Specifics of Botox injections into the chin and chewing muscles

Botulinum therapy of the lower part of the face - the chin, chewing muscles, muscles that lower the angle of the mouth - is performed much less frequently than, for example, the forehead, nose bridge or corners of the eyes. This is due to the fact that wrinkles appear much later and turn out to be much less noticeable than wrinkles on the forehead. Thus, it is necessary to stab Botox into the chin either with very pronounced defects or with a specific structure of the face.

Features of the structure of the face, by the way, also necessitate the injection of botulinum toxin preparations into the chewing muscles: as a rule, these muscles almost never create pronounced wrinkles during contractions, and they need to be weakened only to correct the shape of the lower part of the face.

In addition, botulinum treatment of the masticatory muscles is often carried out not for cosmetic, but for therapeutic purposes: for the treatment of bruxism. This disease can affect not only the appearance, but also the condition of the teeth.

Finally, Botox injections in the neck do not belong to methods of facial botulinum therapy, but they are often carried out in combination with injections into the chin. The fact is that with age it is the neck muscles that pull down the lower parts of the cheeks and corners of the mouth, which leads to the appearance of folds under the lips and the formation of a double chin. Also, wrinkles on the neck are often more noticeable than, for example, cosmetic defects of the lower part of the face, and injections into the chin are made, as a rule, in addition to neck therapy.

At the same time, botulinum therapy is often either the most effective or the only way to eliminate certain defects. Let's find out what kind of problems are in question and what result can be obtained in these cases.

 

What defects of the lower part of the face can correct Botox injections in the chin

Most often, Botox is injected into the chin to reduce its tuberosity (the so-called “cobblestone pavement” or orange peel effect).

In young patients, this procedure is very effective, while in older patients it often requires combining (not simultaneous) with filler injections.

Injections of botulinum toxin preparations in this area also allow:

• Reduce the severity of the labial fold or completely eliminate it;
• To remove a double chin, if its appearance is not associated with the deposition of excess fat;
• Strengthen the effectiveness of puppet wrinkle removal measures;
• Reduce the severity of nasolabial folds;
• "Raise" the commissure of the mouth.

Interestingly, to weaken the severity of the nasolabies and commissures, injections are made not in the chin itself, but near it: in the muscle that lowers the corner of the mouth. The injection point of the drug is in this case either on the puppet line itself or near it.

To some extent, injections near the chin into the circular muscle of the mouth can weaken the severity of radial near-mouth wrinkles, including those located above the upper lip. However, in this case, the procedure is additional to injections into the area above the lip.

Also, when injections into the circular muscle of the mouth under the lower lip (as well as above the upper), the effect of some eversion and exposure of the red border of the lips is achieved. They become more magnificent and pronounced, which is useful for patients with very thin lips.

Feedback

After injecting mezhbrovochny doctor advised me to prick several units of Botox in the chin. He says that it’s not so much the interbrow that bothers my face, but the “cobblestones” on the chin. I did not argue, I saw everything myself in the mirror, but somehow I was afraid.Still, none of my friends in the lower third of my face botox injected, I did not know how safe it is. But agreed. They injected me a little bit, two injections of 2 units on each side. The next morning, no change. In general, the chin did not change, no matter how much it was looking for the effect. Two days later - it feels like they put a fleece in the places of the injections. Such obvious bumps, but they are visible only when the skin is pulled. I wanted to call the beautician already, curse, but they wrote to me on the forum that I had to wait 5-7 days. Indeed, on about the 5th day, these bumps passed, with them the tubercles on the chin disappeared. Everything has become very beautiful, it’s really possible to stab directly into the chin, and everything will be great.

Alina, Novosibirsk

 

Botulinum neck muscle therapy

Injections of botulinum toxin preparations in the neck are carried out for three different purposes:

• Smoothing the front vertical muscle cords of the neck, creating a feeling of exhaustion and exhaustion;
• Elimination of horizontal wrinkles of the neck (the so-called Venus rings), usually developing in older people and considered a sign of old age;

• Nefertiti lifting is a procedure for a limited change in the contours of the chin, giving it greater contour and severity.

Despite the fact that in all these procedures, injections are given to the neck (only with Nefertiti lifting the edge of the lower jaw is also captured), all of them are very different in terms of the places of administration of the drug and its quantity. As a rule, within the framework of one procedure, both the correction of wrinkles of the neck and lifting Nefertiti try not to combine. Only in those cases when both the chin asymmetry and the wrinkles on the neck are caused by the activity of the same muscles, they are eliminated simultaneously.

Sometimes botulinum toxin is injected into the neck muscles for therapeutic purposes. For example, it is successfully used for spastic torticollis, tremor of the head or lower jaw, and some forms of cerebral palsy. In these cases, however, for its introduction, a thorough preliminary diagnosis and a mandatory referral from a doctor are required.

On a note

It is important to remember that the removal of horizontal wrinkles on the neck must be done before the start of the tanning season. The fact is that these wrinkles are most distinguished precisely on the red neck, which is also called the neck of the gardener. If in this area the skin is smoothed first, then the tan will then lie here very evenly.

 

Botox injections in the masticatory muscles

In most cases, Botox injects chewing muscles either to relax, relieve hypertonicity and treat bruxism, or to eliminate the consequences of this disorder. Relatively rarely, the procedure is performed in cases where the strength and severity of the masticatory muscles are not associated with bruxism and are caused either by heredity (for example, in people of certain nationalities) or by the frequent activity of these muscles (for example, with a tendency to often chew gum for a long time).

In general, the goals of botulinum chewing muscle therapy can be divided into therapeutic and cosmetic.

For therapeutic purposes, Botox is injected when the task is to relax the muscles and save the patient from grinding teeth at night, as well as excessive abrasion of tooth enamel. In cosmetology, Botox is used for:

• Chewing muscle reduction
• Some narrowing of the lower jaw;
• Constriction of the cheekbones, if their excess width is due to the strength and size of the temporal muscle;
• Changes in the so-called “beauty angle” between the vertical and the direction of the masticatory muscle. The larger the value of this angle, the more sophisticated and neat the face looks.

Almost always in cosmetology, Botox injections into the masticatory muscles are used to correct facial contours. The differences between the places of administration of the drug in this case depend only on which specific section of this oval is subject to change.

Feedback

I regularly have to do Botox in chewing gum because they have been in spasms since childhood. As far as I can remember, all the time I have increased tooth erasure, headache and tinnitus. Moreover, near the eyes and in the forehead, the prick is purely for beauty, and in the masticatory muscles precisely by necessity. By the way, it takes more money for them than for beauty. 16-20 units per procedure are obtained in the forehead and eyes, and 30 in chewing gums.

Inna, Moscow

 

Basic principles of the introduction of botulinum toxin preparations for the correction of the cheekbones and lower face

When botulinum therapy of the lower part of the face and neck area is very important accuracy in the selection of points for injection and the selection of the amount of drug administered.

First, injections into the circular muscle of the mouth and chewing muscles require denervation of only individual muscle fibers, but not of the entire muscle in general, in order to weaken it, but not completely immobilize. Secondly, the amount and dislocation of the administered drug should correspond to the task of eliminating sufficiently small defects, often caused only by part of a particular muscle.

Finally, when lifting the neck in the decollete, the doctor must take into account the individual arrangement of muscle cords, including with various facial movements. Since their location may vary slightly among different people, a thorough study of the anatomy of a particular patient and an understanding of which muscles provoke a particular defect are necessary.

This task is especially difficult when assessing the effect of the neck muscles on the chin, the chin muscles on the puppet line, and the temporal muscle on the cheekbones and cheeks. Not only that, depending on the type of face, the distribution of such influence is strictly individual, many muscles can also influence each other. That is why it is advisable to choose a very experienced cosmetologist to conduct botulinum therapy in the lower part of the face.

Of these procedures, perhaps the simplest one, both in terms of drawing up a scheme of injections and in selecting the amount of a drug, is injections directly into the chin to reduce its tuberosity or excessive tension. Here injections are made in the lower part of the chin muscle at a distance of about 4-5 mm from the central axis of the face on each side.

To reduce the puppet lines and raise the commissures of the mouth, injections are made in the lower part of the muscle, lowering the angle of the mouth. The doctor chooses the specific location of the drug injection point on each side, evaluating the depth of the crease and the individual characteristics of the mouth, in particular, the possible asymmetry of the lips at rest and during movement.

For Nefertiti lifting, injections are given along the edge of the lower jaw to the point of intersection with the posterior strand of the subcutaneous muscle of the neck, as well as along the strand itself. The scheme in this case resembles a boomerang in shape. The number of points and the amount of drug to be administered in each of them is chosen by the doctor individually. As a rule, the greatest amount of botulinum toxin is injected into the bend of the “boomerang” at the intersection of the edge of the jaw and muscle cord, the smallest - at the distal points.

The rings of Venus and the vertical cords on the neck are removed by injections into the muscles adjacent to them, during the reduction of which the corresponding creases appear. For each specific wrinkle, a topical reason is studied, the doctor puts the appropriate marks, and then injects Botox or another drug to a depth corresponding to the volume of the muscle.

The most complex point patterns are required for procedures designed to remove the second chin, adjust the contour of the face, narrow the lower jaw and cheekbones. Here, the whole variety of factors affecting a particular defect is evaluated, and also, if necessary, additional methods are selected - the introduction of fillers, lifting, skin rejuvenation.

The technique of administering botulinum toxin preparations to the lower part of the face and neck is practically no different from that with botulinum therapy of the upper part of the face. The solution is injected with thin needles, allowing to pierce the skin almost painlessly, and the puncture is carried out at an angle to the surface of the skin. The doctor selects the depth of drug administration on his own, given that Botox, injected into the subcutaneous tissue, has a less pronounced effect than the drug injected directly into muscle fibers.

The amount of drugs administered can vary greatly depending on the defects being eliminated and the muscles injected. If the lumpy chin can be removed with 4-6 Botox units, then complexly rejuvenating the neck and decollete zone sometimes has 30-40 units of it. Naturally, when using Disport, the number of units will be even greater. The price also depends on the volume of the drug used and the complexity of the procedure - from 1200 rubles for smoothing a tense chin up to 8000-10000 rubles for a full study of the lower third of the face and the formation of the “Aphrodite oval”.

 

How fast and how strongly is the result of botulinum therapy

In terms of the appearance of the result, botulinum therapy of the lower face is not much different from injections in other areas. Normally, the expected effect in the elimination of wrinkles appears on the third or fourth day after the introduction of botulinum toxin (usually after the disappearance of adverse reactions that mask it). In some cases, a slight delay is possible and the result will be visible after 7-10 days, and the final effect of some procedures appears even later - only after 12-15 weeks.

In this regard, the correction of the lower third of the face when injecting into the masticatory muscles is especially significant. Here, as a rule, the visible result appears only after the muscle begins to lose its own volume due to relaxation, due to which the oval of the face changes. Such changes are very slow and occur no earlier than a few months after injections.

For example, below is the result of the correction of the “beauty angle” when Botox injected into the masticatory muscles:

In some cases, the full result is achieved only after a few procedures. This is usually also relevant for the treatment of masticatory muscles: first, the muscles on both sides are equally relaxed, and then, if there is an asymmetry of the effect, an additional amount of the drug is introduced on the corresponding side. This is illustrated below:

At the same time, the effect of introducing Botox into the masticatory muscles also turns out to be significantly longer than the result of eliminating wrinkles. If wrinkles after botulinum therapy disappear for 9-12 months, then the result of the correction of the lower part of the face with injections in the masticatory muscles can persist for several years.

On a note

If the increased volume of the masticatory muscles and the massive lower jaw are associated with the habit of chewing gum or dry fruits, then after botulinum therapy and abandonment of these habits, it is quite possible to preserve the effect for life.

If Dysport is used instead of Botox, then the duration of the effect is less than 6–9 months.This is the specificity of this drug, and it more than pays for the lower cost of the drug itself and the procedure for its introduction.

Regardless of the drug used, these or other defects can either be completely eliminated or only subject to partial correction. For example, puppet lines are almost impossible to remove to the end.

But the lumpy chin, labial fold, the rings of Venus in most cases can be completely eliminated.

Correction of the contour of the lower part of the face by Botox is to some extent limited. Obviously, botulinum therapy does not allow narrowing down those places whose width is determined by the specific structure of the skull and the location of the bones. Nevertheless, the effects usually obtained with Botox are quite enough to visibly tighten the face and achieve the effect of losing weight.

The elimination of some cosmetic defects of the face requires a combination of botulinum toxin injections and other cosmetic procedures: the introduction of permanent fillers, biorevitalization, suspenders, and peels. Their combination should be selected by the doctor, based on the results of the diagnosis of a particular situation and the individual characteristics of the patient's face. In many cases, the same defects in different patients require different combinations of procedures.

Feedback

I was afraid that after Botox in the chin I can not chew humanly. But not everything was so scary actually. Puppet wrinkles were removed, it was necessary to stab into the top of the chin, and quite a lot, 5 units each. It was such a strange feeling that there were no half muscles in the cheeks. It seems like the mouth opens and closes, the smile stretches normally, but it’s like half of the cheek is not working. This is purely sensible, outwardly nothing was noticeable. After 2 weeks, this sensation disappeared, but already after 5 days after the injections, the distortion of the lips and the cobbled chin left.

Alevtina, Kazan

 

Typical Side Effects of Botulinum Therapy

Regardless of the Botox administration site, side effects typical of botulinum therapy may occur in the lower third of the face after the procedure. Most of them are harmless, pass quickly (within 2-3 days), but can frighten a patient who did not expect that they might appear.

Such side effects, for example, include:

• Lumps, seals, bruising and bruising at the injection site;
• Unpleasant sensations at the injection points - itching, pain, sensation of a foreign body under the skin;
• Flu-like syndrome - a patient may have a sore throat and stuffy nose for 2-3 days after injections;
• Minor allergic reactions, usually limited to a skin rash;
• Swelling and swelling, strongly affecting aesthetics, but quickly passing;
• Dysphagia is the inability to take a sip. May develop due to diffusion of botulinum toxin into non-target muscles.

One or another side effect develops in more than half of people undergoing botulinum therapy. Therefore, they are generally considered normal and should not cause concern. Pay attention to them if they do not pass 5-6 days after the injections and, moreover, continue to progress.

Side effects associated with incorrect administration of the drug and manifesting themselves in immobilization (or excessive relaxation) of non-target muscles are extremely undesirable. In these cases, unpredictable changes in the shape of the lips, dysphagia, violation of facial expressions and symmetry in the movements of the face are possible. With the development of such side effects, you need to contact a cosmetologist as soon as possible. In some cases, they can be corrected immediately, but sometimes they can no longer be corrected and will pass only after the expiration of Botox.

In most cases, such side effects are associated with the doctor’s errors at the stage of diagnosis of defects, studies of the individual characteristics of the patient’s anatomy, selection of injection points and selection of the amount of the drug. That is why the choice of a highly qualified cosmetologist is the key to a successful procedure with minimal risk of side effects.

However, in addition to the standard consequences for botulinum therapy, with injections into the lower part of the face, effects specific to a specific zone are possible.

 

Specific side effects sometimes seen with Botox injections in the chin

The introduction of botulinum toxin into the chin and around it can lead to consequences that are not manifested during botulinum therapy of other areas of the face. The most undesirable of them and causing the greatest number of contraindications are possible violations of diction and articulation, arising from a decrease in control of lip movements while relaxing the circular muscles of the mouth. Because of them, Botox injections into the lower part of the face are not recommended for actors, singers, broadcasters and television hosts, for whom such effects can be critical.

Other side effects of injections in this area include:

• Involuntary whistling while breathing;
• Difficulty with puckering, sucking, drinking through a tube;
• Asymmetry of the lips, which is manifested, as a rule, rarely and mainly with the mistakes of a doctor;
• Flaccidity of cheeks, aggravation of nasolabial folds.

All these consequences can be corrected to a very limited extent, and usually their disappearance will have to wait about as long as the targeted effects of botulinum therapy will manifest themselves.

In some patients, with injections into the lower part of the circular muscle of the mouth, lengthening of the skin of the upper lip is noted. This somewhat affects the overall appearance, but is usually not a critical unwanted effect. In some cases, such an increase even decorates the face.

Feedback

Oh, Botox is such a thing that you never know what the effect will be specifically for you. Everything was perfect after him. Well, perhaps for 2-3 days the roller is held above the chin. It’s not so striking, but if you look closely, it’s noticeable. But normal care - and after 3 days no roller or cobblestones on the chin, beauty! And my mother went to give injections (there, in the chin, she was stabbed), so for three weeks after that she spoke with a lisp, because the upper lip did not rise, and the wrinkles around the mouth became even more noticeable. So this thing is this: listen not to the advice of friends, but to the doctor. He will have more experience ...

Angelina, Moscow

 

The consequences of injections in the masticatory muscles

Like the targeted effects of Botox injections into the chewing muscles, their side effects are also physiological rather than aesthetic. Among them may be noted:

• Weakness when chewing very tough foods: dried fruits, tough cutlets, bread;
• Incomplete smile with diffusion of botulinum toxin into the muscle of laughter and limitation of the possibility of its reduction;
• If injections are given to the back of the muscle, then with a compensatory thickening of its front part, a double chin may appear or worsen, and the cheek above it will sag. Raise it with Botox will not work.

Sometimes even the target effect of injections in the masticatory muscles can be excessive and lead to undesirable consequences. For example, a reduction in the size of this muscle in people with a thin, thin face can create an impression of emptiness under the cheekbones. This will give the face a haggard, tired look.

 

Side effects of Nefertiti lifting

When lifting Nefertiti, dysphagia most often occurs, although with the competent actions of a cosmetologist, it is most likely to be avoided.

A rarer, but regularly noted effect is a change in smile due to the redistribution of the load on the muscles of the lower third of the face, including the muscle that lowers the lower lip. Sometimes this effect can be corrected by injection into the contralateral muscle, but not always. If the correction fails, smile disorders persist for 3-4 weeks.

On a note

Any effects on breathing with Botox injections to the neck are excluded. This process is provided by contractions and relaxation of the diaphragm, but not the neck muscles. Botulinum toxin will not reach the diaphragm itself when injected into the neck.

In some cases, botulinum toxin therapy is used as a minimally invasive and non-restorative alternative to plastic surgery. Sometimes even the cosmetologist himself, when assessing the appearance of the patient’s face and diagnosing defects, may decide to administer Botox instead of more complex and expensive procedures. And in other situations, the doctor draws the patient's attention to those defects that he had not previously noticed, but the correction of which really transforms his appearance. And usually botulinum therapy of the lower part of the face is not an independent procedure, but part of the whole cosmetology complex. Therefore, you need to go to the beautician not for “Botox injections in the neck”, but for a specific result: the elimination of wrinkles and the correction of facial contours. And the doctor will already pick up and offer a set of procedures that corresponds to the task.

 

What is useful to know about Botox injections in the masticatory muscles to correct facial contours: expert comments

 

An interesting video about Nefertiti lifting (lifting the neck and face contour) with botulinum toxin preparations