Original Article by Elise Minton. In the quest for perfection, the one part of the body that seems the hardest to get thin is the face. You can work out all you want, but the face is an area that needs special attention—usually from the help of a doctor.
Unbeknownst to many, Botox can work wonders on more than just lines and wrinkles. “Facial shaping, which includes facial slimming, is a very popular Botox treatment,” says San Francisco dermatologist Vic Narurkar, MD. “It was initially used primarily in patients of Asian decent, but is now very popular in all ethnicities for creating a more heart-shape face.” When injected into the masseter muscles (the muscles on the jawline) in a circular manner, Botox can “slim the face.” Oftentimes, fillers are also added to the cheeks to create a balanced look.
Different from something like liposuction or a noninvasive fat fighter, which permanently destroy fat cells in the body, when Botox (or other neuromodulators like Xeomin and Dysport) are injected into the face, they work strictly on the muscle. Botox does not interact with fat in the face whatsoever.
“When injected into the masseter muscle, Botox relaxes the muscle and over time the bulk of the muscle is reduced lending to a less square jawline,” explains New York facial plastic surgeon Lee Ann Klausner, MD.
When used for this face-slimming purpose, the onset of results and longevity is a little bit longer than when Botox is used to smooth out wrinkles on the face. “You can start to see a difference in the face in about 10 to 14 days and the results should last about four to six months, but can be longer,” says Dr. Narurkar. But, in order to maintain the results Dr. Klausner says treatments must be continued at regular intervals every 3 to 6 months.