Many patients come to Aviva Plastic Surgery wanting aesthetic changes in their facial appearance, and depending on their individual goals and anatomy, our team recommends a variety of treatments to reduce or add facial volume, chisel the cheeks, and improve the harmony of facial features.
Genetics, stress, and tooth-grinding (also called “bruxism”) can lead to an overly wide appearance of the lower face; because these factors stress the masseters (or chewing muscles along the bottom and back corner of the lower jaw), the masseters hypertrophy or grow bigger in size.
In turn, overly strong masseter muscles can make a face look overly square-jawed and disharmonious. Our female patients often feel that masseter hypertrophy, or enlargement of the chewing muscles, causes the face to appear undesirably masculine. Due to genetic predisposition for masseter enlargement, patients with Asian backgrounds commonly seek out facial slimming with Botox as well.
Our facial plastic surgeon, Dr. Inessa Fishman, slims the facial contour by treating the masseter muscles with muscle-relaxing medications such as Botox and Dysport. Both Botox and Dysport are injectable neuromodulator medications commonly used to treat frown lines between the brows and expression lines in the forehead. By injecting Botox into the masseter muscles, Dr. Fishman reduces their activity; this relaxation results in a slimmer, more heart-shaped facial outline. Muscle-relaxing Botox treatment of the masseters can also reduce the pain of tooth grinding.
Facial slimming with Botox is a short office procedure. During a consultation, Dr. Fishman gathers the patient’s medical history, performs an exam, assesses the patient’s aesthetic goals, and discusses the risks and benefits of treatment.
When appropriate, Botox treatment to the masseters can be performed at the time of initial consultation; this treatment takes 5-10 minutes and involves a few injections with a tiny tuberculin syringe to the lower portions of both cheeks. Downtime is little to none, with most patients returning to work and social activities immediately after treatment. Dr. Fishman recommends patients avoid strenuous exercise, heavy lifting, facials, and massages for the rest of the day after treatment.
The results of non-surgical facial slimming take about 3-4 weeks to appear for most patients, with duration of treatment being 3-6 months. Most patients return 2-3 times a year to treat masseter hypertrophy. Some patients with severe tooth grinding may need more frequent treatments.
Are you looking into achieving a slimmer, softer facial contour with the help of a non-surgical, low-downtime treatment? Call our office at 678-974-8435 to schedule a consultation with Dr. Inessa Fishman to see if this is the right treatment for you!
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