In an effort to improve the safety of chin injections, Tansatit, Tanvaa MD, MSc, et al, performed cadaveric dissections to determine the locations of the ascending mental arteries. After dissecting 31 embalmed cadaveric faces, the researchers found 19 dominant ascending mental arteries on the right side of the inferior margin of the mandibular protuberance and 12 on the left. The dominant ascending mental arteries enter the chin paracentrally, approximately 6mm (5.64 ± 4.34mm) from the midline, within the muscular plane, and at a depth of 4.15 ± 1.95mm from the skin. The main artery forms an anastomosis with the sublingual artery, within the floor of the mouth.
In the paper, published in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (January 2020), the authors note that arterial occlusion of the mental artery can result in soft-tissue infarction. Therefore, “Every aesthetic physician should recognize the course of the ascending mental artery and use the appropriate techniques to avoid vascular injury during chin augmentation using filler injections.”
Image by Sayaka Sawanoguchi from Pixabay
