By: Behnaz Yazdanfar, MD

Jawline contouring or sculpting has long been considered a surgical procedure, involving a number of techniques, including shaving the jawbone, eliminating the outer layer of the mandible (lower jaw) and inserting facial implants. These techniques are still used today to enhance or diminish the appearance of the jawline.

However, if you’ve got a jawline that’s too chiseled or squared off and don’t want to undergo surgery, with nonsurgical jawline contouring you may be able to fix the problem in a lunch hour.

BOTOX® isn’t used just to fix those pesky wrinkles and get rid of excessively sweaty armpits (axillary hyperhidrosis). It can also be used to alter the contour of your jawline. While it can only eliminate squareness, it is a viable alternative for individuals who prefer to avoid the risks associated with surgery and the lengthy (and often painful) recovery process.

As for any cosmetic procedure, whether surgical or not, ideal candidates for jawline contouring with BOTOX Cosmetic are those who are relatively healthy, are dissatisfied with this particular facial trait and have realistic expectations of the outcome of the procedure.

At our clinic, we require all individuals interested in any cosmetic treatment to have a consultation with our patient consultant. This is to ensure that the treatment in question is suitable. This is particularly important for BOTOX jawline contouring, since it may not be suitable for some individuals and/or may not achieve the results expected. Alternative treatments can be discussed.

It is more common that women undergo this form of jawline contouring, since an inverted triangular facial shape is often considered to be feminine and appealing – while a square contour is believed to be a masculine attribute.

How it Works

Treatment with BOTOX is appropriate for those who have a square jawline that is a result of a hypertrophied masseter (the muscle responsible for moving the jaw). During the procedure, an injection of a predetermined number of units of BOTOX Cosmetic is made into the masseter, blocking nerve impulse to it. This allows the masseter to relax and, over the course of several weeks, reduce in size – thereby affecting the contour of the jawline.  Results are temporary and can last from 4-6 months, depending on the individual.

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