Botox before and after: what changes on the masseter jaw, forehead, under eyes, a nose lift and jowls
Written by KCODI medical interpreter team · English deskUpdated · 8 min read
Most botox before and after photos are taken in different light, from a different angle, with different makeup. That is why people book an area, wait two weeks, and feel nothing happened.
In Seoul consultation rooms our interpreters hear the same correction from doctors every week: botox relaxes a muscle. If the thing you dislike is not made by a muscle, the injection will not move it. A square jaw made of bone stays square. A nose that is wide because of cartilage stays wide.
This guide goes area by area, using what dermatologists in Gangnam actually explain across the desk: what the muscle does, what changes, how long it takes, and where people are most often disappointed.
What a realistic before and after looks like, by area
| Area | What actually changes | Visible from | Usual duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Masseter (jaw) | The bulge at the jaw angle softens, so the lower face narrows | 4–8 weeks | 4–6 months, longer with repeat rounds |
| Forehead | Horizontal lines flatten; brows can drop if dosed high | 3–7 days | 3–4 months |
| Glabella (frown) | The vertical line between the brows softens | 3–7 days | 3–4 months |
| Under eyes | Fine crinkling flattens a little; a puffy jelly roll under the lash line relaxes | 3–7 days | 2–3 months |
| Nose | The tip drops less when you smile; nostril flare reduces | 5–10 days | 3–4 months |
| Jowls and neck band | The downward pull on the jaw edge eases, giving a slightly cleaner line | 1–2 weeks | 3–4 months |
| Skin botox (glass skin) | Pores and oil look smaller, skin reflects light more evenly | 2–3 weeks | 2–3 months |
Two patterns in that table decide most of the disappointment. Anything on the upper face works in days, because those muscles pull skin directly. Anything that depends on a muscle shrinking — masseter, calves, skin botox — takes weeks, so you will be home before you see it.
Masseter, jaw and TMJ: the slow one
Masseter botox is the single most requested injection in Seoul, and the one most often judged too early. The chewing muscle has to atrophy from disuse, which takes four to eight weeks. Photos at day 10 show nothing. Photos at week 8 show a narrower lower face.
The same injection is used for jaw clenching and grinding, which is why people search for TMJ botox. Clinics in Korea treat it as a muscle problem first: relax the masseter, see whether the morning jaw ache and the headache change. It does not repair a damaged joint, and a dentist should still check your bite.
Masseter botox gone wrong usually means one of three things: an uneven result because the two sides were dosed the same when they are not the same size, a hollow sunken look under the cheekbone from too much over several rounds, or a chewing muscle that tires on hard food for a few weeks. All three fade. None of them are emergencies. Our full comparison of muscle, fat and bone is in the Korean jawline guide.
Forehead, brows and the square jawline myth
The forehead muscle is the only one that lifts your brows. Relax all of it and the lines go, but the brows sit lower and the eyes can feel heavy. Korean dermatologists tend to dose the forehead lightly and treat the frown lines more firmly, because the frown muscle pulls brows down, so relaxing it lifts.
If you raise your eyebrows and the outer part shoots up like a peak, that is usually an uneven forehead dose. It settles, and a small touch-up at the outer edge fixes it sooner. Ask for the touch-up appointment before you fly, not after.
A square jawline from clenching responds to masseter injections. A square jawline from a wide mandible does not. If your face reads square mostly at the cheekbones rather than the jaw, read the cheekbone and chin guide before you book anything.
Under eyes, nose and jowls: the small-dose areas
- Under eyes. A few small units soften the crinkle when you smile. It does not treat dark circles or an eye bag made of fat, which needs under-eye fat repositioning.
- Nose. A nose lift with botox relaxes the muscle that pulls the tip down when you talk, and can narrow flaring nostrils a little. It does not change bone or cartilage. If you want the bridge or tip changed, that is rhinoplasty.
- Jowls and neck bands. Small doses along the jaw edge and the neck cords take some downward pull off the jawline. It is a subtle effect that suits early sagging, not loose skin.
- Full face botox. Usually means forehead, frown, crow's feet and masseter in one visit. It reads as rested, not reshaped. Anyone promising a reshaped face from injections alone is overselling.
Barbie botox is the online name for injecting the trapezius, the muscle running from neck to shoulder. It is popular because it makes the neck look longer in photos. It is a large muscle, doses are high, and the effect on posture and shoulder strength varies. A conservative clinic will discuss how much you lift or carry before agreeing.
Skin botox and glass skin
Glass skin botox, sometimes called skin botox or micro-botox, is a very dilute dose placed shallow across the cheeks and nose. It targets oil glands and pore appearance rather than expression. Skin looks smoother in reflected light within two to three weeks, and it wears off faster than standard botox because the dose is small.
It is often sold inside a package with a skin booster or a laser. That is not automatically wrong, but you should be able to see each item priced separately on the quote. Compare it against the other routes in Korean skin treatments compared, and see the botox page for the estimated range and visit count.
How to judge your own before and after honestly
- Take the before photo in the clinic, in the same light, the day you inject. Front, three-quarter and profile.
- Take one relaxed and one making the expression you dislike. Muscle areas only show a difference in the second one.
- Diary the dose. Units and brand, per area. Without it, the next doctor is starting from nothing.
- Wait the right number of weeks before you judge: one to two for the upper face, six to eight for the masseter.
- Repeat the photo at the same time of day. Morning faces are puffier, and that alone can undo a real result.
One last thing that only comes up in the room. Korean clinics inject a range of domestic and imported toxins, and the unit counts are not interchangeable between brands. Write down which one you were given, because a switch is the most common reason a second round feels weaker than the first. The brands and what separates them are in the Korean botox brands guide.
