How to treat muscle dimpling after Botox and generally uneven chin/chin line? (Photos)

Question

So as you can see from the pictures my chin line is generally uneven. It didn’t used to be, but when I get Botox done in my chin muscle I get a very deep dimple (shown on the right side of my face on the picture). I have tried getting filler to fill it up but that doesn’t do much. My derm is stumped and I don’t have any other PS or derms close by. All I want is a smooth chin line - I don’t need more projection.

Mitchel Goldman, MD · Answer

Thank you for your question, I understand your concern.  You have received the appropriate treatment for your concern.  I would recommend seeking out a board-certified cosmetic dermatologist who is an expert in Botox ® injections for your next treatment. At times, a surgical subcision may correct the dimples. Finally while many hyaluronic acid filler do give chin projection, when expertly placed, they will soften and smooth the chin dimpling.

Jason Emer, MD · Answer

Treatment for chin dimpling ("pebble chin" or "orange peel") is Botox injected into the mentalis muscle. This typically gives great improvement to the appearance of the chin. Results take about 1 to 2 weeks. I suggest getting a formal evaluation with a board-certified cosmetic dermatologist. Best, Dr. Emer

Alex Eshaghian, MD, PhD · Answer

Thank you for your question and for sharing your photographs Dynamic8464. I understand your concern. Botox is a purified protein used to address wrinkles associated with facial expression. When injected into the skin Botox will relax the muscles and smoothen out the overlying wrinkles. The most common areas of treatment are in the upper face. These include the horizontal lines seen on the upper forehead when one raises the brows, the vertical lines seen between the brows when one frowns (frown lines), and the crow's feet seen around the eyes when one smiles.
It is difficult to make an assessment in the absence of consistent photographs before and after in the same lighting and angles for comparison. However, I hope the information provided here is useful.Although Botox is most commonly used in the upper face, it can also be used in various areas in the lower face. Botox can be placed in the mentalis muscle on the chin to address a cobblestone appearance or dimpling on the chin. In this area 2-8 units of Botox are used.A phenomenon seen with Botox is called muscle recruitment and compensation. When a muscle has been relaxed with Botox, sometimes other muscles or a different part of the same muscle are recruited and contract when one attempts to make the facial expression. This serves to compensate for the inability of the primary muscle to contract. Sometimes a bulge can appear in a muscle that was untreated or a part of a muscle that was not treated. A common example is the bunny lines (caused by contraction of the nasalis muscle) that are seen on the sides of the upper nose after treatment with Botox in the glabella or for the crow's feet. Since the muscles in the treated area are relaxed, the nasalis muscle contracts in an attempt to compensate for this loss when one frowns or smiles. In such a situation, the bunny lines can be treated with a small amount of Botox (2-4 units per side). In the upper face, sometimes a portion of the frontalis muscle in the upper forehead which was previously not active becomes active once the muscle is relaxed with Botox. In these case, new wrinkles may be seen, often near the hairline. This can be treated with a small dose of Botox in that area. This can also be seen in the lower face when not enough product has been used in an area such as the chin. Sometimes another part of the muscle begins to contract in order to compensate for the relaxation of the muscle from Botox. This can also be treated with a small dose of Botox in that area. Compensatory recruitment can also occur when the platysma muscle in the neck contracts after muscles in the lower face have been relaxed with Botox. Similarly, this muscle can be relaxed with Botox as well. For my patients, I usually use approximately 10 units per band. If placed properly it does not affect other muscles. Relaxing the platysma muscle may also lead to an improvement of jowls and jawline definition. When such recruitment occurs, I recommend prophylactic (preventive) treatment of the recruited muscles at the next treatment.If I had a patient with the concern described here I would suspect that there is some compensatory recruitment going on and that likely the entire muscle was not treated. This can easily be corrected by adding additional units to the area where the muscle is still active, which can be seen when contracting.With any injection, there are risks such as pain, bleeding, bruising, redness, swelling, tenderness, and infection. We take special precautions to minimize these risks such as using a painless technique. We also treat bruises with a laser as early as the next day. Bruises usually resolve within two weeks if untreated. After a laser treatment bruises usually resolve in 1-3 days, but may still take two weeks for full resolution. In addition to these risks, with Botox there is also a risk that the product spreads or diffuses to nearby structures. Spread to nearby muscles can lead to side effects such as the temporary appearance of droopy eyelids or a temporary asymmetric smile.
  
After a Botox treatment, I recommend that my patients avoid heat exposure, alcohol consumption, and strenuous exercise for 24 hours and not lie down flat for four hours. This is because all of these activities may possibly lead to the movement of the product and consequent side effects such as droopy eyelids. Although there have been no definitive studies shown that these actually occur and some physicians do not provide such aftercare instructions, in the absence of data I err on the side of caution and recommend that my patients avoid such activities.
  
Please consult with a doctor for specific recommendations. Good luck!

How to treat muscle dimpling after Botox and generally uneven chin/chin line? (Photos)

Answers (3)

Recommended reading

Everything you need to know about Botox

Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.

How to treat muscle dimpling after Botox and generally uneven chin/chin line? (Photos)

Answers (3)

Browse related questions

Recommended reading

Everything you need to know about Botox

Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.