The era of the stacked jawline is winding down. Patients who spent years building definition along the mandible with repeated filler sessions are now looking for something more durable and more distinctly their own. Dr. Sarmela Sunder, double board-certified facial plastic surgeon and fellowship-trained expert with over 13 years dedicated to the face and neck, has watched this shift unfold in her Beverly Hills practice. More and more, patients arrive having dissolved overfilled jawlines, ready to approach the problem differently: with surgery that addresses the chin's actual position rather than adding volume around it.
This blog explores why surgical chin augmentation is gaining ground this summer, what it can do for the side profile, and how Dr. Sunder approaches this procedure.
When Filler Stops Serving the Face
Filler placed along the jawline and chin can produce appealing results in limited amounts, but heavy or repeated use tends to create problems over time. Volume migrates, and a profile that once looked balanced can start to read as constructed or box-like. The core issue is structural: filler adds surface mass, but it doesn't reposition the chin itself.
A recessed chin needs to actually project forward. That's a surgical question, and chin augmentation is the surgical answer.
What Genioplasty Can Do for Your Profile
Chin augmentation (also known as mentoplasty or genioplasty) uses biocompatible implants or fat transfer to refine the chin's projection and shape. A well-positioned chin can make the nose read as more proportionate, define the neck-to-jaw transition, and create a side profile that reads as naturally balanced rather than constructed.
Patients who come in for this procedure typically share one or more of the following:
- A weak or recessed chin that disrupts the balance of the lower face
- A soft or undefined jawline that reads flat from the side
- Previous filler that has shifted, overfilled, or no longer reflects their aesthetic
- Facial asymmetry or disproportionate features in the lower third
- A preference for structurally grounded, longer-lasting results
At Sunder Plastic Surgery, implant-based augmentation is performed through a small incision beneath the chin or inside the mouth, leaving minimal visible scarring. Most patients plan for about a week of downtime, with final results fully visible as swelling resolves over the following months.
Proportion Over Volume: The Side Profile Standard
The aesthetic shift away from heavy, squared jawlines points to a clearer priority: proportion over projection. The ideal chin completes the lower face, sitting in quiet relation to the nose and forehead without dominating the overall silhouette. It's an outcome that reads as naturally attractive rather than surgical.
That has real implications at the planning stage. Dr. Sunder evaluates each patient's individual anatomy to determine exactly how much projection and contour will restore balance, guided by her philosophy that every face is a unique canvas.
Reimagine Your Profile With Dr. Sunder
Having trained at Johns Hopkins, Cornell, and Stanford, and completed a fellowship accredited by the American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Dr. Sunder brings over 13 years of focused facial expertise to every chin augmentation she performs. Named among the Top Cosmetic Doctors in L.A. and N.Y.C. by The Hollywood Reporter in 2025, she is recognized for her ability to enhance without altering, delivering results that look like the best, most natural version of each patient's own face. For those ready to move beyond filler and invest in lasting structural refinement, a consultation at Sunder Plastic Surgery is the place to start. Contact us today to schedule yours.
