Resection of the prominent mandible angle with intraoral and external approach

Surgical resection of the prominent mandible angle is a common aesthetic procedure in Asian women. Many females want to change their square-shaped face to a round-shaped face, because the square-shaped face is, not considered attractive in Asian culture. Several approaches have been used for this procedure. Surgeons usually have used the intraoral approach because it can avoid the external scar. However, the intraoral approach can have many drawbacks due to the limited operative field and view. In particular, subcondyle fracture occurs more easily because of the limited motion of the saw. This article presents an operative method that avoids subcondyle fracture and makes the procedure easier to execute. The procedure has two main differences; one is the addition of an external stab incision to the conventional intraoral incision and the other is the use of the reciprocating saw instead of the oscillating saw. Forty-three patients were operated on and we recommend this procedure as an easier procedure with less complication than the intraoral-only approach.