“Botox Made my Smile Crooked - Melbourne, FL”

It looks like the injection was too low around the eyes and affected the cheek muscles. Unfortunately, it will just have to work it's way out for the next few months. You could inject the other side (left) similarly, so you are symmetric, but this isn't something I would recommend.

I too have a bad botox result and (believe me!) have looked into every possible way of getting rid of the botox effect more quickly. Unfortunately, I think there is nothing that can be done but wait! I bought a Tua Viso (electric muscle stimulator) in the hope that it would plump up the muscles more quickly. However, I can't find any information or advice as to whether a) it is actually going to work or b) it will make things worse. Dilemma! My botox disaster has changed my whole face but it is even on both sides. Is anyone commenting on your crooked smile or can you hide it?

I too had a similar effect after getting Botox in the crows feet area. I can see that my smile is not as symmetric as it used to be. Mine is not as noticeable as yours but I know how you feel, so I'm sorry that you are going through this. When did you have your Botox done around the eyes? I had mine in February. I still feel a bit of tugging around the eyes from the Botox, so until that wears off, I won't come to any conclusions. Apparently, Botox could take up to nine months to fully wear off. I believe that the asymmetry should resolve itself once the Botox fully wears off. Best, Amaxy

I will keep you posted. From what I gather, this should totally wear off by month 8 or 9. So, that means I might have only 8 or so more weeks to deal with this. As I said, mine is not as obvious as yours but it's there. Do you feel tugging around your eyes when you squint? I do. I think when you completely don't feel this anymore, that means the Botox has completely worn off and you should be back to normal. Let me know what happens. Best, Amaxy

Don't worry if the Doctor put some Botox around your lips for some reason maybe for what they call "smokers wrinkles" which are fine line around the upper lip. I dont know for sure what you were trying to remove, but anyway sometime it may cause your lip to be crooked. All you have to do is go back to your doctor and he should be able to even it out with a small injection on the other side of you lip to even them out. The only thing is happening is that one side has had a little more than the other. Botox is like sculpture some time you have to teet it a little thats all. This is why most Goctors wont to see you back in @ weeks to see if everything he has done is balanced evenly, I called it the act and the react effect.

This is for Faith2727: ummm... the doctor clearly made a MISTAKE and Tami is not happy with the side that won't smile properly anymore! Why would she go back to the doctor and have the other side done? So she can't smile at all for 8 months? In the before shot Tami's smile used to be very large on both sides and now it is diminished on the right side. I am guessing that the doctor either hit the cheek levator or upper lip levator muscle accidentally. If the side that still works properly is 'evened up' then her smile will be very small indeed. I think Tami has the right approach and is just going to wait it out until the botox goes away. All of us with bad botox results are in the same boat - WAITING! Hang in there Tami. We all know how you feel. Cheers

Tami - I think that lots of us experience an exacerbation of pre-existing facial asymmetry after botox, but your result is clearly an error by the injector. No competent doctor would deliberately affect your smile like that. Hopefully this means that there is not much botox in the muscle that is stopping you from smiling on the right side of your face. It is possible that some of the botox injected around your eyes has diffused or 'leaked' into the neighbouring muscle. If the leakage happened from bunny line shots then it might be the upper lip levator that has been affected. This muscle is called 'levator labii superioris alaeque nasi' muscle. Google it. It runs from the inner part of the eye muscle along the side of the nose and its purpose is to lift the upper lip. Misplaced bunny line shots can cause this muscle to be accidentallhy paralysed. The other possibility is badly placed crows feet shots or leakage in this area that has accidentally paralysed your cheek levator muscle called the 'zygomaticus minor'. Google it also. You will see it is connected to the muscle around the mouth. If you look at a diagram of the facial muscles and think about where you had the botox shots, you should be able to work out which one is not working on your right side. If it is 'leakage' that is causing your problem then perhaps not much botox is in the wrong muscle and it is possible that your smile problem will wear off more quickly than the overall botox result. Fingers crossed for you! Keep us updated. Cheers.

'How long does botox last?' I think it depends on what is actually meant by this question. Most medical literature indicates that around 3-4 months after botox, the nerves have fully reconnected with the affected muscles and the muscle is working again. In this sense, the botox can be said to have 'worn off' in about 3-4 months. However, what Amaxy and others have experienced is that after 3-4 months the botox EFFECT has NOT worn off. This is because the muscles are working again after 3-4 months but it takes time for them to build up strength. Some of it is perception too. For those who actually like their results from botox, they would be more conscious of when the good effect start to go away. For those who do not like their results from botox, they are more conscious of the bad effects that remain. I also agree with Amaxy that how long the effect takes to wear off depends on the dose and placement of the botox. Amaxy, Petrified and I all experienced cheek ptosis from too much botox being administered to treat crows feet and/or misplaced injections in the crows feet area and/or botox administered in other infraorbital areas. Even though the nerve-muscle connection is established again after 3-4 months (because the botox has technically 'worn off') the EFFECT of the botox has NOT worn off because the previously paralysed eye muscle needs time to build up the strength to drag all the dropped facial and cheek fat back up the face against gravity. This can take another 5 to 6 months after the botox itself has 'worn off' meaning that the overall visible effect of the botox may last 8-9 months before completely returning to baseline. There is a BIG difference between the botox wearing off clinically and the effect of the botox wearing off physically. Doctors should make this distinction clear to all potential users of botox and perhaps they would think twice about using it. I know I would have.

The "crooked smile" happened to me the first time I had botox in 1999. I called Dr. Carruthers in Toronto. He assured me it would be temporary...and return to normal as the botox wore off. He also explained that it was probably the result of injecting botox too low into the upper cheek for crows feet. It did return to normal in a few months. Needless to say, I found another doctor in NY with more experience and did not have a problem again... until now. I recently moved to Florida. It was 6 months since having botox, so I found a local doctor and went for a botox treatment. One week following treatment, I awoke to a crooked smile. There is an observation I would like to share: If you have a cold, allergy, or sinus problem the day you are scheduled for your botox treatment...cancel your appointment and reschedule. Although the doctor said it would not matter that there was swelling in my sinuses...I am now convinced he was wrong. It DOES matter. I don't know how it affected the result...but I do feel it did. There was bruising and additional swelling...which I've NEVER had...on the affected side which corresponds w/ the side of the lip that is unable to lift appropriately to create a symmetrical smile. I will continue to research this observation' If anyone has any information...or similar experience...please let me know.

I just had 12 units injected last week and I'm having the same problem as you. Mine, however, were all injected on the sides of my mouth. The left side of my mouth is droopy - like I've been to the dentist. I feel like I'm drooling all the time and look like I've had a stroke. Did it go away? What did the person who did the injections have to say? I was supposed to go back tomorrow to have juvederm injected, but I'm going back in and demand a refund on what she's done so far and will not let her touch my face with anything else!

Hi SandyBTX: I've called several dermatologists and plastic surgeons and have been told pretty much the same thing by all of them...the problem will go away as the botox wears off. How long it takes depends on the amount used and the area injected. But you CAN be sure it will correct itself as time passes. It has only been 2 1/2 weeks since my botox treatment so my mouth is still crooked. I guess the worst case scenario would be to have to wait the 3 or 4 months. I hope not, but there really isn't much else to do. And in a way, you are lucky. You learned that this is NOT the doctor you would want to inject your Juvederm. So although it may not feel like it, it could have been worse. Experience does count. Be patient while your problem gets better...and find yourself another doctor.

I had the EXACT same thing happen - the Botox injected into my crows feet somehow migrated south on one side of my face, making my smile crooked. I also had eyelid droop on the other side of my face. I had to tell people at work that I had Bell's Palsy. The good news is that yes it DOES wear off. For me it was about 8 months to get back to completely normal. That seems like an eternity. I cried all the time, but there is nothing you can do but wait it out. I am going today for another injection, this time ONLY between my brows, and with someone with far more experience than the last doctor. Wish me luck! Oh, the vanity!!!