Square jaw surgery and treatment need to consider functional effects

A round jawline delivers a luxurious impression, but if it is angular, it is easy to look rough and tough. It also gives off a masculine feel, so many women want to smooth out their angular jawline. Recently, slim and pretty jawline male celebrities are gaining popularity, and men are considering square jaw surgery. 

A square jawline appears congenitally or acquired. There are cases where the natural bone itself is square, or if the masseter muscle, which is a muscle that chews food, is developed, it can look like a square jaw. In addition, due to hypertrophy of the salivary glands, the salivary glands may look like a square jaw. 

Most think a square jawline requires cutting the jawbone, but cutting the bone is unnecessary. If the masseter muscle is developed, masseter reduction or masseter resection can be one method. Masseter muscle reduction surgery reduces the masseter muscle by cutting off or burning the masseter nerve using high frequency, medium frequency, or electric energy after making a small incision of about 1 to 2 mm inside the mouth. Masseter resection surgery is a way of removing the masseter muscle. Although it may seem relatively simple as it does not cut the bone, it is pointed out that there is a risk of affecting other nerves or muscles besides the masseter nerve, and it may recur over time. 

Dr. Kyung Han You, a Geunal Plastic Surgery Clinic founder, pointed out, "If the masseter is overdeveloped, masseter reduction or masseter resection may have some effect, but caution should be exercised as side effects may follow. The most significant side effect of masseter reduction and masseter resection is an awkward facial line, a symptom in which the line from the ear to the chin appears unnaturally in a straight line. In severe cases, the jawline may appear to be missing. In some cases, the masseter muscle necrosis is a side effect of wrongdoing."

If you are burdened by surgery, or the recovery period, a botulinum toxin procedure can be helpful. It is a way of dividing and placing botulinum toxin on the left and right masseters. The effect appears within one month after the procedure and returns to its original state after several months. 

If you have a square jawbone, you can see an improvement effect with 'square jaw resection' that removes the bone. 

In the past, only the square jaw area under the ears was resected because it was quick and simple, but there is a concern that a secondary angle (the jawline is not smooth, and an angle is formed after jawbone resection), so recently, the angular area under the ears is cut smoothly along the jaw line which performs 'long curve resection'. If the square jaw below the ear has developed a lot, cutting the jawbone may not have much effect when viewed from the front. In this case, a slender jawline can be expected by performing cortical bone resection, which reduces the thickness of the cortical bone, the outermost layer of the jawbone, and the long curve resection. 

Occasionally, there are cases where the jawline is blunt even after receiving a square jaw reduction surgery. If you have much fat on your face, you may feel that you haven't seen the effect because the fat may sag down to the chin area after the surgery. In this case, it can be solved with a face-lift surgery or thread lift. If the salivary glands that you did not know about before the square jaw resection stand out, the salivary glands can be reduced with salivary gland Botox treatment.

Since many nerves pass through the chin area, physicians must take care during surgery and treatment. If you focus on removing the square jaw angle, there may be side effects and dissatisfaction. After confirming the bone condition and the nerve line's location through 3D-CT analysis, etc., surgery should be performed considering both the aesthetic and functional aspects.

Dr. Kyung Han You, a Geunal Plastic Surgery Clinic founder, emphasized, "It is important that both masseter muscle reduction, resection, and square jaw reduction be performed by skilled medical staff with long experience and skills. In particular, the masseter muscle should be handled with care because it plays an important function in chewing food. If Botox is not applied incorrectly or not in the right place, it may not be effective or cause side effects, so be careful. As much as it touches important parts, receiving sufficient counseling from various clinics is good. In addition, it is desirable to listen to the pros and cons of each surgery and procedure and make a decision after careful comparison."