A Non-Surgical Approach For Slimming A Boxy Jawline.

A 'boxy' appearance to the lower face can be challenging for some patients who are looking to achieve a more oval or heart-shape look to their face. There can be multiple reasons for a wider appearing lower face, but one cause is teeth clenching or bruxism. A major muscle involved in teeth clenching is one of your muscles of mastication, the masseter muscle. 

When the masseter contracts, it helps close your mouth when you chew. The action of clenching the jaw actually causes the masseter muscle to hypertrophy and become bulkier in appearance, giving the lower face a more square appearance. People with temporomandibular joint (TMJ) dysfunction and masseter hypertrophy can experience pain, clicking/popping, or even headaches, alongside this muscle enlargement.

Neurotoxin injection in the masseter muscle can provide both aesthetic and medical benefits to patients. If your lower face widening is due to masseter muscle hypertrophy, then neurotoxin injections could be the answer for you. This is the same type of wrinkle relaxing injection that you get for those pesky wrinkles in the forehead and around the crow's feet. By weakening the masseter muscle with neurotoxin injections you can intentionally atrophy the muscle, causing it to shrink in size. This can provide both an aesthetic 'slimming' of the lower face and relieve stress on the TMJ which reduces tension in the jaw.

Here at Visage, we can help determine if you would be a good candidate for this type of injection. Please give us a call at (262) 701-7040 and setup a consultation with me, Layla Shadman, PA-C to further discuss this treatment.