Is Botox Injections Effective For Temporal Muscle Reduction?

Q: Dr. Eppley, I want to have the temporalis head reduction surgery performed however I thought if it’ll be better if I explored the option of Botox injection in the area to achieve muscle atrophy first. Do you believe this method is effective and is worthwhile looking at before surgery?

A: There is certainly no harm in trying Botox Injections to try and shrink the masseter muscle a bit. The problem is that it is a big muscle and it takes a large number of Botox units to create an effect…that is far less than what surgical removal accomplishes. While not as effective and it could be argued that it has a relatively poor ROI (return on investment) it can still be called a good starting point when surgery is not readily available for the muscle reduction.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana