Pebble chin botox in Suwon: why do chin wrinkles form, and where are the injections placed?

If your chin bunches up into bumps like a walnut shell when you close your mouth or speak and it bothers you, it is worth first checking the movement of your chin muscle. A pebble chin is a condition in which the mentalis muscle at the chin below the lower lip contracts more strongly than necessary and pulls the skin above it upward, creating small bumps.

Pebble chin botox is a treatment that injects a small amount into this muscle to reduce its contraction force. However, if a short chin or a retruded chin is also present, reducing muscle strength alone leaves the shape of the chin unchanged, so we also consider chin filler to fill the lost volume. At our Suwon clinic, during consultation we watch you close your mouth and speak to first check the position of the muscle, the extent of the bumps, and whether the chin is retruded, and then decide the area and method.

In this article, we go through why a pebble chin forms, the types treated with botox and cases where filler is also considered, the injection points and treatment process, recovery care, and side effects.

Key points about pebble chin botox

• A pebble chin forms because the skin folds along with the chin muscle, which is attached directly to the skin, every time that muscle contracts strongly.
• If the bumps appear only when you move, muscle plays a large role; if indentations remain even when relaxed, volume loss is also present.
• The injections are placed symmetrically on the left and right in the mentalis at the lower center of the chin so they do not spread to surrounding muscles.
• Wrinkle botox lasts 2 to 3 months on average, and repeat injections are given at 3- to 4-month intervals as a guideline.

Why does a cobblestone chin occur?

The mentalis is a small paired muscle attached at the very center of the chin; when it contracts, it pulls the chin skin upward and pushes up the lower lip. This muscle is attached directly to the skin, so every time it tenses, the skin folds along with it, creating small bumps.

If your chin is retruded or short, your lips do not meet easily when you close your mouth, so the mentalis works more often and harder to push the lips up. Habits such as pressing your lips tightly together when tense or pulling up your lower lip when speaking also make you use the same muscle repeatedly.

As we age and fat and collagen in the chin decrease, the cushion between the muscle and the skin becomes thinner, making the bumps more noticeable. That is why a pebble chin is driven by habits and bone structure when you are young, and becomes more pronounced as volume loss is added with age.

Types of pebble chin treated with botox and cases where filler is also considered

Even with the same pebble chin, the approach differs depending on whether muscle contraction, volume loss, or bone structure plays the largest role.

When the lower jawbone itself protrudes forward, as in a protruding jaw, it is a matter of bone shape, so botox does not change the length or shape. Sometimes a chin that looks bunched and prominent because the chin muscle is tense is mistaken for a protruding jaw, so we distinguish between muscle and bone through an examination.

Where is cobblestone chin Botox injected?

How we determine the injection points

The injections are placed in the mentalis, slightly below the center of the chin and close to the jawbone. After having you close your mouth to check where it bulges most, we inject small amounts deeply at several symmetrical points on the left and right. If the position is too high or off to the side, the muscles that pull down the lower lip or the corners of the mouth can also weaken, causing the lips to move unevenly or speech to sound awkward, so we inject while palpating the position of the muscle.

The medication blocks the contraction signal sent from nerve endings to the muscle, preventing the mentalis from contracting strongly. Muscle strength begins to decrease over several days, and around 2 weeks we check how much the bumps that formed when closing the mouth have changed.

Treatment steps at our Suwon clinic

1. Personalized Consultation
2. Numbing Cream
3. Design
4. Disinfection
5. Treatment

The treatment is done in about 10 minutes, and you can return to daily life right away. When combined with other wrinkle areas such as the forehead, between the eyebrows, or around the eyes, the pebble chin can be chosen as one area in the Bespoke botox package. The effect lasts 2 to 3 months on average depending on how much you use your facial expressions and your lifestyle habits, and repeat injections are scheduled at 3- to 4-month intervals as a guideline, based on how much muscle movement has returned. If a retruded chin or indentations are also present, we plan a treatment to fill chin volume with hyaluronic acid filler on the same day or on a separate day, and filler lasts 6 to 12 months depending on the area and product.

View Wrinkle Botox Procedure Information

Recovery and care after pebble chin botox

• You can wash your face and wear makeup starting 2-3 hours after treatment.
• For 3–7 days after treatment, avoid heavy drinking, smoking, saunas and jjimjilbang, hot baths, and strenuous exercise to prevent inflammation.
• Do not rest your chin on your hand or rub your chin hard, and avoid strong massages or meridian massage for one month.
• If you also received chin filler, for 2 to 3 weeks avoid anything that presses on the treated area, such as sleeping face down or on your side, facial meridian massage, and dental treatment.

If you have a habit of pressing your lips tightly together, practicing keeping your lips and teeth slightly apart after treatment may help slow how quickly the muscle starts working hard again.

Side effects and precautions for pebble chin botox

Common reactions are small bruises and swelling at the injection sites, as well as bumpy raised marks (embossing). The embossing subsides within 2 to 3 hours but may remain for 1 to 2 days depending on skin condition, and bruising and swelling appear mildly and subside soon. Early after treatment, the medication may take effect at different speeds in each muscle, so the two sides may look slightly different, and reactions vary from person to person depending on muscle strength and chin structure.

In rare cases, if the medication spreads to surrounding muscles, the lower lip may move asymmetrically when you speak or drinking through a straw may feel awkward, and these return to normal as the effect wears off. If you also received chin filler, in rare cases the filler may block a blood vessel, causing skin color changes and severe pain. Please let us know before treatment if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, have a neuromuscular disease, or have ever had a hypersensitivity reaction to botulinum toxin.

If you cannot close your lips and drool, if it is uncomfortable enough that you spill food, if the injection sites become increasingly swollen and warm, or if the skin at the filler site turns white or purplish, please contact the clinic right away.

What do we check before pebble chin botox?

In these cases, start by having your chin muscle checked

• When I close my mouth, my chin becomes bumpy like a walnut shell.
• I have a habit of pulling up my lower lip when I speak or feel tense.
• Seen from the side, my chin sits well behind my lips.
• Fine wrinkles or indentations remain on my chin even when I relax.

If two or more of these apply, it is best to first check before treatment whether your pebble chin comes from muscle, volume, or bone structure. Whether to proceed, the method, and the scope of treatment are decided together during consultation after an examination by our medical staff.

In short, the key to a pebble chin is to separate chin muscle strength from volume loss, treating the muscle with botox and the missing volume with filler.

FAQ

Q. When does the effect of cobblestone chin Botox appear?

A. Muscle strength begins to decrease over several days, and around 2 weeks we check how much the bumps that formed when closing the mouth have changed. The effect lasts 2 to 3 months on average depending on how much you use your facial expressions and your lifestyle habits, and varies from person to person.

Q. How often should I get cobblestone chin Botox?

A. To maintain the effect, repeat injections are given at 3- to 4-month intervals as a guideline. Repeating at short intervals can lead to resistance to the medication, so the timing of the next treatment is decided based on how much muscle movement has returned.

Q. Do I need to get chin filler as well?

A. If there is only muscle contraction, we address the movement with botox, and if a retruded chin or indentations are also present, we add filler to fill the volume. Whether the chin looks short or indented even when relaxed is the dividing criterion, and we check it together through an examination.

Q. Can Botox reduce a protruding jaw too?

A. A protruding jaw, in which the lower jawbone juts forward, is a matter of bone shape, so botox does not change it. If the chin looks prominent because the chin muscle is bunched up, we first determine through an examination whether muscle or bone has the greater influence and then consider pebble chin botox.

Q. Can men get filler for a recessed chin too?

A. Men can also receive this treatment. Men's facial proportions differ from women's, so the injection position and amount are set to match the facial proportions so that the chin projects forward and the lower part looks more angular, and if a pebble chin is also present, we plan botox as well.

Q. How can I find out the cost of pebble chin botox?

A. The cost depends on the treatment area, the dose, and the type of product. We provide the details after confirming during consultation whether only the pebble chin will be treated or other wrinkle areas or chin filler will be added, and you can also check the items on the treatment information page.