Dec 05, 2025

Correcting a Receding Chin: Causes, Anatomy, and the Most Reliable Treatments

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A receding chin, called retrogenia, comes from either the position of the chin bone, the way the teeth meet, or age-related changes in the lower face. Treatment is highly individual. It ranges from simple contouring to full skeletal correction when the jaw is involved.

What a “weak chin” really means
How retrogenia develops
Chin projection and overall facial balance
Overbite vs. true retrogenia
Common anatomical patterns
Who is most prone to recession
Treatment categories
Detailed corrective options
Choosing the right approach
Q&A
References

1. What a “weak chin” really means

People usually notice a weak chin from the side. The profile looks soft, the jawline blends into the neck, and the chin sits further back than expected. Some patients come in thinking their nose is too large, when it's the chin that is underprojected.

The medical term for this backward position is retrogenia. Sometimes the bone sits back. Sometimes the dental relationship pushes it back visually. And in many middle-aged patients, the bone is fine but the soft tissue overlying it has thinned or descended.

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Each scenario requires a different correction.

2. How retrogenia develops

Three mechanisms appear again and again.

Bone position

The most straightforward cause is the position of the bony chin. The chin is part of the mandible, and the amount of forward projection varies widely from one person to another. Genetics dictates most of this.

Jaw relationship

A Class II bite: upper teeth forward, lower jaw sitting back, makes the chin look smaller even when the chin bone itself is normal. Many people blame the chin, although the real cause is the skeletal relationship between the upper and lower jaws.

Bone does remodel with age. It is subtle but real. The chin can shorten vertically and rotate slightly backward. The soft tissue over it also becomes less firm. Together these changes produce the “aging chin” that wasn’t present earlier in life.

3. Chin projection and overall facial balance

A chin isn’t assessed in isolation. A surgeon compares it to the nose, lips, and cervical angle. All of these contribute to what we perceive as a balanced face.

A small chin can:

shorten the lower third of the face
make the jawline look weak
exaggerate neck fullness
make the nose look more prominent
increase the curve of the profile

A precise correction often improves several areas at once, especially the jawline and neck.

4. Overbite vs. true retrogenia

Patients often assume they have a weak chin when the real issue is an overbite. Distinguishing the two is essential because the treatments differ dramatically.

Feature	Retrogenia	Overbite / Class II
Main issue	Chin bone sits back	Upper teeth/jaw sit forward, or lower jaw sits back
Bite	Often normal	Usually misaligned
Best correction	Implant or sliding genioplasty	Orthodontics ± jaw surgery
Chin filler usefulness	Good temporary option	Limited if jaw is retruded

In some patients, both problems exist. In that situation, treatment is staged. The jaw relationship is addressed first, and the chin refined afterward.

5. Common anatomical patterns

During consultation, several patterns repeat themselves.

Short lower third

The chin lacks both projection and vertical height. These patients often look younger than their age because the lower face is compressed.

Normal height, poor projection

Probably the most common pattern. The face is proportionate vertically but the chin sits back.

Recession with pre-jowl fullness

Soft tissue gathers beside the chin, producing early jowls. Even a small augmentation can clean the jawline dramatically.

Recession with submental fullness

Excess fat or laxity under the chin makes the recession appear more pronounced.

Recession plus overbite

Here, the dental relationship contributes as much as the chin bone.

Knowing which of these patterns is present directs the treatment plan.

6. Who is most prone to recession

Factor	Notes
Genetics	Most recessions are inherited.
Underdeveloped mandible	Common in families.
Dental malocclusion	Changes how the chin is perceived.
Long-term mouth breathing	Can influence jaw growth in childhood.
Aging	Soft-tissue descent and bony remodeling worsen mild retrogenia.

Even mild recession can look more dramatic after weight loss or as soft tissue thins with age.

7. Treatment categories

Every treatment for a receding chin falls into one of three categories:

Volume or projection enhancement (filler, implant, or bone advancement)
Skeletal repositioning (genioplasty or full jaw advancement)
Soft-tissue refinement (neck contouring, fat reduction, or lifting)

Most patients need two of these categories, not just one.

8. Detailed corrective options

A. Injectable contouring

Fillers can build projection when the recession is mild. The effect is precise and reversible, which helps patients preview surgical results.

Typical injection points include:

the pogonion (center of the chin)
the labiomental fold
the anterior jawline

Fillers can also mask small asymmetries. They cannot change bone position, but they work well for subtle refinements.

B. Chin implants

A chin implant enlarges the bony contour with a pre-shaped implant placed under the soft tissue. Surgeons choose the width, height, and projection based on the patient’s anatomy.

When implants work well:

normal bite
normal vertical height
desire for stronger contour without bone cutting
moderate recession

The improvement is immediate and stable if the implant is positioned correctly.

C. Sliding genioplasty

This is the most versatile procedure usually performed by an oromaxillofacial surgeon. The surgeon makes a controlled cut through the bone of the lower chin and moves the segment forward, sometimes downward, upward, or slightly sideways if needed.

Sliding genioplasty allows:

more projection than implants
correction of vertical shortness
correction of asymmetry
refinement without foreign material

It blends seamlessly with the patient’s anatomy because it uses their own bone but it can cause permanent nerve damage.

D. Orthognathic (jaw) surgery

If the lower jaw itself sits back, repositioning the chin alone is not enough. These cases need mandibular advancement, usually combined with orthodontics.
It corrects:

overbite
airway problems
speech or functional issues
lower facial recession affecting the entire jawline

Chin augmentation may still be added after jaw surgery for fine shaping.

E. Neck and jawline contouring

Soft-tissue fullness can exaggerate a recessed chin.
Options include:

submental liposuction
tightening of the platysma
Isolated central deep neck lift

These are commonly paired with chin enhancement when the neck obscures the jawline.

9. Choosing the right approach

A surgeon evaluates:

chin projection relative to the lower lip
vertical length of the lower third
jaw relationship (Class I, II, or III)
thickness of soft tissue
neck contour
whether the recession has worsened with age

This assessment determines the plan:

Presentation	Best Approach
Mild recession	Fillers or small implant
Moderate recession	Implant or sliding genioplasty
Severe recession	Sliding genioplasty
Short vertical height	Vertical lengthening genioplasty
Overbite	Orthodontics ± jaw advancement
Recession + heavy neck	Chin augmentation + neck contouring
Age-related lower face changes	Chin refinement + lower facelift

Treatment becomes straightforward once the origin of the recession is identified.

10. Q&A

What age does the chin start to recede?

Bone remodeling becomes noticeable in the late 30s and 40s. True congenital retrogenia appears in the teenage years and stays stable until aging softens the lower face.