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POSTED UNDER Botox REVIEWS

Botox to Masseter Muscle Gave Me Jowls or Fat Pockets Near Mouth. VA

ORIGINAL POST

I was bothered by having a wide lower face so I...

irishgirl24October 22, 2014
$500
I was bothered by having a wide lower face so I tried botox to the masseter (jaw) muscles to obtain a less squarish appearance and more of a heart-shaped face. Well, as you can see from the attached photo, it was a really bad idea! I'm 38, so I thought I was too young for jaw botox to cause jowls. I never had jowls before, and now there is some weird looking fat pockets next to my mouth on either side. I read that these are either perioral mounds or the buccal fat pad. But it never bothered me that much before the jaw botox. I don't even know what to do now, but I really hope this goes away with time and I get my face back. Right now it just looks strange. WTF! I think I paid money to make myself look older!

Replies (34)

Jerseyjill
October 23, 2014
You are beautiful and it will wear off...did you go back to the doctor who injected it or have a consult with a different doctor?
irishgirl24
October 24, 2014
Thanks, the dr who administered the botox said if I don't like it then I should wait for it to wear off. I haven 't seen anyone else because I.m assuming they would advise me to wait before seeking a corrective procedure because of the transient nature of botox.
Kimmers25
October 23, 2014
Thank you for sharing your experience and pictures with the community.  What did the clinic have to say about this?
Unhappy lips
October 24, 2014
This has happened to me too! This year I had three botox injections into my masseters for teeth clenching and hypertrophied jaw muscles, but since the third treatment (which the Dr recommended but I actually didn't need!) my whole face has drooped, and my cheeks have lost so much volume that they no longer "sit up" on their own, so I now have nasolabial lines. I was never warned of these side effects and never dreamed this could happen. This has really ruined my face and I'm so depressed. I also have the pockets of loose/saggy skin at my mouth corners. After having such a taut and plump face, this has devastated me. I'm only 32 yrs old and never worried about jowls or N/L lines in the near future as my face had a strong structure. I don't know if I'll ever return to my pre-botoxed face :( Please keep me updated on how you're going, hopefully your jaw muscles will build up and you'll return to your pre-botoxed state. Do you know how much botox you had injected each side?
irishgirl24
October 24, 2014
I had 30 units on the side with the larger hypertrophic muscle and 20 units on the other. Way too much, obviously! I only had it done once and these pictures were taken about 2 months apart. It hasn't even been 3 months since I got the botox & they say it lasts longer for the masseter. Please keep me updated on your progress
coffeeluver
March 2, 2015
Hi @unhappy lips, I was just wondering how your masseter botox is wearing off? Mine is about 70% better and it has been 7 months since the injections. Most doctors say it wears off in 4 months, but I'm really hoping it just takes longer than that to build the muscle back up to where it was. In the meantime, I have been obsessing & even had a consult for a facelift but I want to wait because when I look at photos from before the jaw botox I don 't look like someone who needs a facelift & how can anyone age so fast in just months! So I'm going to wait & hope I get 100% of my jaw back. I'm also considering ultherapy in the meantime because I'm impatient & feel the need to fix it. Would love to hear from someone else how long it really takes for the jaw muscle to return to normal, or previous hypertrophy.
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Bella Besos
November 4, 2014
You can have resytlane injected by a new injector who is qualified and would have never injected you there with Botox to begin with. I have used restylane and it works. I hope all works out for you.
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pebs67
November 9, 2014
Poor hun you look great though I can tell you have a very pretty face!
UPDATED FROM irishgirl24
1 year post

Almost 2 years after jaw botox

irishgirl24May 22, 2016
My jaw has returned to normal, or at least it doesn't bother me anymore. Anyone considering this procedure should know that jaw botox takes a very long time to wear off because the muscles atrophy and then have to grow back to their original size. I expect my jaw muscles will continue to grow over time.

Replies (15)

hbruno13
May 22, 2016
It looks completely back to normal!
hbruno13
May 22, 2016
I can't wait for mine to resolve.
85wasourbestyear
February 4, 2021
Hi HBruno, did yours ever resolve? I saw your comments while looking for others going through this.
Annakou
December 26, 2021
Yes would also love to know!
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RSMember6317
May 23, 2016
So sorry this happened to you but thank you for your post. You've convinced me to not do my jaw. And you're beautiful by the way!
belle61
July 12, 2016
I think your jaw now looks pretty much the same as in your before picture above. You are beautiful. I have had Botox regularly for about 5 years now, but only in the forehead (I think that is what it originally came out for!). best wishes to you!
fullofregret115
September 11, 2016
I'm glad you're almost back to looking like yourself. I think your natural face is pretty and doesn't need reshaping!

Thank you so much for sharing your experience. I was considering this procedure because I'm a teeth-clencher with kind of a wide, square jaw. I definitely won't be trying this now!
gypsy28
November 20, 2016
the same thing has happened to me. I did the botox about 6 weeks ago on my once very square jaw and now i have jowls, no cheeks and the corners of my mouth turn down. I am praying that this goes away once the botox wears off! I will never mess with my square jaw again. thanks for sharing, I feel a little bit better.
hbruno13
December 5, 2016
It will get better. Something similar happened to me, and it did.
Annakou
December 26, 2021
Did the skin go back 100% ?
UPDATED FROM irishgirl24
3 years post

Almost 4 years after jaw botox and back to normal

irishgirl24April 9, 2018
A few people have contacted me to ask if my jaw ever returned to normal. I believe it has. It's hard to say exactly because everyone continues to age so I'm pretty sure my face will not look exactly the same as it did 4 years ago. I know I'm grateful for having a jaw now and would never wish for a narrower face again. Here is a photo taken last month for comparison.

Replies (9)

santos.stefanie
April 12, 2018
Thank you so much for sharing your story! You are 100% back and look great! Did chewing gum help ?
Isabelle 2
May 12, 2018
I have the same situation as yours 16 months later so I guess I will need to be patient as I am not even near what I was initially. 7 doctors have seen me the inject but they know FA about the masseter !
Leigh44
April 14, 2018
You look fine now, and don't look a bit aged from 4 years ago..
mbmiletas
April 18, 2018
I'm glad to see that you have recovered! You look great!:)))
MD84122
July 30, 2018
I had it done to my left masseter to make even with my right side. WELL... now the left side of my face looks aged and jowly and the right looks young... very bizarre looking. I had one set of injections and opted not to get the other two sets of injections (three weeks apart). I'm hoping that my face goes back to normal much sooner than two years!!!
olkazas
October 26, 2018
3 years for me, my face never come back, atrophy continues
1l7Mc53ae8hi
December 4, 2018
Do you remember how many units you did to each side, also where they injected it? Asking for a friend..
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