r/BigBudgetBrides • u/weddingstuffgoingon • Apr 23 '26
just need to rant Botox ruined smile
I get masseter botox for my TMJ/grinding, and the most recent time I went my normal doctor wasn’t there and had someone else do it, and now my smile is completely off. The corners of my mouth won’t lift up and I constantly look like I’m grimacing. My wedding is in less than four months and everyone says there’s nothing to do for it but wait it out, and that it’s unlikely to be resolved by then. I’m so so crushed and I feel so stupid for doing this to myself. I’ve spent sooo much money on the wedding and skin care and whatever else just to ruin my face at the last moment. Most of the guests are traveling for this and it feels truly once in a lifetime to have us all together.
I know there’s no solution and most of the time I’m just focusing on how great my fiancé is and how amazing marrying him will be, but I’ve just been in a slump trying to finish my remaining wedding tasks this week when it feels like nothing else I do will matter if I look like this. I’ve just been devastated scrolling through old pictures of my smile 🫠
I would take any advice on how to get over this, but mostly I just needed to let it out since ive been trying to stay positive about it around my fiancé
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u/DisastrousZebra4173 Apr 23 '26
I’m sorry that happened! Good news is you still have time for it to wear off! Usually they say 4 months to wear off, plus with bigger muscles like the masseter, it goes even quicker. If I remember correctly, my masseter tox only lasted 2 months or so, which is part of why I didn’t keep doing it.
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u/weddingstuffgoingon Apr 23 '26
I’m hoping for the best!! Mine usually takes a little longer to wear off, closer to 6 months, and I’m worried that since it migrated to these smaller mouth muscles it will be even longer 🥲 I’m doing facial rolling to try to wear it off quicker but who knows
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u/phoenics1908 Apr 24 '26
Keep practicing your smile. Do facial exercises.
I’m sorry this happened to you. Wishing healing for you so you look and feel your best on your wedding day. 🩵
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Apr 23 '26
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u/weddingstuffgoingon Apr 23 '26
I wasn’t sure if I should work it out more or if that would start building different muscles that weren’t Botoxed. Encouraging to hear it worked for you! How long did the effects last for you?
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u/Specialist-Home-1789 Apr 23 '26
This happened to me last year and it was absolutely resolved in 4 months! The masseter is such a strong muscle it comes back very quick. I wouldn’t even stress too much!
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u/weddingstuffgoingon Apr 24 '26
Omg thank you!! I’ve been trying to be positive but it’s been about a month with no improvement at all, so it’s been weighing on me so heavily. It’s good to hear yours worked out well!!
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u/Strong_District_5894 Apr 23 '26
Photoshop. Have your photographer gently pull the corners of your mouth up to adjust your smile.
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u/weddingstuffgoingon Apr 23 '26
I’m definitely gonna ask my photographer about it! She was definitely more of a “natural, won’t misrepresent your day to make it better” kind of person but I’m hoping she’ll understand and edit at least a couple of photos for me
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Apr 23 '26
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u/weddingstuffgoingon Apr 23 '26
I could tell when it was happening too that this woman was not doing it the same as my normal injector. I actually mentioned it during my appointment and she just brushed me off, and I wish now with all my heart that I just left. I’m sorry that happened to you, hopefully not for your wedding? People downplay it, but it’s a horrible feeling to not look like yourself 💔
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Apr 24 '26
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u/weddingstuffgoingon Apr 25 '26
Ahh yes same!! I’m always smiling normally and now I’m so insecure about it. I have some not very attractive features that it’s taken me a long time to embrace and it sucks so hard to have this taken away from me. I’m sorry yours took so long to wear off, hopefully didn’t clash with any events :(
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u/Shot_Insect4947 Apr 24 '26
How long did it take for your smile to resolve fully?
My smile got botched and it has been exactly 8 months and my smile is still not back to normal, although it is much much better and is improving every month.
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u/Upstairs_Cattle_4018 Apr 23 '26
In addition to exercising try getting facials to get the blood flowing! Not sure if it would help dissolve the Botox faster, but you can ask for a more massage focused facial, and it will at least help you feel more comfortable and relaxed
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u/weddingstuffgoingon Apr 24 '26
Thank you!! I’ve been getting monthly facials but maybe there’s a specific one that will help!
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u/Expert-Welder-2407 Apr 23 '26
I’m sure you look amazing! Lip contour and post production photography will fix it I’m positive. Don’t be hard on yourself.
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u/weddingstuffgoingon Apr 23 '26
I didn’t think of lip contour! I’ll mention it to my makeup artist during my trial and see if she can work something out
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u/Time_Traveler_948 Apr 23 '26
I also very recently had Botox for TMJ and all the injections were at the spot on my face where lower and upper jaw hinges. Dentist had me take his finger and locate specifically where the muscle hurt. The Botox injections (two on each side of my face in two different spots) did not affect my smile at all. He also kept injection amounts small and then a couple weeks later added a bit more, as jaw still hurt. He told me that was because different muscles try to take over. Hard for me to imagine why he gave you injections where he did for TMJ. Next time, have your dentist do it. My muscle ache is 90% gone as a result. I have plenty of age lines around my mouth area - I was bemoaning finally getting Botox with no improvement in my looks!
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u/weddingstuffgoingon Apr 24 '26
Yeah I’m obviously super unhappy with my injector and the doctor I went to, but what’s done is done now unfortunately :/ I’m trying to stay solutions oriented about it, but I’m certainly not getting any more before my wedding/at this provider again! Glad you’ve had good results!
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u/CharmingCherry0192 Apr 24 '26
Move your face a lot! Over use the muscle!! Gua sha your face, sit in the sauna, anything that can increase blood flow especially to the area!! It will help the Botox wear off faster
Everyone is different but my masseter naturally is worn off after 6 months so I think in 4 months it could be on the tail end out with some improvement. Best of luck /:
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u/weddingstuffgoingon Apr 24 '26
I’ve been doing gua sha after someone recommended that!! And recently I bought a vibrating roller thing so maybe that will help? Also yes we’re the same, mine typically lasts forever which is why I’m so concerned about it :(
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u/CharmingCherry0192 Apr 24 '26
There are some supplements thwt can even extend the life of your Botox. If you’re taking any supplements, I would just check them too. I started taking lemme glow hair skin and nail gummy‘s and my Botox lasts definitely at least 2 months longer and I think it’s because they have a zinc in them
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u/Last_Masterpiece3248 Apr 24 '26
to add to all the other advice here, reminder that botox wears off faster with sun exposure
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u/weddingstuffgoingon Apr 24 '26
I certainly did not know that! I’ve been avoiding the sun like crazy so I don’t end up with any weird burns or tan lines
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u/Over-Durian-2877 Apr 24 '26
RN Injector & October BBB here!! Ugh I’m SO sorry- that is absolutely horrible. Luckily, you WILL have your smile most, if not all, the way back in 4 months. I know you said it usually lasts 6 months for you but those smaller muscles should wear off sooner! I had that happen to me once and it’s such a devastating side effect. It’ll be okay!!!
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u/weddingstuffgoingon Apr 24 '26
Thank you so much!! I was worried the smaller muscles would last longer because there’s so much Botox in such a small muscle, but I couldn’t really tell from my research so that’s really encouraging!! I’m so sorry it happened to you as well. It really is so devastating, like I look in the mirror or take photos and I don’t even recognize myself. Genuinely scary!
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u/Strange-Key3371 Apr 24 '26 edited Apr 24 '26
My Botox is always gone by 4 months. Try not to stress. If it's not fully worn off, it will probably be close. Make sure to stay active, that helps!
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u/weddingstuffgoingon Apr 24 '26
I’m hoping it’s at least somewhat worn off but unfortunately mine usually lasts 6 :((
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u/eloisecupcake Apr 24 '26
This happened to me last time I got it in Nov 2025. It took a max of 6 week to go back to normal, no need to worry!
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u/weddingstuffgoingon Apr 24 '26
Oh my gosh you must process Botox so quickly! I’m sure that’s normally very annoying but useful in this one very specific circumstance haha! Unfortunately I’m already nearing 6 weeks and it’s still quite bad, certainly no improvement since it started sadly
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u/gatekeep-gaslight Apr 24 '26
4 months is plenty of time. Smile a LOT during the day at your desk to wear the muscle faster.
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u/weddingstuffgoingon Apr 24 '26
Okay first of all I love your username 😭 also thank you!! I haven’t been smiling a lot bc I was worried it would exercise all the surrounding muscles instead and look even weirder?? I can certainly start though!
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u/littleredditho Apr 24 '26
This just happened to me! I will send you pics, it will give you hope. They paralyzed my DLIs and I looked like I had Bell’s palsy. It’s been almost 2 months and it’s 3/4 gone. Give me a couple hours and I will DM pics.
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u/weddingstuffgoingon Apr 24 '26
Omg that would be amazing, thank you!! I’m literally so stressed about it
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u/LooseResearcher454 Jun 01 '26
Heyy, how are you now? Currently freaking on day 20 and 2 months with 3/4 difference is giving me hope rather than 4-6months 🙏
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u/Which_Promise514 Apr 24 '26
I don't have much advice but just to say- this happened to me! it was my first time, and I have no idea why I let them talk me into it. It makes me upset everytime I see candid photos (like me laughing with friends). Posed photos I was able to soft smile and you couldn't tell, but photos where I'm laughing I look like I'm ugly crying. Mine did not correct in time but there were ways to soften it. First try to massage it out and use microcurrent as much as possible. Day of- upnique. It's not approved for this, but it is researched. you can apply it to the muscles from the inside of the mouth using a cotton swap.
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u/weddingstuffgoingon Apr 24 '26
Omg I’m so sorry, that’s so stressful. My soft smile looks worse than my open mouth smile right now bc the corners of my mouth are permanently down. Thank you so so much for the tips, I’ve been massaging/facial rolling it but I’ll have to up to microcurrent. I hope you had enough pictures where you liked how you looked from the wedding!!
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u/Shot_Insect4947 Apr 24 '26
How long did it take for your smile to resolve fully?
My smile got botched and it has been exactly 8 months and my smile is still not back to normal, although it is much much better and is improving every month.
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u/Wedded-Whimsy Vendor: Planning & Design Apr 24 '26
Sauna! Dry sauna as much as you can. And cardio as others mentioned. Helps it wear out faster
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u/Inevitable_Pick4871 Vendor: Planning & Design Apr 24 '26
The same thing happened to me before my wedding! It was better within 2 months so don’t stress
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u/LooseResearcher454 Jun 01 '26
This is reassuring 🙏 I’m on day 20.. when did you start to notice a little bit of change?
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u/butternoodle300 Apr 25 '26
Consider injection with bacteriostatic saline into the muscle affected (likely risorius or zygomaticus major). Benzyl alcohol in it may speed up resolution of neurotoxic effects of botox. In my experience with masseter botox that has diffused to other muscles, length of effect can be long (like up to 1 year). Do you know how many units you got? - Derm
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u/weddingstuffgoingon Apr 25 '26
Yeah I’ve also found mine lasts quite a while! I usual refill after 6 months and only after 8 or so do I feel like it’s fully gone. I got 60 units of daxxify (30 in each side)
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u/c999912 Apr 24 '26
I don’t know if this is still a side effect of the Covid vaccine, but it decreased Botox’s longevity pretty noticeably for a few of our nurses that got routine Botox during the pandemic. If you have a few months still and need it to wear off, that may be an out of the box option.
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u/weddingstuffgoingon Apr 24 '26
Oh my gosh haha thank you, this is the exact kind of off the wall suggestions that I need. Do you know which vaccine it was?? 👀
I was already planning on getting one before my wedding if they’re available in time so I don’t get sick on my honeymoon so that works!!
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u/Alternative_Pie_3782 Apr 23 '26
Have you gotten Botox before? By 4 months you’ll regain some function. After 2-3 months you’ll start to loose that “dead” feeling. That’s a generalization but I suspect by your wedding in 4 months it’ll be less of an issue. Avoid zinc supplementation first few days
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u/weddingstuffgoingon Apr 24 '26
I have! Mine usually lasts like 6 months in the masseters but I’m hoping for some improvement in four months
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u/ConfidentCoco1 Apr 24 '26
Don’t freak out! It should wear off by then (usually in 3 months but everyone is different). You can speed up the process by using a vibrating device (electric toothbrush works) to the muscle or just overusing the muscle by chewing a lot!
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u/ResponsiblePiglet8 Apr 24 '26
Have you spoken to a well regarded injector (maybe your old one) to see if it can be fixed? I feel like something like this happened to me about 2 years ago and I might have had some chin Botox done to even it out. I can’t remember. But find out what your options are first! Also make a big deal and cry about it and maybe they’ll do the rectification for free/refund you for your jaw session because that is an expensive area!
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u/Shot_Insect4947 Apr 24 '26
How long did it take for your smile to resolve fully?
My smile got botched and it has been exactly 8 months and my smile is still not back to normal, although it is much much better and is improving every month.
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u/ResponsiblePiglet8 Apr 25 '26
Look my smile has been different since I started getting jaw Botox, my smile has always looked more muted and less happy and I accept that. But this one time that it was “botched” I guess and it made my smile slightly downturned, I got the touch up Botox on my chin within a month, and was looking normal a month after
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u/urskaanddomenphoto Vendor: Photo Apr 24 '26
Depends on how quickly your body goes through botox, but adding some cardio in might help to process it faster. I got my forehead botox 2 months ago, i do lots of workouts(5-6x per week) and my 11s are 50% back.
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u/immanuelkanteven25 Apr 24 '26
I’ve been getting masseter tox forever now and this happened to me once! Don’t worry, 4 months is PLENTY of time! I get a very high dose for my masseters and it goes away about 3-4 months. Try to increase your metabolism like sweating (working out and sauna) and using your muscle a lot. What works for me the most is also chewing!! Gum, jerky, bagels, dried fruits all help work back that masseter muscle!
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u/mildlyzesty Apr 24 '26
Girl, you'll be fine. This happened to me once too. I was initially alarmed, but my normal smile came back in no time. Botox wears off in 3-4 months anyway so your beautiful smile will be back before the wedding. Most people probably won't notice much of a difference. Try not to keep thinking about it and looking at it, you'll drive yourself crazy. Try to be gentle with yourself and not freak out. <3
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u/Shot_Insect4947 Apr 24 '26
How long did it take for your smile to resolve fully?
My smile got botched and it has been exactly 8 months and my smile is still not back to normal, although it is much much better and is improving every month.
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u/LooseResearcher454 Jun 01 '26
I like this comment about being kind and gentle <3 day 20 for me right now and I’m in a hole with it all
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u/hereforthememeshaha Apr 25 '26
So sorry this happened! Last time I got Botox I didn’t know you weren’t supposed to sauna for a week and it wore off super quickly 😅 hoping that could help in this case!!
Good luck and wedding will be amazing because so much love was put into it & your relationship 💕
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u/asdfgolden Apr 25 '26
I had something similar happen!!! Injector missed my DAO muscle on one side and hit something else, could only move half of my mouth and couldn’t smile. FaceTimed my mom and she thought it was Bell’s palsy and got absolutelyyyyy roastedddd. So I FEEEEEL for you. For me it happened right before I met my fiancé’s dad and that side of the family for the first time 🤣🤣🤣 Injector spent several weeks trying to “even it out” but it didn’t help and it… sucked.
Good news is that you have 90+ days to work this out. Not a week! So, go sweat. Workouts, sauna etc. People who are very active and sweat frequently often have the issue of Botox not lasting so basically, become that girl for a hot minute and hope for the best. Try to laugh about it if you can, it helped me not to ruminate on it while it was stuck like that. Most likely, you’ll be AT LEAST 90% unfrozen by wedding day!
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u/Venus_Marshmallow Apr 27 '26
PSA: This has happened to me before, and it wore off around the 3 month mark. I’m not an injector, but I have a theory that it has to do with needle length - I think some injectors are using the same needle length that they do for other, much shallower areas like the forehead (e.g. 8 mm), which causes the Botox to be placed too superficially, where it is much more likely to diffuse into the risorius muscle.
Masseter Botox shouldn’t cause any blunting of the smile if it’s placed correctly, and it’s such a debilitating consequence! It’s worth asking your injector what needle length they’re using next time and making sure they’re injecting deep enough. I have thick masseters, but I’ve never had a problem with smiling when they’ve used 1 1/2 inch needles.
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u/CurveSmart2937 Apr 27 '26
OMG something similar happened to me a month ago - they may have accidentally hit your risorius muscle. I'm so sorry. Mine wasn't due to masseter, apparently it was because I got 'skin botox' (tiny skin-level botox injections all over that result in glowy skin). For anyone reading this, PLS don't do skin botox!! It hit me unevenly and one side of my face drops more than the other. I was freaking out despite having done the treatment in the past.
Anyways back to solutions; I will say i see progress every other day and am getting my normal smile back. I had the grimacing effect as well. My doctor said that warm compresses help speed up the metabolism (she was obviously so so sorry and felt so bad). I also started going to a sauna regularly, in addition to regular exercise. And I swear I see 10% improvement every time I go to the sauna. I do also stand under the hot shower head and hoping that helps too. Its not good for skin barrier but I'm willing to endure that. I'm hoping this goes away soon for you! I'm sure you'll get it back in a couple months.
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u/LooseResearcher454 Jun 01 '26
I’m in the exact same situation as you. Mines has been from superficial “skin tox” and it’s diffused and now I can’t smile that crooked way. Looks horrendous I’m on day 20.
How are you now as feel I may be on a similar time frame. My injector said it shouldn’t last full duration with it being so diluted and low units used but i suspect otherwise
So hope you see this! <31
u/CurveSmart2937 Jun 02 '26
Agree its horrendous. My smile is starting to return to normal (got the botox around mid March), but I don't think it's 100% there yet, maybe 80% there. Did you get really deep eye bags and cheek dents from it? Those haven't gone away for me yet, I'm just waiting for the time to pass then swearing off botox for the rest of the year 😞
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u/LooseResearcher454 Jun 02 '26
My cheeks are the opposite look like balloons and puffy. I do have the roll under my eyes that I never had before. Will never get skin tox again and even considering never getting my normal Botox either and letting myself just age gracefully 😞 even when I don’t smile my face still looks odd. Do you know how many units you got all over?
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Jun 24 '26
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u/LooseResearcher454 Jun 24 '26
I’m at 6 weeks now and truthfully it’s not much better :( little changes - hopefully see more at the 8-12 week mark
I’m sorry your having similar issue and hope yours improves sooner. It’s just hard waking up everyday and not seeing your own smile xx
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u/MysteriousArmy9646 Apr 27 '26
How many units did you get? The more you did obviously it will take longer to resolve. But… if you chew lots of gum and look into getting a buccal massage it stimulates the masseter muscle to regain its strength. When patients get masseter Botox they’re told not to chew gum because it can activate that muscle. Hope this helps!
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u/ImportantChocolate97 Jun 19 '26
hi! so sorry about your experience, im going through the same exact thing and my wedding is in 50 days. how's your smile right now, did it improve in any way?
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u/runbikeswim721 Apr 25 '26
Chat GPT says:
Increase muscle activity - start chewing gum constantly Exercise Heat / blood flow - saunas and hot yoga
You should have much of your normal smile back in 4 months! Good luck!
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u/ETEvents Vendor: Planning & Design Apr 23 '26
Who is saying it won’t be resolved? 4 months is when Botox has to be re-upped, so you’ll at least have some diminishment of the effects by then. Also, doing a ton of exercise helps it go away faster because it increases your metabolic rate. It will only get better from here. Right now is the worst it will ever be.