Half of the people who come for jaw Botox

think the problem is muscle when it’s actually bone

Check this first before reading

Q. If you get jaw Botox,

does your face really get smaller?

A. It shrinks by as much as the muscle (masseter) atrophies,

so the bone itself stays the same.

That’s why, from the start, people split into those who will "benefit" and those who will "benefit less".

Q. Why, even with the same dose,

did I get less effect?

A. The thicker your chewing muscle, the more dramatic the result,

and if your jawbone angle is large,

there’s a limit no matter how much is injected.

They look similar, but

the key point is different

Jaw Botox is a procedure that injects botulinum toxin into the chewing muscle,

that is, the masseter,

to gradually reduce muscle volume.

Unlike the square-jaw surgery people often talk about,

it’s not about shaving the bone,

but about making only the muscle thinner.

So the expression "making the jawline smoother" is correct,

but saying "the facial bones get smaller"

is, strictly speaking, an inaccurate explanation.

Dr. Wi Young-jin’s

key insight

Does jaw Botox really make your face smaller?

Principles and limitations explained by the doctor.

— Dr. Wi Young-jin (Beauty Stone Clinic, Hongdae)

Last month, a woman in her early 30s came in,

and she said she had gotten jaw Botox three times elsewhere,

but there was no effect at all.

On palpation, the masseter was thinner than expected,

but the mandibular angle (the corner of the jawbone) itself

was flared outward.

For someone like that, even if you inject a lot of Botox,

the angular look seen from the front

doesn’t change much.

But there’s one important thing here.

The masseter is the muscle that pops out beside the cheek when you clench your teeth tightly,

and for people whose masseter is thick,

you can see a volume-reduction effect over 8 to 12 weeks.

Dr. Wi Young-jin’s key summary

Jaw Botox is a procedure that reduces "muscle volume,"

not a procedure that reduces "bone."

If you look in the mirror in front of you and clench your teeth tightly,

and the muscle beside your cheek feels firmly engaged, you’re someone it works well for;

if it doesn’t engage much, there are limits.

This is how I categorize patients in the clinic

One jaw Botox treatment alone

won’t permanently make your face smaller.

Once the toxin breaks down, the muscle

tries to return to its original state.

However, if you keep getting it twice a year,

the muscle gets used to being in an "unused" state,

so the maintenance period tends to get longer.

The three questions I get most often in the exam room

Q1. They say chewing strength weakens,

is everyday life okay?

For the first 1–2 weeks, when chewing tough foods,

you may feel like you can’t put much strength into it.

Unless the dose is excessive,

it rarely causes problems with normal meals.

Q2. How many treatments does it take to see results,

and how long do they last?

Noticeable change usually appears after the second treatment.

The average maintenance period is about 4–6 months,

and the more you repeat it, the longer the interval becomes.

Q3. I heard it can make the cheeks sag,

is that really true?

If the injection point is wrong or the dose is too high,

the cheek fat may look hollow.

Especially for people over 40 whose elasticity has declined,

we recommend combining it with lifting first.

If your jaw type is unclear,

send front and side photos via KakaoTalk.

This was Wi Young-jin.

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