San Diego — A new study suggests that surgeons performing rhinoplasty should also assess the patient’s need for chin augmentation in order to ensure aesthetic balance and to guard against patient dissatisfaction, reports Medical News Today.
The study’s authors used four assessment methods (Silver, Legan, Merriford and Gonzales-Ulloa) to evaluate pictures of their institution's 100 most recent rhinoplasty patients. Based on these evaluations, the authors conclude that between 17 and 62 percent of men, and 39 and 81 percent of women, could have benefitted from further assessment with a view to chin augmentation. Twenty-one percent of men scored positive on three or more methods, 58 percent for women.
The authors write that in cases where surgical modifications are made to a patient’s facial features, the surgeon has a responsibility to inform their patients of the impact the procedure will have on their overall look prior to the surgery, and that a balanced appearance is key to a satisfactory outcome.
The research was presented here at the 2009 American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Foundation Annual Meeting & OTO EXPO.
