Face slimming with Botulinum toxin
Softening the angular appearance of the strong jaw will lessen the masculine appearance and give a more oval gentle and feminine facial shape.
Square jaw can be reduced by combining Botulinium toxin jaw slimming procedure with chin fillers. As these lengthen the chin, it will enhance the appearance of the much desired V-shaped face.
Square jaws can be due to genetics or masseter hypertrophy. Situated at the sided of our faces, masseter muscles are the main muscle responsible for chewing. Over the years, these muscles can get enlarged giving the appearance of the square jaw.
Another contributor to square jaw is Bruxism. This is habitual chewing and clenching teeth. Such patients habitually do this when they sleep at night so they are not even aware of it. Needless to say, many of these patients have masseter hypertrophy.
Surgical jaw reduction was the only way to change the shape of the lower face. In this procedure, part of the mandible is cut to narrow the jaw. The procedure is invasive, painful and requires lengthy downtime.
It is now possible to slim the face without surgery. Botulinium toxin injections have been shown to be a safe and effective way to reduce the masseter muscles.
As Botulinium toxin partially weakens the muscle, it becomes smaller with time, thus the angles of the jaws become less square. The overall shape of the lower face will become more oval. The other effect is that a weaker muscle is not able to grind like it used to, so bruxism also ceases.
The procedure is quick, relatively painless, and requires no anaesthesia or downtime.
It is important to note the jaw reduction treatment using Botulinium toxin should not result in weakness of the bite or chewing when used in appropriate doses. It may take up to six months before the visible shrinking of the muscle can be observed.
Botulinium toxin injections should be repeated every 4 months for up to a year in order to obtain optimal results. Jawline reduction is often maintained even if no further Botulinium toxin injections are done after the first year of treatment.