose or the jawline, and the finding on examination is that the chin is what is short. Adding projection at the chin can settle a profile that looked nose-heavy without touching the nose at all.

Filler builds on bone. It does not remove fullness under the chin, and it does not tighten loose skin along the jaw. Where the complaint is a soft, full submental area or skin laxity rather than a lack of projection, filler placed at the chin does not address it.

Who chin filler suits

Chin filler suits a mild to moderate shortfall in projection, in a patient who wants a result that can be reversed and who does not want surgery.

When filler is a reasonable choice

The chin is slightly retruded rather than markedly so
You want to see what more projection looks like on your own face before deciding about an implant
You want something that can be dissolved if you do not like it
You are treating the jawline, the lips or the cheeks at the same visit and want the lower face planned as a whole

When surgery is the better answer

Where the deficiency is significant, filler asked to do an implant's work takes a large amount of product and tends to give a soft, heavy result without a clear edge to the chin. A chin implant or a sliding genioplasty moves the underlying structure instead, and it does not need repeating. Dr. Smith performs chin augmentation surgically and will say at the consultation which of the two your anatomy calls for.

Two other complaints are sometimes described as a chin problem and are not treated with filler. A chin that is long or over-projected is a reduction question rather than an augmentation one, and is addressed on the chin reduction page. Fullness under the chin is a separate issue again, treated with chin liposuction or, in selected cases, with Kybella.

Which fillers are used

The practice stocks the Juvederm and Restylane families. Both are hyaluronic acid fillers. Every filler approved in the United States is available to patients here, but these two families are what the practice keeps in stock and what your clinician uses for the great majority of treatments.

For the chin, the products chosen are the firmer gels in those families, because the job is to build structure against bone rather than to soften a line. A thin gel intended for fine lines does not hold projection at the chin.

Dermal fillers are implants, regulated by the FDA as Class III medical devices and approved for patients aged 22 and older. Approval is granted product by product and area by area, so a product approved for one part of the face is not automatically approved for another. The product chosen for your chin, and the reason for it, is explained before anything is injected.

The consultation

The consultation assesses the lower face in profile as well as from the front, because a chin is judged from the side.

Examination of chin projection relative to the lips and the nose, viewed in profile
Assessment of the soft tissue under the chin and along the jawline, which changes what filler at the chin will achieve
Review of your medical history, medications and allergies
A record of any filler you have had before, what was used and where, since old product affects planning
A plan naming the product, the area and the order of treatment
A statement of what filler will not do in your case

A medical aesthetics consultation with Leah Corredora, PA-C is $100, collected to reserve your time and credited toward any procedure.

What the treatment is like

A chin filler appointment is short, and Leah Corredora, PA-C performs the injections.

The skin is cleaned and the plan is marked out
A topical numbing cream is applied, and the Juvederm and Restylane products used at the chin contain lidocaine
The filler is placed with a fine needle or a blunt cannula, depending on the depth and the plane being treated
The shape is checked with you sitting up and viewed from the side, since that is how the result will be seen

Treatment takes place at the practice at 111 East 57th Street on the Upper East Side, where Dr. Smith also runs a QUAD A accredited outpatient surgical facility.

Recovery after chin filler

Bruising, swelling and tenderness after an injection are usual. Expect the chin to look fuller than its final shape at first.

Swelling is most obvious in the first days and settles gradually
Bruises can be covered with makeup after the first day
Avoid strenuous exercise, alcohol and heat on the day of treatment
Ask before taking an anti-inflammatory such as ibuprofen, since medications that prolong bleeding can make bruising worse
Leave time before judging the final shape

Results are not permanent. Hyaluronic acid is broken down by the body over time, and how long that takes varies by product, by area and by patient. The duration studied for the specific product in your plan is reviewed with you at the consultation rather than quoted here as a general figure.

Safety, side effects and risks

The most serious risk with any dermal filler is accidental injection into a blood vessel. The FDA states that filler entering a blood vessel blocks the blood supply to the tissue that vessel feeds, and that although the chance of this happening is low, the resulting complications can be serious and may be permanent. They include death of the affected tissue, vision abnormalities including blindness, and stroke.

The warning signs are pain that is severe or out of proportion to the treatment, skin that turns white, gray or mottled and stays that way, and any change in vision. Call the practice immediately if any of these occur after treatment. They are handled as an emergency.

The common side effects are local. Bruising, swelling and tenderness at the injection site are usual. Redness and firmness in the first days are also common. Lumps or nodules can appear at the time of treatment or later.

Hyaluronic acid fillers are not used in patients with severe allergies marked by a history of anaphylaxis, or in patients allergic to lidocaine or to the bacterial proteins used to make hyaluronic acid.

Tell the practice before treatment about inflamed or infected skin in the area, any bleeding disorder, any medication that prolongs bleeding such as aspirin or another blood thinner, and any medication that suppresses the immune system.

Hyaluronic acid fillers can be dissolved with hyaluronidase. That matters twice over: a result you do not like is reversible, and in a vascular emergency there is a treatment that can be given.

What determines the cost of chin filler

Filler is priced by the amount of product used, so what a chin treatment costs depends on what the plan calls for.

How many syringes are needed to reach the projection discussed
Which product is used, since the families are priced differently
Whether other areas, such as the jawline or the lips, are treated at the same visit
Whether the plan is staged across more than one appointment

You are given an exact figure at the consultation, before anything is booked. A medical aesthetics consultation with Leah Corredora, PA-C is $100, collected to reserve your time and credited toward any procedure. Financing is available through CareCredit and Alphaeon Credit. Dr. Smith is out of network with all insurance plans; the practice helps patients use out-of-network benefits toward care.

Common questions about chin filler

What does chin filler actually change?

It adds projection to the chin, which is seen mainly in profile. It can bring a chin forward so that it sits in better balance with the lips and the nose, and it can sharpen the line between the chin and the neck. It does not reduce fullness under the chin or tighten skin.

Should I have filler or a chin implant?

It depends on how much projection is missing. Filler is well suited to a mild or moderate shortfall and has the advantage of being reversible. A larger deficiency is better served by a chin implant or a sliding genioplasty, which move the structure rather than sitting on top of it and do not need repeating. Dr. Smith performs both and will tell you which your anatomy calls for.

Can chin filler be reversed?

Yes. The hyaluronic acid fillers used at the chin can be dissolved with hyaluronidase, an injected enzyme that breaks the gel down. This is one of the reasons patients choose filler first when they are undecided about surgery.

Does chin filler hurt?

There is some discomfort. A topical numbing cream is used beforehand, the products used at the chin contain lidocaine, and local anesthetic can be added. Most patients describe pressure at the chin rather than sharp pain.

How much bruising should I expect?

Some patients bruise and some do not, and bruising is usual enough after any injection that it should be planned for rather than hoped against. Avoiding alcohol and, where your own physician agrees, medications that prolong bleeding in the days before treatment reduces the chance.

What is the most serious risk?

Filler entering a blood vessel. The FDA states that this blocks the blood supply to the tissue the vessel feeds and that although the chance is low, the complications can be serious and may be permanent, including tissue death, vision abnormalities including blindness, and stroke. Severe pain, skin that blanches or mottles and stays that way, or any visual change after treatment should be reported to the practice immediately.

Will chin filler fix a double chin?

No. Fullness under the chin is fat and skin, not a lack of projection, and adding filler at the chin does not remove it. Adding projection can make the area look better defined in profile, but the fullness itself is treated with chin liposuction or, in selected cases, Kybella.

Can chin filler be combined with jawline or lip filler?

Yes, and the lower face is usually better planned as a unit than one area at a time. Treating the chin changes how the jawline and the lips read, which is why the assessment covers the whole lower face even when you came in about one part of it.

Which fillers does the practice use at the chin?

Products from the Juvederm and Restylane families, specifically the firmer gels in those ranges, because the chin needs structure rather than softening. Approval for dermal fillers is granted product by product and area by area, and the product chosen for you is named before treatment.

Is there an age requirement?

Dermal fillers are FDA-approved for patients aged 22 and older.

How long does chin filler last?

Hyaluronic acid is gradually broken down by the body, so the result is temporary. How long it lasts varies by product, by area and by patient, and the figure that applies to the specific product in your plan is reviewed at the consultation rather than given here as a general number.

Who performs the injections?

Leah Corredora, PA-C performs medical aesthetics injections at the Manhattan practice.