Thrivin’ and Grindin’
If you are alive and breathing in the DMV, it is safe to assume there is a certain level of stress in your life. Whether it's work, kids, traffic or just life in general, these past few years have brought increased stress to everyone. One of the biggest ways stress can manifest itself in our bodies (specially our faces) is through teeth grinding or teeth clenching. Some people are aware they do this, others are told by their dentist or other medical provider. Physical symptoms can include jaw pain, headaches, ear pain and ringing in the ears. Aesthetically, TMJ can have an impact on the muscles of the face, making them appear larger due to chronic overuse and ‘working out against resistance’. This can give the appearance of a widened jawline, “square” shaped face, or abnormal muscle recruitment in the upper face.
Because TMJ is a disorder involving muscles of the face, it can be treated with neurotoxin (is there anything tox CAN'T do??). Relaxing the muscles with tox can relieve the tension, prevent forceful clenching, relieve headaches, reduce or eliminate facial pain, and even slim the face. What most people don’t know is exactly how many muscles are involved in this process. Most are familiar with their massetters, as this is the main muscle involved. Did you know that the muscles involved in grinding and clenching actually start up near your temples, and reach as far as your shoulder blades? That’s a large area to treat! Many providers will strictly treat the masseter muscle which can actually cause other parts of this system to become stronger or compensate, causing increased pain or muscle hypertrophy elsewhere. It is important to treat the entirety of the muscle complex involved to get desired results.
With that being said, let's talk about desired results and expectations! This will look very different from person to person. Two common reasons people find themselves in our studios seeking treatment are either due to pain, or their muscles have become so large that they are looking for a way to slim them down for purely aesthetic reasons. Both are treated differently in terms of dosing and duration. Facial slimming usually requires a larger dose at more frequent intervals until we get a desired result, typically every 3-4 months with an average dose of 40-80 units each time.
Treating pain, also known as trigger point injections, usually requires more muscles to be treated, but patients can usually go a little longer between appointments. For everyone, we treat initially, and always bring you back in one month to reassess the need to add any more for compensation. After that follow up, we see you again in 3 months and retreat at that time. Some may be able to extend to 6 or even 9 months once we get to a good place. Average dosing for this is 24-60 units but it can be much much higher depending on compensation needs.
Check out some of our before and afters , feel free to reach out via email with questions, or click here to book an appointment!
