Am I a good candidate for jaw line softening/reduction with botox? (photo)

Thank you for your question. Botox or Dysport can be a very effective way to contour the jaw line by reducing the masseter shadow through the outer jaw skin. In addition, it can reduce symptoms of jaw clenching or grinding of teeth at night time. This is an advanced technique that requires a strong understanding of the underlying anatomy. Some side effects can results in some very unintented effects. This can include affecting the smile due to diffusion of the Botox into neighboring smile muscles. Over treatment can also overweaken your jaw muscles making it harder to chew food and causes your jaw muscles to relax too much when you sleep.The injection technique does vary by physical exam and the goals of the treatment. Facial contouring goals may change the injection sites themselves to affect different portions of the masseter as well as the dose. The strength of the masseters can be felt by palpation and also helps me to determine dosing. In general, I start with 15- 25 units of Botox (OR 50-75 units of Dysport) per side for most patients. If they have very strong masseters, then I may increase the dose, but more commonly ask them to return in three weeks for a touch up. Once you get the desired result, I let patients know that future treatments may require less to maintain the look or the jaw clenching symptoms, especially if they get treated as soon as they notice the symptoms return. This can be as soon as three to four months, but in some cases, patients report that it lasts six months or more. I find it depends on the dose we use and how many times we have done the procedure as the duration may lengthen for patients that repeat it regularly.

Based on your picture, it does appear you could achieve a nice result with Botox for masseter reduction.  The fullness at the angles of your jaw could be softened, creating a more tapered jawline.  While side effects are possible, choosing a physician experienced with this injection technique will minimize the risk of complications.  The most common "side effect" I've observed is feeling tired more quickly when chewing for extended periods.  For example, if you chew gum all day, your jaw may become tired more quickly than it normally does.  

Botox/Dysport/Xeomin can all be used safely (off-label) to treat enlarged masseters, the powerful muscles we use for chewing. People with masseter hypertrophy (enlarged masseters) may complain of clenching, tooth grinding, and headaches, and tend to have a square jaw that causes an imbalance in facial features. Treating  these muscles with Botox can be very effective not only in reducing clenching and tooth grinding, but also softens and recontours the jawline. A typical dose of Botox is 20 units per side but can vary depending on the size and strength of the muscles. As with any Botox/Dysport/Xeomin treatment, make sure you see a highly trained and experienced injector. I have had this treatment done and have been very pleased with the results.