Anatomy & Organs

Chin – structure, function & diseases

Out

The chin varies in human beings, it can be small or large, dimpled, protruding or receding. Although it does not form the center of the face, it determines the entire face profile, which in turn influences the harmony of the face. The chin therefore contributes a lot to whether a person is perceived as beautiful.

What is the chin

From an anatomical point of view, the chin represents the lower front or the lower end of the human face. The anatomical term is “regio mentalis”.

The chin is connected to the mandible and is supported by the bilateral lateral protuberances of the mandible and by the protuberantia mentalis. Above this is a fat pad and the jaw muscle , also known as the “mental muscle”. On the side is the pull-down of the lower lip and above is the mouth sphincter, which determines the facial expressions, which in turn is made possible by the branch of the facial nerve. The chin lymph nodes are located below the chin. The visible areas are called the jawbones.

Anatomy & Structure

Interestingly, only humans have a chin. Not even his closest ancestors, the Neanderthals, possessed this strange-looking body part. One theory for the existence of the chin in humans is that it absorbs forces generated by the human skull during chewing .However, other research has found that stressing the jawbone does not result in significant growth of the chin. Rather, the chin is probably a consequence of the entire human development process, which also affected the lower part of the face. The chin is therefore more or less a coincidence and developed in the course of evolution because the entire face became smaller and smaller over time. Compared to Neanderthals, the human face has shrunk by almost 15 percent.

Function & Tasks

Under normal conditions, bony prominences, as is the case with the chin, are attachment points for muscles or serve to stabilize the skeleton . However, the purely mechanical function of the chin has not been confirmed by biomechanical measurements and research results. On the contrary, the larger the skull, the more unstable it was found to be. People who chew a lot and use their lower jaw more often have a smaller chin than others.

Scientists now assume that the chin developed because humans changed their way of life and thereby lost their aggressive animal characteristics. Similar observations could be made in the transformation of a wild animal into a domestic animal. The wild tendencies were lost over time.

Ever since humans had to form groups due to climatic changes and dangers from other animals in order to defend themselves and thus cooperate with one another, a social network of coexistence was formed. The appearance has adapted through social life, the facial features have changed in this sense for togetherness. The community brought about an increasingly peaceful look to get along with one another.

Adjusting and dividing the hunt among many humans took some of the previous burden off humans and thus caused a hormonal change from the previously hard and wild traits to soft and sociable ones. The peacefulness led to a declining testosterone level . Both the psyche and the anatomy experienced a renewal.

These conditions can still be seen today. For example, a man will B. to the real guy and perceived as particularly attractive by women if he has a strong and pronounced chin. On a biological basis, this presupposes good fertility and awakens the protective instinct that women need.

The chin determines the profile with the nose and forehead . In general, the chin provides the aesthetic shape and expression of the face. This is perceived as particularly attractive or beautiful when the front view is narrow, tapers to a point and has a slight triangular shape. In profile, on the other hand, the face appears more harmonious when the chin is slightly arched outwards.

A so-called receding chin looks rather unaesthetic. The medical term for this is “microgenia”. Such a chin looks set back and therefore very disproportionate. It is usually weak and causes the mouth and nose to appear far protruding. Especially in the profile view, a nose appears much larger than it is due to the receding chin and thus dominates the face. A receding chin can also lead to a double chin more quickly, especially if there is too much skin on the neck .

A receding chin can be present from birth , but it can also occur over time and as a result of bone loss in the lower jaw and the aging process.

Diseases

The chin can be displaced, crooked or on one side as a result of operations or serious accidents. The chin also changes as a result of one-sided muscle strain or a misalignment of the teeth, which in turn leads to bone changes and a reduction in subcutaneous fatty tissue.The entire face then appears changed. Chin correction is therefore a frequently performed surgical procedure and is used for a receding chin, but also for a protruding chin or a double chin. A chin augmentation is made possible by the body’s own bones or by material that does not originate in the body, for example by biocompatible implants.

In a chin reduction, part of the bony base of the chin is removed. This is done through an osteotomy

Lisa Newlon
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Hello! I am Lisa Newlon, and I am a medical writer and researcher with over 10 years of experience in the healthcare industry. I have a Master’s degree in Medicine, and my deep understanding of medical terminology, practices, and procedures has made me a trusted source of information in the medical world.