Lower Face Tox: Dysport/Botox

It's true that upper face Tox is usually a starting point for most people. Between the brows is probably the most frequently requested area, but several important injection points also exist in the lower face. Many of them have goals other than smoothing wrinkles. Read on for the rundown of lower face Tox. I am speaking in Dysport units, as Dysport is the office favorite, but Botox is just fine for these injection points, although the number of units for each area would be different.

DAO

Depressor Anguli Oris are a set of down-pulling muscles that pull the corners of the mouth down into a frown. One poke on each side will treat this muscle. I usually use six units of Dysport on each side. The reasons to inject this muscle are twofold in my opinion, the most important reason to treat dao is to prevent jowling and marionette lines in the long run. Injectors also advocate this injection point to help turn the corners of the mouth upwards slightly when the face is relaxed. 

Mentalis/Chin 

The Mentalis muscle lays over the front of the chin and when activated makes an "orange peel" texture to the chin. Four pokes with 3 units each of Dysport will relax Mentalis, elongating the chin and eliminating the orange peel texture.

Gummy Smile 

A wide smile on some people exposes the gums above the upper teeth. While this is certainly a happy, animated smile, some people prefer to relax the muscles that pull up on the upper lip during smiling, and this is the gummy smile treatment. It requires two pokes, one on each side of the nose, and I use 6 Dysport units for each side. 

Lip Flip/Radial Lip Lines

This most frequently requested lower face injection point does not add volume to the lip. Four injection points with 3-4 Dysport units each at the border of the upper lip relax the muscle partially, and allow more of the pink part of the upper lip to show during a big smile. It does make your lips feel different to drinking from a straw.

Masseters

Masseters are the big strong muscles at the back of your jawline that allow you to chew and clench your jaw. The purposes of treating the masseters with Tox include reducing the strength of clenching/grinding to reduce jaw pain, and/or slimming the masseters by way of atrophy. The jaw slimming effect takes time to occur, perhaps 2-3 cycles of Tox every 3-4 months and it's more prominent for people who start out with big, strong masseter muscles. 

Masseter treatment requires 3 pokes per side with a minimum of 60 Dysport units, and there is variation from person to person. 

Jawline / Nefertiti Lift

These injection points treat the upper part of platysma, which is a large, thin muscle that covers the whole anterior neck, and it is anchored on the jawline. Relaxing platysma with Tox using 6 pokes on each side of the jawline reduces the down-pulling effect of platysma off the jawline, allowing the jawline to look sharper. These injection points (as well as DAO) are meant to prevent jowling and marionette lines to some degree over the long run. Roughly 28 Dysport units per side, depending on the person. 

Platysma also makes ropey bands all over the neck when flexed, and these platysmal bands may also be relaxed with Tox as desired.