Square Jaw Reduction

Overview

The operation of trimming a square or angulated chin into a slender and clean jawline is known as Square Jaw Reduction.

The chewing muscles that cover the sides and angle of the jaw are known as the masseter muscles. These are the muscles that connect the cheekbone to the lower jaw.

The masseter muscles are the strongest muscles in the human body, second only to the tongue, and can generate a square-shaped, highly masculine-looking lower face.

While a square-shaped jaw is attractive in males, it is not attractive in women and might make you feel self-conscious.

Because of various aspects that are interconnected with this treatment, it is called a high-level surgery. For starters, people who have this surgery frequently have an asymmetrical face, which necessitates a variety of procedures and approaches during the procedure.

In addition, doctors must exercise extraordinary caution so as not to harm the patient's nervous system. As a result, square jaw reduction is only suggested for people who truly require it.

What is Jaw Reduction Surgery?

square jaw reduction surgery

A plastic surgeon performs square jaw reduction surgery (part of V-line surgery), also known as mandibuloplasty or mandible reduction, to permanently modify the shape of the lower jaw. This operation is typically performed to achieve a smaller jaw shape, a more curved jaw, and a smoother jawline.

Because this surgery is performed on the bottom half of the face, there are numerous nerve endings and blood arteries in that region. This treatment should only be performed by a highly skilled surgeon with extensive expertise. This operation requires specialized medical and safety equipment that is not found in many clinics.

Who is A Good Candidate?

enlarged mandible

An enlarged mandible (jawbone) can be caused by either congenital or developmental factors. While a square lower jaw is an attractive feature in males, it might distract from the feminine aspect of the face in women. A broad, square jaw, according to some women, is out of proportion with the rest of the face. They may decide to have jaw reduction surgery in order to attain a more symmetrical, aesthetically acceptable, feminine appearance.

While the average male jaw is square, the average female jaw slopes gently from the earlobe to the chin. Jaw reduction surgery is frequently performed in conjunction with a facial feminization surgery (FFS) plan. Jaw shaving or contouring softens the jaw line, and this surgery alone may make a masculine face look significantly more feminine.

What Causes Square jaw?

Causes of Square jaw

The square jaw, along with a big masseter muscle, creates an extremely masculine image. Female patients want a softer, more feminine contour to their face, which will give them a more graceful appearance.

Some causes of square jaw due to enlarged masseter muscle:

Excessive or persistent chewing: Some people develop the habit of continually or excessively chewing hard food or chewing gum. This might cause the jaw muscle to grow in size, giving it a squarer appearance.
Bruxism: also known as teeth clenching Some persons have a propensity of clenching and grinding their teeth even when sleeping. This causes the masseter muscle to expand or hypertrophy, resulting in a square jaw.
Ethnicity: Most Asian men and women have square jawline, which add to their macho image.
Congenital mandible disorders: The mandible (jaw bone) may be enlarged as a result of developmental or congenital issues.

Preparing For Jawline Surgery

Jawline Surgery

Depending on the kind of jawline surgery, you may need to have braces fitted on your teeth 12 to 18 months before surgery to align your teeth.
Prepare for your hospital stay, which might last 2 to 4 days, as soon as possible before jawline surgery.
Pack a backpack with activities to keep you busy, and arrange for someone to take you up if your procedure does not need an overnight stay.
Your doctor would most likely advise you to stop smoking or avoid certain drugs prior to surgery.
If you're undergoing face feminization surgery, you may be requested to stop taking hormones in the weeks leading up to and following the procedure.

Procedure For Jawline Surgery

Jawline Surgery Procedure

Most jawline procedures will be performed under general anesthesia.
Because cuts are normally made inside the mouth, there is no visible scarring.
If your jaw or teeth are out of place, they will be cut and repositioned.
To keep the jaw in place, tiny bone plates, screws, wires, or rubber bands may be employed. The screws are permanent and will eventually blend into the jaw.
A tiny incision will be created inside your mouth between the gum and the cheek if you are having a jaw reduction.
The surgeon will shave off a portion of the bone with a laser or a micro saw.

What To Expect After Jaw Reduction Surgery?

After Jaw Reduction Surgery

It is critical to use the mouthwash solution indicated for usage after surgery to keep the operative region clean. During the first 2 to 3 days, you will be instructed to take a soft diet. In most circumstances, patients may return to work and resume normal activities within a week after having this operation.

After surgery, the incision sutures will disappear in around two weeks. Because all incisions are performed inside the mouth, there will be no visible scars.

After the procedure, you may suffer temporary numbness. Swelling is to be expected, and it will peak in two to three days. It is a good idea to keep your head up and freeze your jaws to assist reduce swelling and bruising.

The visible swelling will go away in six weeks to three months, but it might take up to six months for the swelling to go away completely. The technique produces the best outcomes when the edema is entirely gone.

Can Non-Surgical Square Jaw Reduction substitute?

Non-Surgical Square Jaw Reduction

What's Non-Surgical Reduction?

Injections can be used to lower the size of the masseter muscles in a treatment known as a non-surgical jaw reduction.

The treatment is short and generally painless. Typically, 5 injection spots per muscle are required, and the therapy is injected into the muscles using extremely fine aesthetic needles.

This therapy can also be used to address teeth-grinding issues ('bruxism').

Who's Suitable for Non-Surgical Reduction?

Before undergoing a non-surgical jaw reduction, it is important to establish whether the fullness of your face is caused by muscle or primarily fat.

During your consultation our specialist nurse prescriber will estimate the strength and size of your jaw muscles before recommending treatment.

How Long Does It Take To See Result?

You can leave the clinic immediately following a non-surgical jaw reduction, with no downtime required.

There may be some little redness at the injection sites, but this is normally not visible to others and fades rapidly after the operation.

Non-surgical jaw reduction outcomes are generally visible around a month following the operation. This is the usual amount of time it takes for a muscle mass to decrease, changing the face to the ideal oval, V-shape proportions.

The effects of a non-surgical jaw reduction last 6-9 months on average. Another advantage of the operation is that the cheekbones are highlighted, which adds definition and shape to the face.

Non-Surgical Options For Square Jaw Reduction

Non-surgical jawline enhancement treatments which can be effective alone or in combination. These are:

Hyaluronic acid dermal face fillers: we use Juvederm hyaluronic acid dermal fillers to reshape the jawline and enhance the facial profile.
Botox® injections: Botox injections are a quick and easy way to cure an enlarged muscle. Botox is injected into the muscle, weakening it and causing it to shrink over time through atrophy. There is no downtime, and recovery is gradual—people who interact with the patient may never realize that a plastic surgery treatment was undertaken. Botox for jaw reduction has been scientifically investigated. Generally, no improvement is noticed for at least 2 To 3 weeks. Peak improvement occurs between months 3 and 9, with strong outcomes still seen one year later in many individuals. A uncommon but serious consequence of the surgery is temporary paralysis of the muscles that move the lips.
Combination of Botox and dermal fillers: To reshape, contour, and sculpt the mid and lower face, we employ a mix of these techniques. This helps to shape and enhance the entire face in a cohesive manner.

Jawline Surgery vs. Fillers and Botox

Fillers and Botox

Dermal fillers are another alternative for persons who desire a more defined jawline but do not want to have surgery. The greatest candidates for jawline fillers already have a reasonably noticeable jawline that they want to gently augment.

Botox injections along the jawline might have the same effect as jawline shaving surgery, although Botox is less permanent. Botox acts to trim the masseter muscles (also known as jowls), which can make the face and chin seem slimmer overall.

How Much Does Jawline Surgery Cost?

Jawline Surgery Cost

In addition to the expense of the jawline surgery, which is anticipated to range between $6,500 to $56,000, you will need to take time off work to recover. While full recovery might take up to 12 weeks, you should be able to return to work within 1 to 3 weeks.

If the operation is solely for cosmetic purposes, it will not be reimbursed by insurance. However, if you get it done because chewing or swallowing is uncomfortable, or to repair other health issues, portion of the surgery may be paid.

Is Jaw Reduction Surgery Safe?

Jaw Reduction Surgery Risks

Every operation has certain dangers, but with careful preparation, excellent plastic surgeons, and our staff, we can keep the risks to a minimum. Our plastic surgeons are all government-licensed and use CCTV to establish a safe working environment. They are very proficient and have performed a large number of jaw reduction operations.

Is Jaw Reduction Surgery Painful?

Jaw Reduction Surgery

This operation is performed under general anesthesia, so you will not feel any discomfort during the process. Following surgery, you may have pain, bruising, swelling, and inflammation, but this is to be expected given the invasive nature of the procedure. This normally goes away within 2-3 weeks, however it all depends on the intricacy and severity of your situation.

Can You Eat After Jaw Surgery?

It's essential to eat and drink enough of fluids after any operation since it will aid in your recovery. Because you've undergone jaw surgery, you should only consume liquids or juices until your jaw has healed or your doctor says it's safe to eat solid foods again.

How Can I Heal The Fastest From Surgery?

It is critical that you always follow your doctor's guidelines and regulations. They want you to recover quickly and to know everything there is to know about healing as quickly as possible. However, there are some basic principles to follow, such as:

Get adequate rest. Sleeping is necessary so that your body can get the rest it requires to heal. You may even feel more exhausted following your operation, which is a hint that you should sleep and rest.

Consume plenty of vegetables and fruits, as well as plenty of water. Eating and drinking are vital since they supply you with adequate nutrients and everything you require for a quick recovery.

Take short, gentle walks. While getting enough rest is important, getting too much rest is not. Try to take short walks as this will also aid in your healing process. Keep in mind that you can't work out, so the walks should be brief, no more than 5 minutes.

Everything else that the doctor suggests or advises should be followed.

Can the surgery cause permanent Scars?

There are no visible scars from surgery performed from within the mouth. The scar is buried in the ear crevice during the approach from behind the ear. Non-surgical reduction is accomplished by a series of injections that leave no visible scars.

Advantages & Disadvantages of Jaw Reduction

Advantages:

Jaw contouring may give your jawline a smaller, more defined shape, which can completely change the appearance of your lower face. It may make your face look more feminine or just shape a too square jawline.
The effects of jaw reduction surgery are permanent.
Because all incisions are performed inside the mouth, there will be no visible scars.
Surgeons can utilize a variety of procedures to customize the surgery to your specific needs and bone structure.

Disadvantages:

After surgery, you'll need to rest for two weeks.
Swelling typically takes a month (and occasionally up to three months) to fully resolve, so you'll have to wait to see the ultimate outcome.
There is a little chance of nerve injury, which might cause numbness or an uneven grin. This adverse effect is normally transitory, but in rare situations, it might be permanent.

Risks and Side Effects

Risks and Side Effects

Like any surgery, jaw surgery does have risks and side effects. Common side effects include:

pain and bruising.
headache following general anesthesia.
swelling and inflammation.
bleeding and drainage.
uneven healing or asymmetry of the jaw.
nerve damage causing numbness of the lip or asymmetric face appearance that may need Fascial Asymmetry Correction to correct it.

Less often, V-line surgery can result in an infection. Contact your healthcare provider and seek emergency medical help if you have any symptoms of infection, such as:

fever.
nausea.
dizziness.
green, yellow, or black drainage from your wound (Cellulitis).

Conclusion

Square Jaw Reduction

Jaw reduction surgery is used to achieve a slimmer and more natural jawline. Unlike dermal injections, which provide just a minor alteration, Jaw Reduction Surgery essentially generates a narrow facial line by an incision. Only the mandibular angle is lowered with a general jaw reduction, therefore the form of the chin does not alter much. Although a conventional jaw reduction can reduce the prominence of the jaw, it has no noticeable impact on patients who have a big and stubby chin and want to obtain an overall small face line.

This issue is addressed by the 'VIP jaw reduction.' By shaving the chin region as well, the patient can get the ideal face contour. A V-line oval face is created by refining the form of the chin and minimizing the mandibular angle at the same time. In addition, a long or short chin is addressed concurrently to achieve a natural and perfect V-line.

A sliding genioplasty, a form of jaw surgery, can be paired with the process to shift the chin back or forward and make a dramatic alteration in your face structure, including the treatment of asymmetry, an underbite, or an overbite.

Some persons with overdeveloped jaw muscles choose Botox injections to reduce masseter muscle size, either alone or in conjunction with jaw reduction surgery. This nonsurgical jaw reduction procedure progressively lowers the masseter muscles' size (which connect your jaw to your cheekbones).

Botox relaxes the muscles, causing them to shrink over time as a result of reduced usage. You'll see effects a few weeks after your initial treatment, and you'll need follow-up treatments every four to six months to keep them. Botox can also be used to treat teeth clenching and grinding (known as bruxism).

In addition, doctors must exercise extraordinary caution so as not to harm the patient's nervous system. As a result, square jaw reduction is only suggested for people who truly require it.