Botox For Jawline Slimming, Everything You Need To Know
Last Updated January 31, 2023 / By Iclal Eroglu
Is there anything Botox can’t do? Apparently not. This arguably magical product seems to be the one missing piece of every goddamn puzzle on earth! And now, we have Botox for jawline slimming! Botox is no longer the “last resort”. On the contrary, it’s been one of the most popular procedures for… anything!
Beauty enthusiasts, including yours truly, have been dying to get more out of Botox. Because Botox injections have been life-changing anti-aging treatments to smooth out wrinkles and delay their formation, which is known as preventative Botox.
And now, Botox has been proven to be effective in the symptomatic treatment of Bruxism or teeth-grinding. Coincidentally, it’s the hot new procedure for instant jawline slimming. So I, along with my sister and sister-in-law finally tried it!
When you feel like you need an extra touch to enhance your profile, you can try Botox for jawline slimming and subtle facial reshaping. By injecting Botox into the masseter muscles of the jaw, you can slim down your face.
Reducing the size of the masseter muscles using Botox gives you a trimmed jawline in just a few weeks. So if you’re thinking about it and not sure what to expect from it, here’s everything you need to know about jawline Botox for facial slimming including cost, side effects, and the procedure itself based on our experience and research.
What Is Jawline Botox?
Also called masseter Botox, jawline Botox is the procedure of injecting Botox into the enlarged muscles in the jaw (1). These muscles are called the masseter muscles and they shrink in size after the injections, giving you a more feminine jawline.
Due to genetics or habits like teeth-grinding and jaw-clenching, the hypertrophic masseter muscles make the face appear bulky and square.
This is unpleasant for some people who prefer a slimmer jawline. And Botox is a non-surgical, quick, and pain-free procedure that can give you a slimmer jawline.
If you’re like me and into the nitty gritty, below is more detail about the masseter muscles.
What Are The Masseter Muscles?
The masseters are the muscles on each side of the face located in the rear lower jaw. They are essential for talking, eating, and chewing (2). You can feel these muscles yourself. Just clench your jaw and feel the bulging on each side of your jaw.
But they’re not the problem. But when they enlarge, they can be. So what causes enlarged masseter muscles?
The reason for bigger masseter muscles can be genetics. It can also be teeth-grinding, jaw-clenching, and nail-biting. These habits cause the masseter muscles to overwork and get stronger over time. This is basically doing the Kegel for the jaw!
Think about weight-lifting and how that results in enlarged and prominent muscles. It’s the same case for the jaw. The bigger the muscles, the more square the face looks.
Think about grinding your teeth every night for about 5 hours. You’re doing what bodybuilders do to their bodies. Except that you’re doing that to your face.
These “exercises” cause the masseter muscles to become more prominent, making them an aesthetic concern, especially for women.
Aside from giving you a more masculine jawline, these habits also cause pain for a lot of people. Teeth grinding is a common cause of severe headaches and uncomfortable tension in the face.
Who Is Jawline Botox For?
Jawline Botox is for anyone who’s looking to slim down the face and subtly reshape and contour their profile for cosmetic reasons.
It’s also a very effective treatment for anyone who wants to get rid of the habit of teeth grinding, especially during sleep. This was the reason why the three of us wanted to get it.
Whether you want to get rid of the pain or you’re unhappy with strong and noticeable masseter muscles, jawline Botox is one of the best options for you.
How Does Jawline Botox Work?
Jawline Botox is a quick, walk-in procedure. Your doctor, hopefully, a board-certified plastic surgeon, examines your face to assess the strength of the masseter muscles. The injection site is marked and then prepped with alcohol for injections.
The marking is like 3-4 dots on each masseter to pinpoint the injection sites. Your doctor will inject Botox into the masseter muscles on each side of the jaw.
During my examination, my injector asked me to clench my jaw to reveal the muscles in their full glory! Then he injected Botox into my clenched jaw. He did it 3 times on each side to cover the area.
Below is my sister getting her masseter Botox injections. She already has a pretty slim face but the teeth grinding was giving her an uncomfortable headache in the morning.
Feyza Eroglu/Jawline Botox
The aim is to relax the overly engaged muscles and prevent unintentional over-use. The masseter muscles will gradually shrink in size in the following weeks. That’s how Botox helps with jawline slimming. The smaller masseter muscles give the face an oval, more feminine look with a slim jawline.
And with bulging muscles out of the way, you have a contoured jawline. Your doctor will give you further instructions, but you can go back to your daily life immediately after the procedure.
Jawline Botox Before and After
Botox injections temporarily and partially paralyze the masseter muscles. That way, these muscles gradually become weaker. So, you cannot grind your teeth at all. And this takes away the pain caused by teeth grinding.
Also, as they’re not as active as they used to be, they shrink in size and become smaller. That way, you have a more oval face shape. This accentuates your midface and your chin.
This beautiful patient below went through a jawline Botox procedure at Skin Thesis Clinic in West Hollywood, California. You can see the significant change in her jawline.
Image Courtesy of Skin Thesis Clinic
How Long Does It Take?
The jawline Botox procedure takes about 15 minutes, including the examination and the injections. The results are usually visible in 2 weeks. It may take up to 8 weeks before it really sets in.
In my case, my masseter muscles were very prominent. And I started to see visible changes after 3 weeks. I stopped grinding my teeth in my sleep and my headaches were completely gone. After about 6 weeks, my jawline was noticeably slimmer.
How Long Does Jawline Botox Last?
Regular injections of Botox last about 5 months. But jawline Botox in the masseter muscles can last up to 6-8 months. Mine lasted about 6 months. The reason why it takes longer and lasts longer is the strength of the muscles.
The injection area is bigger and stronger compared to the area around the eyes or between the brows. That’s why Botox takes a little bit more to fully kick in when injected into the jaw.
You may be wondering what happens when Botox wears off. Does your jawline go back to its original shape? That depends. With Botox, your masseter muscles get smaller.
Once it wears off, they slowly go back to their normal shape in time. But if your teeth grinding habits come back, your masseter muscles become stronger again.
Until you completely remove the causes of enlarged muscles, there’s always a chance that things will go back to what they were. So it’s better to give this treatment a shot and fully commit so that your muscle memory simply erases this habit.
How Many Units Do You Need?
First of all, don’t worry about it. This is not essential for you to know. And this answer almost completely depends on your doctor. During your consultation, your doctor decides how many units you need and how often you need them.
Although the answer changes from person to person, generally, 20 units of Botox are injected. You are most likely to be called for a follow-up so that your doctor assesses the efficacy of the injections.
That’s when you can get an answer for how many units and how many treatments would be the best for your case. Most people need 1 or 2 treatments in a year.
My sister received another injection during her follow-up as our doctor decided she could use more. Additionally, no matter how many units are used, they’re not injected all at once. It’s more like a couple of units with a couple of injections on each side.
Is Jawline Botox Painful?
Most people do not need numbing creams for the injections as the application’s practically pain-free. But you do have the option to do so.
The needles used in Botox injections are much thinner compared to regular injections. They look like insulin needles. These tiny needles make the procedure almost pain-free. But, if you’re worried about pain, make sure you talk about this with your doctor to avoid any surprises.
Personally, I can say that it was a bit more unpleasant than getting Botox for my forehead wrinkles, but thankfully, it doesn’t take long.
Jawline Botox Cost
This is another variant of the procedure. The cost depends on a lot of things. Your case, the strength of the muscles, the number of units you need, the number of treatments you’ll get, the geographical area where your physician practices, the level of expertise your physician has…
I mean the price in Nashville is not going to be the price in Beverly Hills. But for starters, a minimum amount of $700 is expected.
Some people prefer Dysport as a cost-effective alternative to Botox. Learn more about the differences between Dysport and Botox.
Advantages of Jawline Botox
It’s a temporary and painless procedure.
If you don’t like the results, you can stop getting more injections.
It’s non-invasive and non-surgical.
There are no critical complications, unlike jaw reduction surgery.
It takes about 15 minutes to get it done.
It’s cheaper compared to jaw reduction surgery.
The results are visible in just a few weeks.
Side Effects of Jawline Botox
Possible tenderness and swelling around the jaw for the first few days after the injections.
Bruising.
Some discomfort while chewing in the first couple of days.
Here’s something we observed that nobody seems to address when talking about this procedure. While my sister and I saw a plastic surgeon for our injections, my sister-in-law saw a dentist. Remember, teeth grinding is also bad for your teeth. So dentists can do the injections too.
But we concluded that it’s best to see someone, such as a plastic surgeon, as there’s an aesthetic concern, even if it’s not your main concern. Because it looked like my sister-in-law had more units injected into her jawline.
That’s what we concluded because her smile changed a little bit as she wasn’t able to smile all the way until her Botox wore off.
Additionally, her discomfort was more noticeable when eating compared to us. She wasn’t biting her food as much as she wanted to.
Though her doctor saw her in the follow-up and said everything was fine, she wasn’t as happy with her results as much as we were. This is your reminder to see an esthetic professional when esthetics are concerned.
Jawline Filler vs. Jawline Botox
Botox is used in the jaw for reducing the size of the masseter muscles. This procedure slims down the face. If you want a full contour in your jawline and your chin, you should consider fillers. Fillers enhance the face. That’s why it’s important to manage your expectations from jawline Botox.
Jawline fillers are used when you want more than an oval face. That’s when you want a more defined and contoured profile. Jawline fillers should not be confused with jawline Botox.
However, masseter reduction with Botox is sometimes a prerequisite for jawline and chin fillers. Most celebrities combine Botox and fillers to further improve their features. If that’s what you want to achieve, Botox injections in the jaw alone will not be enough for you.
But it can be a complementary treatment for facial contouring. For example, it’s not advisable to inject fillers into the jaw if the masseters are too prominent. That’ll just further enlarge the face! In that case, you slim down the face with Botox.
After the masseters become smaller and your face becomes slimmer, you can then get fillers. This will make sure you have an aesthetically pleasing facial contour.
Keep in mind:– You can’t slim down a chubby face with jawline Botox.– You can’t use Botox for facial fat reduction.– Botox doesn’t melt fat. You do that with buccal fat removal.– Jawline Botox is not an enhancement; it’s a reduction.– The results are amazing ONLY IF done by a professional.
Conclusion
All three of us got Jawline Botox mainly because of our teeth grinding during sleep. The jawline slimming effect was just a secondary but pleasant outcome for us. We didn’t go for the second treatment but it was absolutely worth it.
Botox is safe when performed by a certified plastic surgeon or a dermatologist. A square-shaped face may hurt your self-confidence, but you should never jump into the first clinic you find. All of these treatments can give amazing results only if done by a professional.
Make sure you do your research and find a board-certified plastic surgeon to get the most out of your results. If you’re self-conscious about your prominent jawline, masseter Botox may be exactly what you’re looking for to get a slim jawline.
References:
Fedorowicz, Z., van Zuuren, E. J., & Schoones, J. (2013). Botulinum toxin for masseter hypertrophy. The Cochrane database of systematic reviews, 2013(9), CD007510. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD007510.pub3
Kundu, N, Kothari, R, Shah, N, et al. Efficacy of botulinum toxin in masseter muscle hypertrophy for lower face contouring. J Cosmet Dermatol. 2022; 21: 1849– 1856. doi:10.1111/jocd.14858