📚 Refining Facial Contours · Series Table of Contents

• 1. Understanding Facial Contours

  • 1.1 Self-Diagnosis of My Facial Contours

• 2. Contours Created by Muscle

  • 2.1 Masseter & Temporalis Botox (Current Post)

  • 2.2 Salivary Gland Botox

• 3. Contours Created by Fat

  • 3.1 Sagging Fat & Ultherapy

  • 3.2 Fat Dissolving Injections

• 4. Designing the Contours

  • 4.1 contour Design Process

Many customers visit us saying, "I want to get rid of my double chin or sagging jaw fat," but when we actually feel the area, it turns out to be muscle rather than fat. If you clench your teeth firmly, you can feel a hard, bulging lump at the corner of your jaw.

That is the chewing muscle (jaw muscle). The bulkiness created by this muscle cannot be reduced through dieting. There is a specific way to slim it down.

In short: the hard lump you feel at the corner of your jaw when clenching is the chewing muscle. It won't go away with weight loss, but Botox can reduce its volume to beautifully refine your jawline.

A square jaw is often due to muscle, not bone

When people think of a square jaw, they usually picture the jawbone. However, in many cases, it is actually because the chewing muscles have grown larger, making the jaw look angular. The main muscle responsible for this is the masseter muscle*.

Habits like grinding your teeth, clenching your jaw, or enjoying hard and chewy foods can develop the masseter muscle just like an athlete's muscle. This makes the lower face look wide, angular, and overall larger.

* Masseter: A strong chewing muscle that runs from under the cheekbone to the corner of the lower jaw. Frequent use increases its volume, making the jaw look square.

If the bone structure itself is large, that falls under the realm of contouring surgery. However, if the muscle is the cause, you can reduce its volume without surgery. That is why a proper evaluation first is so important.

How Botox works to reduce muscle size

Botox doesn't cut away muscle; rather, it's a treatment that temporarily allows the muscle to rest.

Muscles move by receiving acetylcholine* signals sent by nerves. Botox temporarily blocks these signals. When the signals are cut off, the unused muscle naturally and gradually decreases in volume over time. It is the same principle as how muscles thin out when they are not being used.

* Acetylcholine: A substance used by nerves to signal muscles or glands to "work." Botox temporarily blocks this signal.

Because of this, the effect is not immediate. The change in volume typically appears slowly over a period of 2 to 6 weeks. If you receive treatments regularly, the muscle gradually gets smaller, offering a cumulative effect that makes maintenance easier.

Botulinum toxin is widely discussed in academic societies as a non-surgical contouring and wrinkle treatment, so its safety guidelines are very well established. However, even with the same toxin, the diffusion radius varies slightly depending on the specific product. For areas where diffusion must be avoided, we select product types with a narrow spread.

If you only reduce the masseter, the temporalis muscle remains

Here is one thing that is easy to miss: the masseter isn't the only chewing muscle. The fan-shaped temporalis muscle* on the temples also works alongside it.

* Temporalis: An auxiliary chewing muscle that spreads in a fan shape from the temples to above the ears. When developed, it can make the width of the face look wider.

If you only reduce the masseter muscle, the upper temporalis muscle can look relatively more prominent. Therefore, in my clinical practice, I often evaluate both the lower jawline and the width of the temples together.

Reducing only the bottom leaves the top looking wide, and reducing only the top leaves the bottom looking wide. Looking at the balance between the two is the key to a natural-looking contour.

Timeline of effects and what to keep in mind

You can generally start seeing results 2 to 4 weeks after the procedure, and it lasts for about 4 to 6 months. This timing corresponds to the cycle when nerve signals begin to restore. Getting another treatment around that time creates a cumulative, longer-lasting effect.

If the treatment is too aggressive at first, chewing strength can weaken or the cheeks may look hollow. Therefore, the dosage is carefully adjusted according to your muscle thickness. Rather than trying to achieve everything in one go, a safer approach is to adjust the dosage gradually over time.

Additionally, when the masseter muscle is reduced, the cheek fat that was previously supported by that muscle can lose support, sometimes making minor sagging more noticeable. We decide whether to consider a non-surgical lifting treatment together after evaluating the degree of skin elasticity and sagging. If the contour concern is purely muscular, Botox alone is sufficient, but if sagging is involved, it is much better to design the treatment sequence together.

While muscle-based contour issues can be beautifully refined with Botox, if sagging or fat is also present, those aspects should be addressed as well. The first step is to determine how much of your contour volume is actually due to muscle.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Does getting Botox make chewing uncomfortable?

With the appropriate dosage, there is almost no interference with your daily meals. You might feel a slight stiffness for the first few days, but you will adapt quickly. It is important to adjust the dose carefully, as excessive amounts can temporarily weaken your chewing power.

Q. Once I get it, do I have to keep getting it forever?

The results typically last for 4 to 6 months. With repeated treatments, the muscle gradually becomes smaller, and many customers find that the interval between treatments becomes much longer. If you stop, the muscle will slowly return to its original size, but it won't suddenly grow larger than before.

Q. Do I absolutely need to get the temporalis muscle treated too?

If your temporalis muscle is not highly developed, treating the masseter muscle alone is more than enough. We determine this after personally feeling the area to see if the upper width is wide. We do not recommend this as a package set to everyone.

Recommended Reading

• To Those Who Hoped a Single Session of Square Jaw Botox Would Last a Lifetime

• My Cheeks Look Hollow After Jaw Botox—Why Did This Happen?

• What Exactly Happens Inside the Muscle When You Get Botox?

• How Do Jaw and Calf Botox Safely Reshape Your Contours?