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Chin projection: how far forward your chin sits
Chin projection is how far the front of your chin sits forward in profile, judged against a vertical line dropped from the lower lip. Within a few millimeters of that line is typical. More than roughly 4 to 5 mm behind it reads recessed, and more than a few millimeters in front reads prominent. The bone does not move; submental fat, implants, and genioplasty do.
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VerdictRecessed past 4–5 mm
Verdict
Recessed past 4–5 mmWithin a few millimeters of a vertical dropped from the lower lip is typical; more than roughly 4 to 5 mm behind it reads recessed in profile
Do your facial analysis: Side profile analysis →What projection is measured against
The forwardmost point of the chin has a name, pogonion, and clinicians assess it against reference lines dropped through other landmarks. Several such lines exist and they disagree by a few millimeters, which is why two assessments of the same profile can reach different conclusions about whether a chin is recessed.
The simplest home version drops a vertical from the lower lip. A chin within a few millimeters of that line, slightly behind it in women and at or slightly ahead of it in men by convention, reads adequately projected. Well behind it reads recessed; well in front reads prominent. The line ignores lip fullness, so a full lower lip makes a normal chin read weaker.
Photographing the profile correctly
True side view, head level, camera at eye height, teeth lightly together, lips relaxed and closed. The most common self-assessment error by a wide margin is chin position: lifting the chin swings the whole mandible forward and can make a recessed profile look strong, while dropping it does the reverse.
The second error is jaw posture. Holding the lower jaw slightly forward is almost automatic when someone photographs their own profile, and it moves the result by several millimeters. Let the teeth rest together in their natural bite, relax, and take the photo without watching the screen, since watching tends to reintroduce the posture you were avoiding.
How much is too much, and what it costs
Within a few millimeters of the lip line, projection goes unnoticed and other features carry the profile. More than roughly 4 to 5 mm behind the line, the chin reads recessed: the profile reads convex, the neck angle softens, and the nose reads larger than it measures because the eye judges it against the chin. Past about 10 mm behind, the chin and neck run together and the jawline disappears in profile.
Excess projection costs less but is real: a chin more than a few millimeters ahead of the line reads prominent and, in a concave profile, reads as a jaw that sits forward of the upper teeth. Submental fat makes any chin read weaker than it measures. A chin that has shifted position, especially with a change in how the teeth meet or with jaw pain, is a dentist or clinician question.
What actually changes it
Two different things get confused. One is the position of the whole lower jaw relative to the upper, a bite relationship, which in an adult changes only with orthognathic surgery. The other is the size of the chin button itself, the bony prominence at the front of the mandible, which can be addressed with a chin implant or a sliding genioplasty by a maxillofacial or plastic surgeon. Imaging separates the two.
Posture habits and tongue exercises do not move the mandible in an adult; videos showing results are showing a jaw held forward. What does change the visible profile without touching bone is reducing submental fat, which sharpens the transition under the chin. Check yours with the side profile analysis tool from a true side view; if you are losing weight, the SkinPal app tracks the profile so the change reads as a trend.
FAQ
Common questions
How do you measure chin projection?+
From a true side profile with the head level and the bite relaxed, drop a vertical from the lower lip and measure how far the forwardmost point of the chin sits from it. Clinical assessment uses more precise reference planes and often imaging.
How recessed is too recessed?+
Within a few millimeters of the lower-lip vertical goes unnoticed. More than roughly 4 to 5 mm behind it the chin reads recessed, the profile reads convex, and the nose reads larger. Past about 10 mm behind, the jawline disappears into the neck in profile.
Can mewing improve chin projection?+
No. Tongue posture does not reposition an adult mandible. The jaw sits where the bite and bone place it. Apparent before-and-after results come from holding the jaw forward and from changes in head angle.
Why does my chin look weaker in selfies?+
Phone cameras held close and low distort the profile and enlarge the nose relative to the chin. A dropped chin angle compounds it. Shoot from eye height at arm’s length or further with the head level.