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Masseter Botox Overview
Many people associate the aging process with wrinkles and fine lines, but few consider the effects of squaring of the jawline. Younger faces often are widest at the level of the eyes and become narrower along the jaw and chin. Starting around 20 to 40 years of age, the jaw begins to become wider, producing a more masculine appearance in women.
Masseter Botox is a non-surgical approach to slimming the jawline and restoring the natural beauty and contour of the face.
What is Masseter Botox?
The masseter muscle is used for chewing and connects the cheekbone to the jawbone. Overtime, this muscle becomes larger and more defined resulting in a squaring of the jawline and widening of the lower face. This disrupts the ideal oval or heart shaped contour of the female face.
Surgery to reduce the size of the jawbone was previously thought to be the only treatment option. However, the introduction of masseter injections with Botox have revolutionized the approach to jawline slimming. Botox masseter reduction is a non-invasive, highly effective, and cost conscious option to reduce the width of the jawline.
While it seems like a simple procedure, experience and expertise are the keys to achieving exceptional results. Understanding the complex anatomy of the face, Dr. Tina Ho is able to strategically place Botox within the masseter muscles to produce symmetric results.
Understanding Masseter Botox
Masseter Botox involves injection of botulinum toxin type A into the muscle to relax the muscle. This softens the muscle and produces a narrowed appearance of the face. In addition to cosmetic reasons, Botox to the masseter muscles can help lessen teeth grinding, migraine or tension headaches, and TMJ discomfort.
Frequent movement and contracting of the masseters strengthens the muscles and increases their size. Botox prevents the masseters from contracting, ultimately causing them to atrophy and lose their bulk and, in effect, slims down the jawline.
Dr. Ho understands every face has its unique characteristics, and having evaluated and treated thousands of facial profiles, she is able to provide individualized treatment plans to help maximize jawline contouring results.
Ideal Candidates for Masseter Botox
Jawline contouring with Botox can be considered for anyone who would like to narrow and angulate the lower face, especially those with a square jawline. This procedure is ideal for patients wishing to regain a more youthful, feminine appearance.
The ideal candidate will have a square or wide jawline due to excessive bulk to the masseter muscle or slight asymmetry to the jawline.
The Procedure
The face has several muscles within a small area of space, making a masseter injection difficult to perform without causing additional issues and complications. Using anatomic landmarks, Dr. Ho is able to identify the ideal location for injection. Once the masseter muscles are accurately identified, the overlying skin is cleaned with aseptic technique, and Dr. Ho injects the Botox directly into the muscle belly of the masseters.
Proper injection requires a three-dimensional understanding of the facial anatomy to prevent accidental injection into the risorius muscle or other facial muscles. Paralysis of this muscle will produce alterations in your smile.
Benefits of Masseter Botox Injections
The treatment of the masseter muscle with Botox for jawline slimming is becoming increasingly popular because of the following benefits.
- Non-invasive technique. Does not require surgical incisions reducing the risk of complications and scarring.
- No significant downtime. Masseter muscle reduction with Botox produces excellent results without a prolonged recovery.
- Return to work the same day. Many patients are able to return to work the same or next day.
- Reduced costs. Botox jaw reduction is significantly cheaper than surgical options with few complications.
Boost in self-esteem. Regaining a more youthful, feminine appearance can significantly improve one’s confidence in their appearance.
Risks and Considerations
Similar to any procedure, jawline slimming with Botox is not without its risks. The best way to reduce these risks is to select an experienced, highly-trained facial plastic surgeon to perform the injection. These risks of masseter Botox include:
- Altered facial expressions. Accidentally injecting the risorius muscle produces abnormalities in your smile.
- Chipmunk appearance. Injecting the upper but not lower part of the masseter gives a strange chipmunk appearance when clenching jaws.
- Injection site reactions. Redness, swelling, and bruising can be experienced.
- Infections. Improper sterilization techniques can increase risk of infections.
Results and Maintenance
After one to two weeks, many patients will begin to see softening and relaxing of the masseter. By four weeks, the results become visible and the masseter begins losing its bulk with maximal results noted.
To maintain the results and promote further atrophy of the muscle, Botox injections should be repeated every three to six months to see additional benefits.
Schedule your Masseter Botox Consultation Today
Are you unhappy with the contour of your jawline? Consider masseter Botox injections to provide effective results without the cost and risk of surgery.
Call our office today at 267-578-3064 (Philadelphia) or 610-688-3363 (Wayne) to experience the benefits of jawline contouring with Botox.
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“My attention to detail combined with my artistic intuition as a fellowship-trained, double board-certified facial plastic surgeon ensures natural, aesthetically pleasing results for every scar revision patient.”
– Dr. Tina Ho
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