A beauty trend in China has taken a troubling turn, leaving some influencers with chins that keep growing and drooping long after their procedures are complete.
The trend is rooted in traditional Chinese facial aesthetics, specifically the concept of the golden ratio of the face. In this framework, the face is divided into three horizontal sections, each ideally taking up one-third of the total facial length. The chin became the focus of widespread fixation.
Celebrities like Angelababy, regarded as a benchmark for ideal facial proportions, became the blueprint people chased. Beauty companies began advertising that a short chin disrupts facial balance, and chin augmentation surged in popularity.
Hyaluronic acid filler became the go-to solution. It was affordable, quick, and non-permanent, described as “a free trial for your face.” Injections could lengthen the face, push the chin forward, or create the V-shaped look that dominated the beauty standard. When the filler dissolved after a few months, people simply returned for more.
The problems began when some clinics swapped standard filler for so-called baby face collagen and growth peptides, marketed as fillers that would stimulate the body’s own cells. Unlike hyaluronic acid, these materials did not dissolve. They remained in the tissue, hardened, shifted around, and triggered abnormal growth. Gravity and constant daily movement from talking and eating pulled the lower face progressively downward, producing what became known as the “bubble chin” effect.
One widely covered case involves a 16-year-old influencer named Yaki Wong, who paid roughly 1,000 RMB for two standard chin injections. When the filler never dissolved, she initially thought she had gotten a great deal. Over time, her chin swelled, itched, and drooped downward. The damage eventually affected how her mouth functioned, leaving her lower lip unable to open properly for several days.
Miss Ding from Nanjing, already dealing with a failed bubble chin injection, sought treatment at a clinic advertising specialized repair technology. The procedure involved a hot needle being dragged across her chin. When large blisters formed three days later, the doctor called it normal and sent her home with instructions to trim the wound herself using regular scissors each day.
Over a month and a half, the wound grew and became infected, ultimately leaving a scar more than 6 centimeters wide across her chin. When a reporter accompanied her back to the clinic, the doors were locked with a sign announcing temporary closure for renovations.
As filler cases mounted, many people shifted toward permanent chin implants. These carry their own risks, including bone erosion as implants sink into surrounding bone, and cases where compressed tooth roots caused the entire mouth to protrude outward.
