Medical genioplasty, or non-surgical chin correction with hyaluronic acid injections, is a reliable, precise, and reversible alternative to bone surgery. However, many questions remain regarding the minimum age required to undergo this type of aesthetic treatment. Can a receding chin be corrected during adolescence? Is there an upper age limit? What medical precautions should be taken depending on the patient’s age?
This page aims to answer, objectively and rigorously, the question: from what age can chin injections be performed? We will successively address the biological, regulatory, psychological, and aesthetic aspects necessary to determine an indication that aligns with best practices.
Before any hyaluronic acid injection in the chin, it is essential to understand the physiology of craniofacial development. The chin, also called the pogonion, is an integral part of the mandible, whose growth can continue late, sometimes up to 21 years in males. This prolonged bone growth warrants a cautious approach and, in some cases, postponement of aesthetic treatment if undertaken too early.
The chin is indeed one of the last bony structures of the face to stabilize. Its growth, influenced by genetics, hormonal factors, and certain functional habits such as chewing, tongue position, or dental occlusion, can continue until 17–18 years in females and 20–21 years in males.
Performing injections before the end of this bone growth carries several risks: altering the natural evolution of the profile, masking an underlying skeletal abnormality, or requiring repeated and inappropriate corrections over the long term.
In Switzerland, as in most European countries, aesthetic medical procedures are reserved for adult patients, except in very specific medical situations, such as congenital malformations, post-traumatic reconstruction, or certain functional indications.
Medical genioplasty is therefore legally accessible from the age of 18. Even beyond this age, the patient’s informed consent remains essential. Before any hyaluronic acid injection, a prior consultation is mandatory: it includes a detailed medical history, morphological analysis of the face, and a psychological evaluation. The goal is to ensure that the decision is made fully informed and in the patient’s best interest.
For minors, hyaluronic acid injections can only be considered for therapeutic purposes, for example in cases of severe congenital mandibular dysmorphia, post-traumatic sequelae, or post-surgical reconstruction.
These procedures, rare and highly regulated, must be performed in a hospital setting, with a multidisciplinary evaluation including a maxillofacial surgeon, an orthodontist, and, if necessary, a psychiatrist. Written parental consent is mandatory for any such intervention.
Once the legal age is reached, the feasibility of medical genioplasty does not depend solely on chronological age. Several factors must be considered to ensure a safe and appropriate treatment.
Bone and facial stability : from 18 years old, most patients have completed their bone and facial growth. However, individual variations may exist. A thorough profile analysis is therefore essential to confirm this stability. The doctor evaluates in particular the projection of the chin in relation to Ricketts’ line, the proportion of the lower third of the face, as well as the dental occlusion, if an anomaly is suspected.
Psychological maturity of the young patient : at 18 or 19 years old, some requests may be strongly influenced by social media or by unrealistic aesthetic standards. The doctor’s role is then to assess the real motivation, the consistency between the request and the anatomy, as well as the psychological impact of the perceived defect. A young adult can be an excellent candidate if their plan is clear, realistic, and based on clinical criteria. Otherwise, it is often preferable to propose a supportive approach or to defer the treatment.
In practice, most medical genioplasties with hyaluronic acid are performed on patients aged 20 to 35 years. This age range offers several advantages :
The face has completed its development and the bone structures are stabilized.
Aesthetic expectations are generally clear and realistic.
Skin quality is optimal, providing better product integration and longer-lasting results.
The reversibility of the treatment is fully understood and accepted by patients.
At this age, requests most often concern the correction of a slightly receding chin, a subtle asymmetry, or the pursuit of better profile harmony. It is therefore the most favorable period to consider a non-surgical medical genioplasty, with results that are natural, harmonious, and long-lasting.
Hyaluronic acid injections in the chin are not limited to young adults. Patients over 40 can also benefit from a medical genioplasty, albeit with slightly different goals and approaches.
With age, several phenomena directly affect the chin area: progressive bone resorption of the mandible, loss of deep fat, and laxity of the soft tissues. These changes often lead to a visual retreat of the chin, loss of definition of the jawline, and gradual alteration of the facial oval.
In these patients, chin injections primarily aim to restore lost projection, support lax tissues, and improve the neck-chin junction, a key element of profile harmony. The ideal candidate remains someone whose skin retains sufficient firmness, without severe sagging.
In many cases, medical genioplasty is combined with other complementary aesthetic medical treatments, such as collagen inducers, laser photorejuvenation, or radiofrequency, in order to optimize the result and enhance skin quality.
There is no specific age limit beyond which medical genioplasty with hyaluronic acid would be contraindicated. In reality, age is not the determining factor: it is the patient’s medical and aesthetic characteristics that define the appropriateness of the treatment. Thus, significant skin laxity, a lower third of the face too relaxed to be effectively improved by injections, or medical contraindications to injectable products, may limit the indication.
At any age, a comprehensive clinical assessment performed by an experienced doctor remains essential to confirm the feasibility of medical genioplasty, define the appropriate injection strategy, and ensure a result that is natural, safe, and harmonious.
Legal age alone is not a sufficient criterion to determine eligibility for medical genioplasty. In young adults, particularly in the 18–25 age group, psychological evaluation plays a central role in medical decision-making. This precaution is not merely an ethical safeguard but a clinical imperative aimed at ensuring the patient’s psychological safety, the appropriateness of the indication, and the long-term satisfaction after treatment.
Today, young adults build a large part of their body image online, especially through platforms like Instagram, TikTok, or Snapchat. This constant exposure to faces modified by filters or digital retouching often leads to an altered perception of aesthetic normality.
As a result, some young patients may seek chin injections to conform to unrealistic standards, follow a temporary aesthetic trend, or correct a defect perceived by the patient but clinically nonexistent.
An experienced doctor must identify cases of digital dysmorphia or transient emotional distress. A temporary refusal or a proposal for deferred reevaluation can be more beneficial than immediate treatment.
Understanding the limits of a treatment is also crucial. A good candidate, even if young, must be able to formulate a clear and motivated request, understand that the result will be subtle, reversible, and progressive, and accept the idea of a non-permanent treatment with adjustable results.
If the patient expresses vague or unrealistic expectations (“I want the chin of such celebrity”) or demonstrates excessive emotional reasoning, the indication should be reconsidered.
The consultation must be a structured medical session, including an interview on psychological or psychiatric history, an analysis of the social and emotional context of the request, and an assessment of the level of pressure (family, friends, media).
Hyaluronic acid injections for aesthetic purposes are normally reserved for adults, that is, those who are at least 18 years old. This restriction is based on several biological, ethical, and legal grounds.
Chin development does not necessarily stop at 18 years old. In fact, in some cases, growth in this anatomical region, particularly of the mandible and the pogonion (the most anterior point of the chin on the bone plane), can continue beyond adulthood, especially in men. This late development is influenced by several factors, including genetics, testosterone levels, dental occlusion, and certain functional habits such as chewing, tongue position, or mouth breathing.
From a statistical standpoint, mandibular growth usually ends between 17 and 18 years in women, while it can extend until 20 or 21 years in men. This means that an 18- or 19-year-old man may still show subtle changes in his mandibular profile, particularly regarding chin projection. While this is not an absolute contraindication to medical genioplasty, it does require caution in aesthetic or morphological management at this age.
In a context of potentially unfinished bone growth, the therapeutic approach should remain conservative. It is recommended to use moderate volumes during injections so as not to impact a structure still in development. The indication should be regularly reassessed, ideally at intervals of about twelve months, to adapt the treatment to the natural evolution of the face. Photographic simulation or dynamic profile analysis can also be useful to refine the therapeutic decision and better anticipate medium-term results.
An experienced doctor, aware of anatomical variability and the context of growth, will adjust their protocol accordingly. They will consider all individual factors — age, sex, history, expectations, and morphological evolution — to propose a coherent and safe strategy, in line with the principles of caution that should guide any aesthetic intervention on a growing face.
Article written by Dr Romano Valeria
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