Face Slimming with Injections

Masseter slimming
Masseter slimming
Before and after injections for facial slimming 1 treatment
Face slimming with injections can improve the beauty of a face. Injectables are used in the masseter muscle to slim it, which reduces the width of the lower third of the face. This is good for patients whose jaw is too square. It is also good for patients who think their face is “too round” Here is a case of a 20-something female patient who was quite beautiful to start with, and happy with her face in general, but she had important events coming up in her life and wanted a “prettier” look. She had a great face, excellent skin and nice structure of the cheeks. She had mildly enlarged masseter muscles, which were also asymmetrical. The enlarged masseters created a more square look to her face, which we decided we would  slim gently with injections.

Face slimming treatment

We injected a small amount of muscle-relaxing product into her masseter muscles in her jawline. The treatment takes about 5 minutes and there is minimal pain involved. In our clinic the patient doesn’t usually need happy gas or numbing cream, we usually just use ice. Bruising is a potential complication, but is uncommon. Patients are able to go back to work immediately after the procedure. After face slimming injections, we review the results at 8 weeks, as that is when the maximal result of the treatment occurs, and we can decide if the result is perfect, or if it can be further improved.

The Results

We reviewed the results at 8 weeks and the results of the face slimming treatment were excellent. Instead of her cheeks going straight downwards to meet her jawline, there was a lovely gentle curve. There was also an improvement in the symmetry of the lower part of her face. We achieved our aim to make her look prettier. Her face became a more “V-shaped” or some would describe it as a “heart-shaped” face rather than a square face. The most common thing that patients are asked after this treatment kicks in is “have you lost weight”, due to the narrower lower part of the face. We were happy at the 8 week mark and agreed that she didn’t require another treatment. In some cases, if the patients wants further slimming, then we would perform a second treatment at 8 weeks.

Plan for this patient: Maintenance of the facial slimming

My advice to this patient is for her to come for treatments every 3-4 months for the first 2 years and after that, we will review the plan. Once we have achieved the look that we want, larger slimming doses are not required, and we can reduce the dose. We try and get the maintenance dose to be minimal to make the procedure cost-effective for the patient. In the slimming phase, we prefer to use larger doses, but in the maintenance phase, those larger doses may not be necessary. Potential Side Effects There are few potential side effects of this treatment, but they include:
  • need for second treatment at 8 weeks
  • bruising
  • swelling
  • asymmetry
  • smile disturbance
Cost of Facial Slimming The cost of this patient’s treatment was $630, with injections performed by the doctor (price with nurse injector is less). Price for facial slimming injections vary from $380-$1150, depending on amount used. I usually show patients before and after pictures of previous patients so that they can give me an idea of how slim they want to go. I always try and show them a patient who has had the treatment who has similar sized masseters as they do, so they can have good idea of what the potential results will look like

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