Botox Injections for Jawline Slimming?

Thank you for your question. Botox in the masseter region usually takes longer than in the standard areas to take effect. I tend to use anywhere from 15 units (conservative treatment) to 50 units (for someone with really strong masseters) on each side to get the desired result. It may start within the first week but I tell my patients to wait three weeks before doing a more thorough evaluation. The treatment typically lasts longer than the forehead/crows feet/frown regions. It is also a gradual onset of the return of masseter function. I have tried the masseter injections myself and space the treatments around 4 months apart, but use smaller doses to maintain the effect. I normally know the effects are wearing down when I start to clench my teeth more heavily at night when asleep. Once you stop using Botox, the masseter muscles will return to their original baseline when the effects of Botox wears off completely.

Botox every 3 months to the masseter muscles can reduce the squared nature of a face and reduce muscle bulk.

Botox does treat the masseter muscles and can provide for a long-term pleasing facial contour-if your jaw is more square. Consult with a well-trained and experienced injector for all options available to you.

It is becoming more common to inject the masseter muscle to decrease  its thickness and make your face more narrow. It will take several injections over a year to start to see the effect.

This is a very interesting question! Botox is great for jawline slimming. A pleasant effect of Botox treatment of the masseter is that you occasionally develop more fullness in the temporalis muscle (the other jaw closing muscle in the temple). This can result in more full temples which is a youthful feature. Thus, you sometimes benefit in two ways with Botox jawline slimming - this slims the jawline and creates a more youthful upper face. I would not recommend direct treatment of any muscles along the hairline. The volume in that area is a sign of young age. I hope this information is helpful.Stephen Weber MD, FACS