Facial Slimming

How does facial slimming work?

The Botox injection relaxes the masseter muscle. Over time, the muscle will begin to shrink (or atrophy) because it is not moving and being used.

Botox is an effective treatment for reducing a prominent or asymmetric jaw line caused by enlarged muscles. The muscles along the posterior jaw are used to chew and clench the teeth, and can become enlarged when the teeth are clenched while sleeping. The botox treatment reduces the size of the muscles injected, thereby smoothing the facial contour.

What is the masseter muscle?

The masseter muscles lie at the sides of our jaw and are responsible for chewing and clenching the jaw. When these muscles are enlarged in a condition called masseter muscle hypertrophy. These bulky muscles can broaden the sides of our faces and make them look wider and square shaped.

By blocking the jaw muscles’ ability to contract, over time the masseter muscle will naturally atrophy and decrease in the size and prominence. These injections may also help with temporomandibular joint dysfunction (a.k.a TMJ syndrome) as botox reduces clenching, which can cause jaw pain, jaw tension, tension headaches, and soreness.

What to Expect at Your Appointment

This facial slimming procedure is a fast and straightforward 15-minute process. We’ll start off your appointment with a consultation to get to know you and your aesthetic goals. Our Injection Team will create your personal treatment plan to help you look your absolute best.

Next, we will take a series of “before” photographs to review your anatomy and document your starting point. We will map the outline borders of your masseter muscles and injection safety zones and determine the appropriate treatment dose for you based on the size and strength of your masseters. Treatment comes next (about 6 injections per side) using a small syringe.

There is mild discomfort during the treatment, similar to plucking your eyebrows. Ice and Ibuprofen are available after treatment, but you likely won’t need much more than that.

Before treatment

• No Alcohol 24 hours prior
• No blood thinning medication
• Reschedule if a rash, blemish or cold sore develop in the area

During treatment

• Skin will be cleansed and marketing for injections
• Botox is injected, typically 15-50 units on each side
• Pressure is applied to the area

Immediately after treatment

• Temporary soreness, redness and bruising 
• Do not manipulate the injected area or lie down
• Avoid strenuous exercise for 6 hours

1-14 days after treatment

• Return to work immediately or after 1 fay
• It can take 4-7 days for any results to be seen

Maintenance

• It is temporary, and requires multiple treatments to see an effect
• Can take 4-6 weeks to see an improvement