Why are Botox injections needed for enlarged Masseter muscles?

If you don't chew or grind for a long time, then it is possible that your muscles could relax, making them less prominent. But does that mean you'll be eating a liquid diet, then? We use our masseter muscles everyday to eat and perform other things that we do on a daily basis. That's why it would be very, very difficult to allow these muscles to reduce in size on their own.

When
you do not use your muscles, they begin to relax and become smaller, a term
called atrophy. It is likely that your masseter muscles may reduce in size if
you were to decrease excessive chewing, like with gum. However, as you require
your masseter muscles for chewing food, it is not possible to completely reduce
the size on your own without Botox. Botox
injections for Masseter reduction is extremely effective, in that it relaxes
the muscles so that they decrease in size, but still allows you to chew, and
you do not have to worry. I would still recommend decreasing gum chewing, as it
would help to prolong the effectiveness of your treatment.

Botox is an effective treatment option for people trying to
overcome bruxism, or teeth grinding, a habit that causes enlarged masseter
muscles. When overactive jaw muscles continuously clench overnight and cause
the teeth to grind, the masseter muscle becomes hard and enlarged from constant
activity. Botox works by relaxing and softening the overdeveloped muscle. This
not only helps alleviate teeth grinding, but also slims down the appearance of
the jawline. Botox treatments for the masseter muscle can last up to 3-4
months.

Botox treatment can help decrease the size of the muscle, which is typically genetic.  I haven't seen a patient yet from excessive chewing that has increased the size of this muscle.  The chewing and size of the muscle will improve with repeated injections which will also help the appearance of your jawline.  I wish you the best of luck, Dr. Emer.

This is possible. If you have enlarged masseter muscles you could try to minimize excessive chewing for 3-6 months to determine if that works. In my experience, that is rarely effective. In most cases, it is difficult to reduce the amount of chewing to a point that it will make an appreciable difference and most people will opt for Botox jawline slimming at that point. I hope this information is helpful for you.Stephen Weber MD, FACSDenver Facial Plastic Surgeon