It’s 2021, and I think it’s safe to say many of us have had a rough past 12+ months, and it shows. Many of our patients have been asking for some easy/quick solutions to help ease the fine lines and wrinkles that have developed over the past year. Neurotoxins, more commonly known as Botox, Dysport, and Xeomin are injectable solutions that temporarily block nerve receptors in the muscle, preventing lines and wrinkles from forming. We’ve all heard of Botox for the “11s” and for a certain angry resting face, but I wanted to share some not so common uses for neurotoxins in the face.
Chin
Ever notice that you have little dimples in your chin especially with animating the mouth? We sometimes refer to that as a “cobblestone chin” and for some of us, it’s worse than others. Just a few units can help smooth out the appearance of the creases and dimpling.
Photo Credit: Dr. Joe Niamtu – Niamtu Cosmetic Facial Surgery
Masseter
What the heck is that? The masseter is a muscle located on the lower half of your face along the back of the jaw line. While it does help us with functions such as chewing, it can also contribute to a more square face shape and also to grinding in TMJ. By injecting that area of your face, it can oftentimes help to contour the face and give it a more rounded versus square appearance. In some cases, it can also help with jaw pain associated with grinding.
Picture taken from real self: https://www.realself.com/question/panorama-city-ca-botox-masseter-cost
Lips
Ok guys, I must admit that this one is my favorite. By injecting the areas around the cupid’s bow of the lip, you can get the appearance of a slightly larger lip (without injecting filler) and help with upper lip lines/wrinkles, or simply help prevent them from forming in the first place. It’s quick, inexpensive, and always a favorite among our patients.
Photo credit: https://slkclinic.com/botox/
DAOs
DAOs, or depressor anguli oris muscle, can be found on the lower half of the face near the corners of our mouth. They help us frown, but with repetitive use over the years can contribute to marionette lines (the lines that go from the corner of our mouth down to our chin). By injecting this area, we can help to prevent some of those deep lines from forming or even soften some of those lines that have already formed.
Photo credit: https://www.lumiermedical.com/contents/gallery-menu/mouth-frowns
Botox (or Xeomin or Dysport, for that matter) is not a one size fits all, and as always, I recommend talking to your injector to discuss benefits/risks, expected outcomes, and best treatment for you individually. More importantly, hopefully this will give you some insight to look your best for your next Zoom meeting or date night out.
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