Jawline Botox Affected my Smile, Will Facial Muscle Exercise Help Get my Smile Back? (photo)

4 Mo Seems Too Long to Recover my Smile. Last week I had 40 units of Botox (Xeomin) injected to the masseter to slim the jawline. My doctor had 15 yrs experience with this procedure. Said MINIMUM 40 units per side needed.Said my smile won't be affected, or at least no one would notice the difference. NOT TRUE!! I can't smile all the way now. My smile was my #1 asset and now it looks fake. I'm depressed/ashamed. Since the Botox seemed to have diffused to wrong muscle, will I get my smile faster? Will Smile exercises help much? THANKS!

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6 Doctor Answers | Asked by pcincali

Doctor Answers (6)
Community Comments (5)

Botox or Xeomin affecting smile muscles

Botox can be injected into the masseter muscles to lengthen the face, slim the jawline, and decrease the "squareness" of the jawline. It is a place for experienced injectors only - so that is good that you went to someone with experience. Botox, xeomin, and dysport (the neuromodulators on the market in the US), do diffuse away from where they are injected. The amount of diffusion depends on how much saline the botox is made up in. As long as the doctor is using the same concentration... more

Botox and the smile

Yes, Botox may last for four months, but often, in active muscle mass, such as the masseter muscle used for chewing it does appear to wear off more quickly, rather than taking longer. There have been some question if cold temperature can negate the effects of Botulinum toxin. There needs to be formal medical studies about this as a treatment to help reverse unwanted Botox results. An ice test can be used by neurologists to reverse the lowering of the eyelid in myasthenia gravis, a... more

What You Can Do For Smile Weakness After Botox Injections For Facial Slimming

40 units per side is quite a bit. It does sound like your doctor planned on injecting most of the masseter muscle (instead of concentrating on the lower portion only), and if he or she injected high enough, may have effected the smiling muscles as well. Given that they tried to place most of the Xeomin into the masseter, it is likely that very little actually went into the smiling muscles, meaning that it will likely improve much sooner- maybe even 2 months. Unfortunately, there really is... more

Jawline Botox Affected my Smile, Will Facial Muscle Exercise Help Get my Smile Back?

Sorry for the effect of the Xeomin, but the good news it will dissipate in the next few months. And no facial muscle exercises will not speed the recovery, sorry.

Smile weakness after botulinum toxin

Botulinum toxin (under different brand names: Botox, Xeomin, Dysport) can be used to slim up the masseter muscle. Problems with smiling after this injection are relatively rare. The good news is that you should make a full recovery. More than anything else, time will help. There isn't too much to do to help out...Smile exercises can't hurt, and might help, so give it a try. Just hang in there, things will get back to normal.

Jawline affected after Botox...or Xeomin

First, please understand that Xeomin and Botox are NOT the same thing, nor do they have the same number of unit measurements. Both are neurotoxins, but they are not the same product! So it needs to be very clearly defined which treatment you had - Xeomin or Botox. If you really did have Xeomin, it doesn't usually last quite as long as Botox on many patients. So good news, you may not have to wait 4 months. Only time will help in either case, but please clarify - did you have Botox or Xeomin. more

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Comments (5)

pcincali 7 Aug 2012

Thank you doctors for the prompt response! I was hesitant about the dosage he suggested too, but he showed me photos of other patients who've had 50+ units injected per side. What he didn't tell me, though, was that he was going to use Xeomin. I thought I was purchasing Botox. Right before he was about to inject me with the product was when he told me it was Xeomin. I've never heard of Xeomin before, but he explained that it works just like Botox, but better in his opinion because he says that there is a possibility to develop antibodies to the Botox, thereby limiting the effect of future dosages. To be honest, this procedure was not worth losing my smile, even if it is temporary. It's a lesson learned. I'm afraid to go back. I'm disappointed with this doctor because he is very experienced in this procedure and ASSURED me during my consult that the effect it would have on my smile would not be apparent to other people. He did however say that if I had dimples, I would lose my dimples. I don't have dimples, but that statement should have been a warning sign to choose a lower dosage per side. I went to a close friend's wedding last weekend not being able to smile normally. It's gotten a little bit better now... I've been doing smile exercises since it won't hurt, like one of the doctors said. I also expressed my concerns to my doctor and he says to practice smiling and retrain those muscles. Thanks again Doctors. I appreciate the time!

pretz1987 4 Nov 2012

Hello. I have exactly the same problem as you except it's only affecting one side of my face! (I tried to link my experience but this comment box won't let me. You can find me under pretz1987 on this website). I'm interested to keep in touch with you so that I can get a little bit more insight as to the length of time it will take me to recover. My doctor, too, said he was very experienced and that he's done the procedure on hundreds of women. But his behaviour when he gave me the treatment was absolutely appalling. Rushed all the way through and felt like he couldn't wait to get me out the door! This was my first experience with botox and I'm swearing off it forever. Like you, I feel this is not worth losing my smile over :( So when did you first get your treatment and how have you been recovering since then? Look forward to hearing from you. Pretz1987

pcincali 4 Nov 2012

Hello Pretz! I started to recover my smile towards 2.5 months-3 months. Got the treatment done around 7/27. Today is 11/4 and my smile is about 90% back to normal. I'm able to smile for photos again without feeling self conscious or fake. Sorry to hear about your experience but I hope this is comforting news to you?

pcincali 4 Nov 2012

Maybe it was a little sooner than that actually... maybe 2 months and you can smile for photos again. Good luck my dear.

pretz1987 4 Nov 2012

Hi pcincali, Thank you so much for the quick response! I really appreciate it. As much as this has been such a shocking experience, it's nice to have somebody to talk to about it :) Was it a gradual process of recovery? When did you first star to see improvement? Did the facial exercises help? Look forward to hearing from you again. Pretz1987

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