The chin varies in shape in humans, can be small or large, dimpled or protruding or receding. While it does not form the center of the face, it does determine the overall facial profile, which in turn affects the harmony of the face. Thus, the chin contributes a great deal to whether a person is perceived as beautiful.
What is the chin?
Anatomically, the chin represents the lower front or termination of the human face. The anatomical name is “regio mentalis”. The chin is connected to the mandible and is supported by the bilateral lateral cusps of the mandible and by the protuberantia mentalis. Above it lie a fat pad and the jaw muscle, also called the “musculus mentalis”. To the side is the pull-down muscle of the lower lip and at the top is the oral sphincter, which determines facial expressions, again made possible by the branch of the facial nerve. Below the chin are the chin lymph nodes. The visible areas are called the chin cheeks.
Anatomy and structure
Interestingly, humans alone possess a chin. Not even his closest ancestors, the Neanderthals, possessed this strange-seeming body part. One theory for the presence of the chin in humans is that it absorbs forces caused by the human skull when chewing. Other research, however, again found that the stress on the jawbone does not lead to pronounced growth of the chin. Rather, the chin is probably a consequence of the entire process of human development, which has also affected the lower part of the face. Accordingly, the chin is more or less a coincidence and formed 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 and 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 based on biomechanical measurements and research findings. On the contrary, it was shown that the larger the skull, the more unstable it became. People who chew a lot and use the lower jaw more often have a smaller chin than others. Scientists now rather assume that the chin formed because humans changed their way of life and thus lost their aggressive animal characteristics. Similar observations could be made when a wild animal changed to a domestic animal. The wild tendencies were lost over time. Since humans had to form groups to defend themselves and thus cooperate with each other due to climatic changes and dangers from other animals, a social network of living together was formed. Through the social life, the exterior has adapted, the features have changed for the togetherness in this sense. The community caused an increasingly peaceful appearance to get along with each other. Adjusting to each other and distributing the hunt among many people took some of the previous burden off the human being and thus caused a hormonal change of the previously hard and feral features into soft and sociable ones. The peacefulness led to a decreasing testosterone level. Both the psyche and the anatomy underwent a renewal. Even today, these conditions can be perceived. For example, a man becomes a real guy and is perceived by women as particularly attractive if he has a strong and pronounced chin. Thus, on a biological basis, a good procreative ability is assumed and the protective instinct necessary for women is awakened. Together with the nose and forehead, the chin determines the profile. In general, the chin causes the aesthetic shape and expression of the face. This is perceived as particularly attractive or beautiful when the front view is narrow, pointed and has a slight triangular shape. As a profile view, on the other hand, the face appears more harmonious if the chin is slightly curved outward. A receding chin, on the other hand, is rather unaesthetic. The medical term for this is “microgenia”. Such a chin appears recessed and thus very disproportionate. It is usually weakly developed and causes the mouth and nose to appear far forward.Especially in the profile view, a receding chin makes a nose look much larger than it is 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 can also develop over time and the aging process due to bone loss in the lower jaw.
Diseases
Surgery or serious accidents can cause the chin to shift, sit crooked or on one side. Likewise, the chin changes due to one-sided muscle strain or a misalignment of the teeth, which in turn leads to bone changes and a decrease in subcutaneous fatty tissue. The entire face then appears changed. Therefore, chin correction is a frequently performed surgical procedure, used both 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 from the body, for example biocompatible implants. In the case of a reduction of the chin, part of the bony base of the chin is removed. This is done through an osteotomy.
