The American tradition of high school proms has its unique set of signifiers: a corsage, a questionable suit/gown, a limousine. In 2012, we can add "a new chin" to the shopping list for the big night.
A report from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons has revealed a 71% increase in the number of chin implants ("chinplants") in the last year. One surgeon suggests smartphones are a likely contributing factor. "The rise of more informal images, captured ... when they are leaning over a buffet maybe, has shown them angles of their face they had not seen in a mirror."
Is this coming to the UK? A BAAPS spokesperson says they're "not in the top ten, certainly". Plymouth-based plastic surgeon James McDiarmid doesn't think so, either. "It's not something I've seen a major increase in. Chin augmentation is something that patients don't usually ask for," he says. "They usually come in and say 'It's my neck' or 'It's my nose'." Any requested celebrity chins? "Not really," says McDiarmid. "Maybe if I was in the big city, I'd have people asking for a George Clooney or a Brad Pitt – two significant Hollywood chins. I think photos are helpful, it gives you an idea of how far they'd like to take it and you can tell them if it's going to be impossible."
