Masseter Muscle Reduction

Q: Dr. Eppley, I am interested in electrocautery for masseter muscle reduction. My questions are:

1. How long does the procedure take?

2 . Is it painful?

3. What is the recovery time? 

4. Will I have to be on a liquid diet for some time after the procedure?

5. How long do results last?

6. Do you have any before and after pictures of this electrocautery procedure?

7. What is the cost for an electrocautery procedure?

8. If one of the masseters is larger than the other, does it require subsequent sessions of electrocautery, or can it be done in one session?

Thank you.

A: In answer to your masseter muscle reduction questions:

1) The procedure takes an hour under general anesthesia.

2) Like all procedures that manipulate the masseter muscles, there will be some temporary discomfort and tightness of jaw opening for a few weeks after the procedure.

3) Like #2 above there will also be some temporal swelling which should resolve in 7 to 10 days after the procedure.

4) You can eat whatever feels comfortable after the procedure. There are no dietary restrictions…although it will be a week or so until you will return to a completely normal diet.

5) It will take 3 months to see the final muscle atrophy from which those results will be permanent.

6) Due to patient confidentiality, patients pictures can not be released.

7) I will have my assistant pass along the cost of the procedure to you tomorrow.

8) It may but that is hard to predict based on how much muscle atrophy will occur from the thermal injury to it.

Dr Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana