Jaw slimming is a popular procedure among women to help them achieve an ideal v-shaped or oval-shaped face. In this procedure, specific dosages of botulinum toxin (eg. Botox or Dysport) are injected into the masseter muscles of the patient which relaxes and reduces the size of the muscles. This results in the transformation of a squarish face into a slimmer and more v-shaped face. The slimming effect takes 3-4 weeks to manifest and lasts for 4-6 months after which the procedure needs to be repeated to maintain the slimming effect.
Another important application for jaw botox is to help relieve symptoms of bruxism. Bruxism is the grinding of teeth during sleep which leads to damage to the teeth as well as associated symptoms such as jaw ache and headache. Dentists often suggest relaxing the masseter muscles with botox injections to help reduce the negative effects of bruxism.
Is the procedure painful?
Numbing cream will be applied together with the judicious use of pre-injection icepack application will aid in reducing injection discomfort. We also use very fine needles for jaw botox and this helps to reduce the pain.
Is there downtime from the procedure?
Jaw Botox is a minimally invasive procedure with minimal downtime. There will be small needle marks after the procedure that is barely noticeable, as well as a small risk of bruising but most people can return to their daily lives or work without any issue. Some individuals may experience soreness in the jaw muscles or a sensation of weakness in chewing during meals but this is temporary and usually goes away after 1-2 weeks.
How long does the jaw slimming effect last?
The effect of jaw botox usually lasts 4-6 months, depending on individual metabolism as well as chewing habits. The more you chew and exercise the jaw muscles, the faster the muscle will regain its size.
Botox is botulinum toxin. Is there any risk of jaw botox “poisoning” the rest of the body?
The safety of botox use has been established over more than a decade. In cosmetic botox use, the dosages of toxin used are very small and very far below the dosage considered “toxic” to the body. Furthermore, after injection the effect of botox is highly localised and there is almost no absorption into the bloodstream and hence no systemic effects.
Why is jaw botox more expensive than botox used for treating wrinkles such as the frown lines and crow’s feet?
As the masseter muscle is a large muscle and our objective is to decrease the bulk of this muscle, the dosage of botox used is significantly higher compared to the dose used for frown lines/crow’s feet hence the price difference.
AUTHOR: Dr Ng Hong Yi, Aesthetic Doctor, Cove Aesthetic Clinic