Hongdae Square-Jaw Botox: Should You Get It at a Dental Clinic or Dermatology Clinic?

Hello. I’m Cho Won-jin, director of Chai Clinic, where I have been providing dermatological care in Hongdae for 10 years.

Should You Get Square-Jaw Botox

at a Dermatology Clinic or a Dental Clinic?

If you search for square-jaw Botox in Hongdae, you’ll find both dental clinics and dermatology clinics.

Both types of clinics provide the treatment, but recommendations vary from person to person, so you may have found it confusing.

Today, I’ll clearly organize the considerations involved

and explain what criteria you should use to choose a clinic for square-jaw Botox without regret.

Hongdae Square-Jaw Botox: Where You Should Go Depends on Your Goal

To give you the conclusion first, where you should go depends on your main reason for getting Botox.

Square-jaw Botox works by relaxing the masseter muscle—the muscle used for chewing—and reducing its volume.

Simply put, the difference lies in whether you view this as restoring function or improving the facial contour.

Both dental clinics and dermatology clinics use the same Botox, but they differ in what they emphasize when making their diagnosis.

Do you often have jaw-joint pain because you grind your teeth severely during sleep or habitually clench your teeth?

If relieving pain, jaw-joint function, and addressing tooth wear are your priorities,

it is appropriate to have the condition of your joint thoroughly diagnosed at a dental clinic and approach the treatment with those goals in mind.

On the other hand, if your goal is to reduce the volume of developed muscles to create a slimmer contour,

or to refine left-right asymmetry and smooth out the shape of your face, a dermatology clinic may be a better fit.

The case shown in the photo above also has a difference in muscle volume between the two cheeks. In cases like this, customized design—such as adjusting the Botox dose on each side—is needed.

Of course, quite a few people have both functional issues and cosmetic concerns.

In that situation, it is best to determine through a consultation which issue to address first.

If the Goal of Square-Jaw Botox Is Cosmetic, a Dermatology Clinic Is Appropriate

If your concerns are that “my face looks large” or “my jawline looks blunt,” there is a reason I recommend a dermatology clinic.

If you are not an appropriate candidate for square-jaw Botox,

various side effects may occur, such as facial sagging, hollowing in the cheeks, or the development of downturned mouth corners and marionette lines.

As shown in the photo above, where the tissue around the corners of the mouth has descended, excessive Botox in skin with reduced elasticity may worsen sagging or marionette lines.

“I thought Botox was just a simple procedure, but I’ve never heard of these side effects before.”

Many people say this. However, you do not need to be overly frightened.

There are ways to help prevent these side effects of square-jaw Botox.

I have written more about this in the article below.

The reason it should be designed and administered with consideration for the harmony and balance of the entire face,

rather than simply ending with reducing the muscles, is that each person has a different facial shape and skin type, and the degree of muscle development on each side also varies.

For some people, the left masseter is more developed; for others, the right masseter is.

If these differences are ignored and the same amount is injected on both sides, asymmetry may actually become more noticeable.

The photo above shows the injection areas and surrounding muscles. The procedure should be performed in the area marked by the yellow box to minimize side effects.

The location and size of the muscles, along with the degree of skin sagging, should all be assessed,

and the injection amount and location should be adjusted carefully to reduce unnecessary side effects.

Also, injecting too much may weaken chewing strength or make your expression look unnatural,

so knowing how much to reduce is just as important as achieving an effect.

How to Choose a Clinic for Square-Jaw Botox in Hongdae Without a Failed Result

There are a great many dermatology clinics around Hongdae.

Before looking at the price list, checking these two things will already put you halfway toward making a good choice.

1. Does the clinic provide a design tailored to my face?

I have mentioned this repeatedly above, right?

It is difficult to expect satisfactory results from an approach that uses exactly the same dose for everyone.

Before the procedure, check whether the medical professional personally feels the muscles, carefully assesses the muscle volume when you clench your molars,

checks for left-right asymmetry, and examines your skin elasticity and bone structure.

The results can clearly differ when this process is carried out properly.

A clinic that determines the dose only after sufficiently examining the muscles and comparing both sides is, at least, a promising place to start.

Conversely, if the doctor who will perform your procedure does not even look at your face and gives you the price first, it is worth pausing to think about it.

2. Will they show you that the product is genuine and the dosage is accurate right in front of you?

This may sound obvious, but it is a principle that must be followed to help prevent resistance and obtain consistent effects.

It is a good idea to check whether the clinic opens the product immediately before the procedure or transparently discloses the amount used.

For reference, Botox dosage should be confirmed in units, not in cc.

If Botox is diluted with water and administered based on a volume listed in cc, you cannot know exactly how much Botox you received.

If the effect wears off quickly, the intervals between repeat procedures become shorter,

which can increase the risk of resistance and may eventually prevent you from seeing an effect.

In Closing

Square-jaw Botox is known as a relatively simple procedure,

but because it is a procedure that affects the shape of the face, the results depend on the medical professional’s anatomical understanding and aesthetic judgment.

The procedure itself takes only a few minutes for both sides, and you can return to your daily activities immediately afterward,

but I recommend choosing a clinic that devotes sufficient care to diagnosis and design for the sake of those few minutes.

Thank you. This was Cho Won-jin.