{"id":4809,"date":"2026-02-10T15:00:41","date_gmt":"2026-02-10T16:00:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/baldheadedgirls.com\/?p=4809"},"modified":"2026-02-12T14:58:51","modified_gmt":"2026-02-12T14:58:51","slug":"the-little-known-side-effect-of-masseter-botox-i-didnt-expect","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/baldheadedgirls.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/10\/the-little-known-side-effect-of-masseter-botox-i-didnt-expect\/","title":{"rendered":"The Little-Known Side Effect Of Masseter Botox I Didn\u2019t Expect"},"content":{"rendered":"
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I can pinpoint the exact moment I knew I had to do something about my jaw pain<\/a>. It was my birthday, and a friend cracked a joke so good\u00a0that half the drinks on the table toppled as everyone doubled over laughing. I, meanwhile, could barely move my mouth; smiling, talking, even laughing felt like lifting weights with my face.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

That\u2019s\u00a0why I owe a lot to a beauty editor friend of mine, who told me\u00a0she\u2019d\u00a0been in the same boat \u2014 and\u00a0that masseter Botox, injected into the masseter muscle along\u00a0the lower jaw, had completely changed her life.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Within hours of talking to her,\u00a0I\u2019d\u00a0booked an appointment with the injector she\u00a0swore by, and a\u00a0week later, I could eat, speak, and laugh again without my jaw snapping shut. The pain and tension \u2014\u00a0probably from\u00a0stress-induced teeth clenching \u2014 had vanished, and I finally felt human again.\u00a0But as I enjoyed my newfound freedom, I noticed a subtle change in my face. It had a slightly more oval shape, and\u00a0I\u2019m\u00a0convinced the skin along my jaw felt a little looser\u00a0than before.\u00a0My experience\u00a0isn\u2019t\u00a0unique \u2014 but it does raise some important questions.\u00a0<\/p>\n

What is\u00a0masseter\u00a0Botox,\u00a0and what are the\u00a0benefits and\u00a0downsides?\u00a0<\/h2>\n

While Botox<\/a> \u2014 a purified neurotoxin \u2014 is widely used for smoothing fine lines and wrinkles<\/a> by relaxing the muscles underneath the skin, more experts are recommending it as a solution for jaw pain, clenching, teeth grinding, tension, and clicking. Conversation around it is booming. On TikTok, the hashtag #masseterbotox<\/a> has amassed 158 million views and counting, with both experts and patients sharing their experiences.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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As searches for masseter Botox increase, many people are also googling whether it can cause jowls.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n

Dr. Moustafa Mourad, MD, FACS<\/a>, a double board-certified facial plastic surgeon and masseter Botox expert, who did not perform my treatment, describes it\u00a0first and foremost\u00a0as a treatment with\u00a0real functional\u00a0benefits: \u201cAn aesthetic effect is a secondary bonus,\u201d says Dr. Mourad. \u201cMasseter Botox can be incredibly helpful for patients who clench or grind their teeth, deal with chronic jaw tension, or feel jaw pain and fatigue by the end of the day,\u201d he adds. \u201cBy relaxing an overactive masseter, we\u2019re reducing the force transmitted through the jaw and teeth, which often translates into less pain, less tightness, and fewer tension headaches.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

But it would be remiss not to acknowledge the aesthetics of it all. Dr. Mourad confirms\u00a0that masseter Botox can reduce muscle volume. \u201cWhen it\u2019s done thoughtfully, this can create a more tapered lower face, which is why it\u2019s popular in patients with true masseter hypertrophy,\u201d he says \u2014\u00a0essentially an\u00a0enlarged jaw muscle\u00a0that affects the natural shape of your face. In my case, I had been grinding my teeth for so\u00a0long\u00a0that my masseter had become large and strong, giving my jawline a sharper, more rigid appearance.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Can masseter Botox give you\u00a0jowls?\u00a0\u00a0<\/h2>\n

A more oval face isn\u2019t the only change I noticed. I\u2019m almost certain that masseter Botox contributed to a very slight shift in skin texture, making it look and feel a little looser \u2014 something I picked up on myself, rather than anything anyone else noticed. To the naked eye, the change was very minimal, but I\u2019m not alone in this observation. As searches for masseter Botox increase, more people are also googling whether it can cause \u201cjowls\u201d or sagging skin along the jawline.<\/p>\n

Dr. Mourad tells me\u00a0that \u201cjowling\u201d after masseter Botox is not caused by Botox damaging the skin: \u201cRather, it is related to changes in facial support over time,\u201d he explains. Loose skin\u00a0isn\u2019t\u00a0something Dr. Mourad typically sees after one, two, or even three treatments. \u201cIt is more commonly seen in patients who have been receiving masseter Botox chronically over many years,\u201d he tells me, adding\u00a0that\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0only\u00a0with\u00a0sustained relaxation\u00a0that true muscle shrinkage can potentially change the shape of the lower face. \u201c[In this case], instead of a more defined, angular jaw contour, the lower face may appear softer and rounder,\u201d he says.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In fact, Dr. Mourad notes that he usually only sees looser skin after masseter Botox in patients who already have existing skin laxity or are experiencing age-related collagen loss \u2014 a completely normal part of aging. In other words, the Botox itself is rarely, if ever, the cause.<\/p>\n

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If\u00a0you\u2019re\u00a0concerned,\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0worth seeing a qualified injector who really knows their stuff. Dr. Mourad says\u00a0that in many cases, the risk of jowls can be minimized with careful planning and restraint.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n

If jowls develop after masseter Botox, can they be reversed?\u00a0<\/h2>\n

Unlike\u00a0filler, which you can dissolve if you\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0like it, Botox\u00a0can\u2019t\u00a0be undone. It does wear off eventually, and the muscle goes back to normal, but\u00a0that can take up to six months. Dr. Mourad says that as the muscle returns, some support can come back, too, which has been the case in my experience. With chronic atrophy, though, it could leave the lower face looking rounder and loose skin more noticeable.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

If\u00a0you\u2019re\u00a0concerned,\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0worth seeing a qualified injector who really knows their stuff. Dr. Mourad says\u00a0that in many cases, the risk of loose skin can be minimized with careful planning and restraint. \u201cI am very deliberate about dosing and treatment frequency,\u201d he says, stressing the importance of not over-weakening the muscle, spacing treatments properly, and reassessing the face over time. <\/p>\n

He also evaluates each patient\u2019s facial structure and the quality of their skin on their lower face before recommending\u00a0long-term masseter Botox treatment. \u201cIn some patients, especially those who are aging or already showing early\u00a0jowling, I will limit the use of masseter Botox or recommend alternative approaches to managing jaw pain\u00a0that do not contribute to progressive muscle atrophy,\u201d he adds.\u00a0<\/p>\n

If\u00a0you\u2019re\u00a0committed to masseter Botox but have noticed some skin sagging and want to address it, Dr. Mourad suggests considering other treatments, like jawline filler or skin-tightening options such as lasers<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Besides jowls, are there other\u00a0long-term side effects of\u00a0masseter\u00a0Botox?\u00a0\u00a0<\/h2>\n

Dr. Mourad says\u00a0that most other side effects of masseter Botox are mild and temporary, but it must be\u00a0performed by a qualified injector. \u201cPatients may experience localized soreness, swelling, or bruising, and some notice temporary difficulty chewing very hard foods as the muscle weakens,\u201d he explains. Less common, but still possible \u2014 especially in underqualified hands \u2014 is the toxin spreading into nearby muscles, which can lead to temporary asymmetry, like a slightly altered smile, he adds.\u00a0<\/p>\n

While Dr. Mourad is\u00a0a big fan\u00a0of masseter Botox treatment \u2014\u00a0especially for\u00a0relieving pain and tension \u2014 he emphasizes the importance of using it thoughtfully. \u201cIt should be revisited\u00a0regularly, and\u00a0not approached as an indefinite routine maintenance treatment,\u201d he concludes.\u00a0<\/p>\n

I\u2019ll definitely try masseter Botox again. We\u2019re living in a stressful world, and for me, teeth grinding has become part of the deal. Next time, though, I\u2019ll ask for a lighter touch \u2014 and work harder at managing my stress. Any subtle changes to my face shape are a trade-off I\u2019ll take over the pain of constant clenching; like most treatments, it\u2019s about weighing up the pros and cons. And yes, I\u2019d still recommend it. It can be truly life-changing.<\/p>\n

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I can pinpoint the exact moment I knew I had to do something about my jaw pain. It was my birthday, and a friend cracked a joke so good\u00a0that half the drinks on the table toppled as everyone doubled over laughing. I, meanwhile, could barely move my mouth; smiling, talking, even laughing felt like lifting…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4811,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[15],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/baldheadedgirls.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4809"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/baldheadedgirls.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/baldheadedgirls.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/baldheadedgirls.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/baldheadedgirls.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4809"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/baldheadedgirls.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4809\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4814,"href":"http:\/\/baldheadedgirls.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4809\/revisions\/4814"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/baldheadedgirls.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4811"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/baldheadedgirls.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4809"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/baldheadedgirls.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4809"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/baldheadedgirls.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4809"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}