The stability of facial osteotomies. 3. Chin advancement.

Surgical repositioning of the chin can be used to improve function and aesthetics. The most commonly employed technique involves a sectioning of the lower border of the anterior mandible, thus allowing a sliding movement of the chin. It is generally accepted that the maintenance of a soft tissue attachment provides a clinically stable skeletal and predictable soft tissue change with minimal postoperative osseous resorption. Part 3 of this series of papers addresses the issues of treatment planning, surgical technique and clinical indications for undertaking advancement genioplasty. These, combined with the surgeon's artistic sense of facial harmony, are pre-conditions necessary for successful chin surgery.