Botox on the forehead is well understood. These three applications are less known and they solve problems people usually assume are unfixable without surgery or filler.
The lip flip
What it is: a few units placed in the orbicularis oris, the muscle ringing your mouth, along the upper lip border.
What it does: relaxes the muscle so the upper lip rolls slightly outward, showing more of the pink. Your lip is not bigger. More of it is visible.
Who it suits: people whose upper lip disappears when they smile, or who want subtle definition without filler.
Dosing: typically 4 to 6 units. At $10 per unit this is one of the cheapest treatments we do.
Duration: shorter than most Botox, often 6 to 10 weeks, because it is a small dose in an active muscle.
The tradeoffs, honestly: for a week or two you may notice slight difficulty with straws, whistling, or pronouncing certain sounds. Most people adapt quickly. Overdone, it affects speech noticeably and that is the risk with an inexperienced injector.
If you want actual volume, that is filler. The lip flip is a different result.
Gummy smile
What it is: a small dose into the muscles that elevate the upper lip, usually the levator labii superioris alaeque nasi.
What it does: reduces how high the upper lip lifts when you smile, so less gum shows.
Who it suits: people who are self conscious about a high smile line. It is more common than people realize and almost nobody knows it is treatable.
Dosing: usually 2 to 4 units per side. Small, precise, and this is a technique-sensitive area.
Duration: three to four months.
The caveat: this requires an injector who knows the anatomy well. Placed wrong, it affects smile symmetry. Ask specifically about their experience with this treatment.
Masseter Botox
What it is: larger doses into the masseter, the thick muscle at the angle of your jaw.
Two separate reasons people get it:
Clenching and grinding. This is the therapeutic one and it is genuinely life changing for some people. Bruxism causes jaw pain, morning headaches, tooth wear and cracked teeth. Relaxing the masseter reduces the force.
If you wake up with a sore jaw or your dentist has mentioned wear, this is worth a conversation. It is one of the most quietly valuable treatments we do.
Jaw slimming. Over time, a relaxed masseter atrophies somewhat, which narrows the lower face. Popular for people who want a softer jaw angle.
Dosing: 20 to 30 units per side, sometimes more. This is a substantial dose and a substantial cost.
Duration: often four to six months, longer than facial Botox.
Timeline: pain relief from clenching often within two to three weeks. Visible slimming takes two to three months and multiple rounds.
Who should not: if your goal is jaw slimming and your fullness is from bone structure rather than muscle, this will not do anything. We can usually tell by feel, by asking you to clench.
Which of these to ask about
If you clench or grind: masseter, and mention it at your next dental visit too.
If your upper lip vanishes when you smile: lip flip.
If you cover your mouth when you laugh because of gum show: gummy smile treatment.
None of these are on most menus prominently. Ask directly.
Ask at your consult
Book a Botox consultation and bring up any of these specifically.
