Botox injection possible on 1 side of jaw?

I have a prominent jawline on one side of my face and had Botox on both jaws before. On the side with the larger jaw, I noticed that its masseter muscle is "more active." Now I'm planning to ask my dermatologist to inject 5-10 units of Botox on just one side of my face to see if it will cure the lopsided problem. Is it possible? Is there any risk for injecting Botox on one side of the jaw?

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8 answers to “Botox injection possible on 1 side...”

A: It is possible to have Botox injected in only 1 side

Ronald Shelton, MD

Asymmetries may be balanced by injecting one side only.  Some patients who have had medical conditions creating significant differences from side to side can be balanced by treating only one side. Your more active side might be “waking” up quicker than the other side and you may need to get... more

A: Botox in the masseter is effective

David Shafer, MD

 Botox injections in the masseter can be very effective.  However 5 to 10 units is way to low.  You will need somewhere between 40 and 60 to make any difference.  Please discuss this with your dermatologist and make sure he/she has experience with unconventional Botox injections.  Good... more

A: Botox can help with masseter muscles hypertrophy

Nissan Pilest, MD

Even though injecting Botox into the masseters is an off label use of Botox, this treatment is very helpful in improving hypertrophy of the masseters. Some patients do have one masseter larger than the other side and the amount of Botox can be different on each side depending on the hypertrophy. The... more

A: Botox for asymmetrical masseteric (jaw) hypertrophy

Otto Joseph Placik, MD

This is one suggested temporary treatment of masseteric hypertrophy. There are many potential risks for asymmetric injection including occlusal disturbances and possible TMJ complaints. However, the risk of this appears to be relatively low from reported studies. Remember that if the problem is due to a bony... more

A: Asymmetric treatment is common.

Kenneth D. Steinsapir, MD

Dear Prettyprints Facial asymmetry is common and altering the dose of BOTOX to account for muscle mass asymmetry is often done to account for such differences.  The doses you are referring to sound about right.   It is best to undertreat these issues and have more placed 4 to 6 weeks later.... more

A: Botox helpful for masseter muscle hypertrophy

Nina S. Naidu, MD

I perform Botox injections to the masseter muscle to help reduce fullness in this region.  If you notice that one muscle is larger than the other, it is reasonable to discuss more medication on this side with your dermatologist.  Keep in mind that there is a safe limit to how much should be injected... more

A: Botox on the masseter muscle

Steven Wallach, MD

There are some doctors who treat masseter hypertrophy with Botox injections.  Adding more to one side that appears to be bigger sounds reasonable. But remember, that one side may appear larger because of the underlying bony framework and not so much because of the muscle.

A: Botox is used for large masseter muscles.

Eric M. Joseph, MD

 I don't have any personal experience using BOTOX in this fashion. It's usually to give a more angular appearance to an Asian, round face. It sounds like you've been treated several times, and this time you see a difference between the sides. I routinely do BOTOX dose adjustments on the face. If your... more

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