JAW REDUCTION

Good candidates for this plastic surgery procedure are healthy adults with an enlarged mandible who would like to minimize their jaw protrusion or alter their jaw shape.

Since a larger, square jaw is often considered a more masculine feature, this reduction procedure is often performed as part of facial feminization surgery (FFS). Some men who have a very square jaw also opt for it to make their lower face look slimmer, while maintaining a masculine look. 

It's also routinely performed on women who just wish to have a more streamlined lower face. "Jaw reduction can help to change the shape of your face from a square to a more feminine. heart shape," says Dr. Bryan Rolfes, a facial plastic surgeon in Wayzata, Minnesota.

Some people with overdeveloped jaw muscles opt for masseter muscle reduction with Botox injections, either as a standalone treatment or as a complement to jaw reduction surgery. This nonsurgical jaw reduction treatment gradually reduces the size of the masseter muscles (which connect your jaw to your cheekbones).

The Botox relaxes the muscles so they shrink over time from less use. You’ll see results a few weeks after your first treatment. 

Botox jaw reduction is not permanent: you’ll need follow-up treatments every four to six months to maintain your results. 

Botox can also alleviate teeth clenching and grinding, known as bruxism.

Pros

• Jaw contouring can give your jawline a slimmer, more defined shape that can transform the look of your lower face.  It can give your face a more feminine appearance or simply contour an overly square jawline. 
• Results from jaw reduction surgery are permanent.
• All incisions are made inside the mouth, so there's no visible scarring.
• Surgeons can use different techniques to customize the procedure, based on your goals and bone structure. 

Cons

• You'll need two weeks of downtime after surgery.
• Swelling often takes a month (and sometimes as long as three months) before it fully resolves, so you'll have to wait to see your final result. 
• There's a small risk of nerve damage, which can lead to numbness or an uneven smile. This side effect is usually temporary, but it can be permanent in rare cases.

• Average Cost:
• $13,386

• Range:
• $5,700 - $25,000

Your cost will depend on your surgeon’s location and level of experience, as well as who administers your anesthesia. 

Many people go abroad for this surgery, which is massively popular in Asian countries like South Korea, but there are many experienced surgeons in the U.S. who perform jaw reduction surgery as well. Choose a board-certified surgeon who has years of experience successfully performing the procedure, with results that align with your aesthetic goals. 

Because this is elective cosmetic surgery, insurance won't cover it.

See our complete guide to jaw reduction surgery costs

The jaw reduction photos in our gallery have been shared by the surgeon who performed the procedure, with the patient's consent.

Most patients need two weeks of downtime after jaw plastic surgery before they feel well and look normal enough to return to work and other normal activities. 

During that initial healing period, you can expect to have pain, bruising, numbness, and substantial swelling. Your surgeon can prescribe pain medication for the first few days, and over-the-counter options are usually enough to alleviate discomfort after that.

They'll also give you post-op instructions to help minimize complications and decrease your recovery time. Doctors usually recommend the following during the first few weeks:

• Keep the face elevated.
• Wear a compression strap.
• Ice or put cold compresses on the area.
• Eat a soft or liquid diet.
• Avoid strenuous activity for at least a month to help the swelling go down more quickly. 

Dr. Edward Dickerson, a plastic surgeon in Fayetteville, North Carolina, cautions that “It can take up to three months—and sometimes longer—before the swelling goes away completely. Some people who have this surgery go through a stage where they regret it, but when the swelling goes down and they can move their mouth properly again, they end up feeling very happy with the outcome.”  

You'll see your final results once the swelling has resolved.

You'll be under general anesthesia during the jawline surgery itself, so you don't feel any pain. 

However, you can expect to experience pain, swelling, and bruising during the initial stages of the surgical recovery. "There's a large incision on the inside of your mouth, so your mouth is really sore," Dr. Regina Rodman, a facial plastic surgeon in Houston. "Because that incision is constantly moving as you eat, drink, talk, and breathe, surgeries on the lower face tend to be more painful than surgeries in the upper face." 

Your surgeon will prescribe pain medication to help reduce these symptoms.

In the hands of an experienced surgeon, jaw reduction surgery is considered safe, but any surgical procedure comes with risks. 

With intraoral procedures that involve incisions in the mouth, the primary risk is infection, says Dr. Gerald Wittenberg, an oral and maxillofacial surgeon in Vancouver, British Columbia. Your provider may recommend that you use mouthwash frequently to prevent infection. If an infection does occur, it's usually treated with antibiotics.

Facial nerve damage is also a risk, and it can cause temporary or long-term loss of feeling or paralysis in the lower facial region, including your lower lip. "The most severe part of the numbness usually lasts a week or two, but it may be a full year before your lip feels totally normal," says Dr. Rodman. 

That said, the risk of serious or permanent nerve damage is low, in experienced hands. "The change in the contours of the lower jaw from 'front to back' generally are 'low risk' since they alter the contour without involving many important nerves/vessels in the facial area," Dr. Wittenberg explains. "The surgeon will be aware of the position of the nerve supplying feeling to the lower lip/chin area such that any long-term issue should be easily avoided."

Another reason to choose your surgeon carefully: "You must be careful to avoid the nerve and the roots of the teeth," says Dr. Manish Shah, a plastic surgeon in Denver. "You do increase the chance of a jaw fracture and molar tooth loss if your surgeon is too aggressive."

Other risks include asymmetric or undesirable results, or long-term bone deterioration due to bone removal. 

Your surgeon should talk you through all of these risks during your initial consultation.

	Jaw Reduction surgical	Botox nonsurgical	Liposuction surgical
Worth It Rating	86%	97%	88%
Average Cost	$13386	$590	$9033
Downtime	2 weeks of downtime	No downtime	1–2 weeks of downtime
Anesthesia	General anesthesia	No anesthesia	Local or general anesthesia

While jaw reduction surgery will give you the most drastic result, there are other ways to minimize the size of your jaw:

• Botox can make a nice difference f a large masseter (chewing) muscle is behind your wide jaw, says Dr. Rolfes. The Botox can cause subtle muscle atrophy that slims it over time, but not so much that your jaw won't be fully functional. "In some patients, though, the jaw bone itself is much more prominent than the muscle, and Botox does very little for these patients," he says. The other downside to Botox is that you'd need maintenance treatments every four to six months, or your muscles will bulk right back up. 
• Liposuction can be combined with Botox as another possible option, says Dr. Shah. While lipo is surgical, it's far less invasive than jaw reduction that involves the removal of bone, so the recovery is much easier.  "Facial liposuction can be used first to debulk excess fat from the lower face while allowing Botox time to atrophy your masseter muscle at the angle of the jaw," he explains. "If this achieves the look you like, then you've avoided a bigger surgery. If not, you could finalize with jaw shaving."