For Patients
Can you still have surgery later? Possibilities and limits in adulthood.
Corrections are often still possible in adulthood – for example to the jaw, bite, nose or facial contour. Whether a procedure is advisable and feasible depends on the individual findings, the symptoms and the goals, and is assessed by an interdisciplinary specialist centre. There is no guarantee of a particular result.
Late corrections are procedures carried out after growth is complete – in adolescence or adulthood. Completed growth simplifies planning in some respects, because the situation no longer changes substantially afterwards.
Possible concerns include correcting the bite and jaw position, improving nasal breathing, adjusting the facial contour, or follow-up corrections after earlier operations. What is an option varies greatly from case to case.
Depending on the findings, the range extends from smaller procedures to more extensive repositioning of the jaw (orthognathic surgery), often combined with orthodontic preparation. The choice and sequence are planned individually.
Not every concern can be fully resolved, and every procedure has benefits and risks. A specialist team discusses openly what is realistically achievable and what is not. Purely aesthetic wishes are assessed separately and with restraint.
That craniofacial corrections are in principle also possible in adulthood is established.
Whether a procedure is advisable and what result is achievable depends greatly on the individual case and cannot be stated in general terms.
Long-term results of individual procedures are still being studied; predictions in the individual case remain subject to uncertainty.
We advise affected people and professionals – confidentially and in your language.
Get in touchIn principle, corrections are possible at 30 or later; growth is then complete. Whether a procedure is medically advisable depends on the findings, symptoms and goals and should be discussed individually with a specialist centre.
No. Every procedure has benefits and risks, and the result varies individually. A specialist team discusses openly what is realistically achievable. There is no guarantee of a particular result.
Often yes – for jaw repositioning, orthodontic pre-treatment is frequently part of the plan. Whether and to what extent is decided individually.