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POSTED UNDER Botox Reviews

Regretting Jaw Botox...

UPDATED FROM litso
1 month post

6 weeks - more atrophy and mental side effects

$329
During the time of my first post I was actually 5 weeks out.
I've noticed more atrophy on my smaller left side. There is now a hollow below my cheekbone on that side. Kind of like an hourglass shape. I have found a few reports that this can occur if the Botox is too high up on the masseter. I don't think the doctor mispositioned the injections so I'm assuming the Botox either migrated higher or it just has to do with my anatomy. Unfortunately there is no info on recovering muscle mass at the hollowing there. Im hoping that documenting my own experience will be useful to anyone going through the same thing as me and struggling to find info on what they can expect to happen. Fillers are suggested but the amount of filler that it would take to even out the asymmetry would be ridiculously expensive. I already paid enough for this Botox that made me more asymmetric than I started out.
I'm content with my right side. I can accept how that side looks. I think overall the sagging that I was most concerned about has improved too so it's not all bad news. I think it must be from the skin shrinking to match the masseters. I'm trying to convince myself that it was a good thing I tried jaw botox even though the results have DESTROYED my confidence. Otherwise I might have done jaw surgery and had to regret irreversible results. I have a new found appreciation for my old face. I wish I could've seen that it was already good enough before putting myself through this torture.
I do think I'm gradually regaining muscle reaction on that side even though it's only been a little over a month so my plan is to start chewing gum like mad on the side that bothers me and hope that the top part of my masseter fills out evenly with the bottom. There's nothing else I can do. I feel helpless tbh
Ive though about getting more Botox on the bigger side but one thing that makes me hesitate are the weird feelings I got a week or two after the injections. I remember suddenly feeling lightheaded at work and have been experiencing intense fearing for your life kind of anxiety and depression since then. That was before the atrophy kicked in so I can't say it started because I was upset about my results. I'm still experiencing it now but with less intensity thankfully. A bit of googling showed me that a lot of women seem to experience anxiety and flu like symptoms after botox. A lot of women are also perfectly fine and happy after though so maybe I'm just paranoid and it's all a coincidence.

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I feel like the doctor has a cookie cutter approach to their patients. Jaw botox, chin, cheek, and lip fillers for everyone to try to create a specific look. I don't think there was anything wrong with their technique. It just didn't mesh with my bone structure. They are a lovely person. I'm sure the results would've look good on someone else. I wish they had respected my desire to only treat one side though.

Replies (5)

Hi, I'm scheduled to get jaw botox and I have the same facial shape as yours (long, flatter cheekbones). I also have fatter cheeks, and thus have a higher chance for cheek sagging without masseter support. If you don't mind, could you please post a before and after? Or if you're not comfortable, I would appreciate if you could email them to me (I can post my email). I'm having second thoughts after reading your review, and I would really appreciate a comparison!
Hi - did you get all the volume back in your cheeks and is your jaw now Mack to normal ?
no your not paranoid
I'm going through the same thing. I'm so depressed I don't go out anymore
it's the worse thing I have ever done in my life
I look so old now
my skin is loose and like sponge
it dont bounce back any more
Same happened to me. I‘m so depressed everyday. The botox even affected my smile. My cheecks don‘t rise up anymore and I can‘t smile wide. It looks horrible. It‘s been 6 weeks since I got botox injected. I hope those side effects will wear off soon :(
ORIGINAL POST

5 or 6 weeks ago I received 25 units of botox to...

5 or 6 weeks ago I received 25 units of botox to one side of my jaw and 15 on the other. I have asymmetry of my jaw and was told by my doctor that I should inject one side to make my face more symmetrical.
But then on the day of my appointment they insisted that I inject both sides even though I said I was already happy with the size of my smaller side. They persuaded me by telling me that it would bring out my cheekbones and I figured they knew better than me. Should've trusted my gut.
It has been just over a month and I HATE my results. I thought my dosage was on the lower end for jaw reduction and didn't expect the results to be so dramatic especially since the doctor told me most people need multiple treatments before they notice the muscle atrophying. I was expecting just the edge of my jawline to soften and become less square. What happened instead is that my lower face sank inwards and now looks out of proportion to the top half of my face. Not at all like the before and after pictures doctors advertise.
I don't think I was a good candidate for jaw botox in the first place anatomy wise since I already had a longer face with flat cheekbones. My cheeks have fallen without my jaw muscles holding the skin outwards. I now have a nasolabial fold on the smaller side of my face THAT I DIDN'T EVEN WANT BOTOX IN from the skin sagging. I am so sad about that. I look gaunt and my face looks longer than when I had a more square jawline. The asymmetry might even be worse at this point. My smile looks strange but I'm not sure if it's because of my masseters shrinking or if smile muscles were affected. I lost a dimple. I am only 20 and feel like I have aged ten years overnight.
I can barely recognize myself in the mirror anymore and it is making me quite depressed. My wide face bothered me before but I would kill to have it back. The good news is that I think the botox is already beginning to wear off on my smaller side. Hopefully will return to my old self in a few months. What I'm most worried about is my other muscles overcompensating and creating more asymmetry and imbalance in the long run.

Replies (1)

Hi! Did it ever wear off completely? How long did it take? I got it too and I don’t love it — it is aging.
Runner27, did your face ever go back to normal?