Botulinum toxin treatment, widely known by the brand name Botox®, is one of the most established injectable treatments in modern aesthetic medicine. By gently relaxing targeted facial muscles, it softens expression lines, refines the lower-face contour, and addresses concerns such as excessive sweating. At La Belle mira clinic, we treat botulinum toxin as a precise medical procedure — not a casual cosmetic — and design every treatment around your individual anatomy, expression, and goals.

Who This Treatment Is For

This treatment may be a good fit if you would like to:

• Soften expression wrinkles on the forehead, around the eyes (crow’s feet), between the brows (frown lines / glabellar lines), or on the neck
• Refine the lower-face contour by reducing a prominent jaw caused by an enlarged masseter muscle (often called “masseter Botox” or jaw-slimming)
• Reduce excessive sweating or odor in the underarms, palms, soles, or scalp
• Ease shoulder and neck tension caused by chronic muscle tightness
• Slim the calves by softening the gastrocnemius muscle
• Lift the corners of the mouth, soften the chin (mentalis), or fine-tune facial expression balance

Indications

Botulinum toxin is a treatment that adjusts muscle activity. It is well suited to concerns that arise from muscle movement or muscle bulk, including:

• Dynamic wrinkles (forehead lines, glabellar lines, crow’s feet, bunny lines on the nose, perioral lines, chin “cobblestone” texture, neck platysmal bands)
• Masseter muscle hypertrophy creating a wide or angular lower face
• Primary hyperhidrosis (axillary, palmar, plantar, scalp)
• Bruxism (teeth grinding / jaw clenching) and related discomfort
• Calf muscle hypertrophy
• Asymmetry of expression caused by uneven muscle activity

Static wrinkles already etched into the skin, deep volume loss, or sagging caused by skeletal and ligament changes are usually better addressed with hyaluronic acid or combined treatments. We will explain the most appropriate option during your consultation.

Effects

Smoothing of Expression Lines

Wrinkles on the forehead, between the brows, and at the outer eyes are formed when underlying muscles repeatedly contract and fold the skin. By precisely modulating these muscles, botulinum toxin allows the skin above to relax and smooth out. Lines tend to fade gradually over the first one to two weeks after treatment.
At our clinic, we calculate the dose and injection points carefully so that wrinkles soften while natural expression is preserved. For patients who prefer an even more subtle finish, we also offer micro-Botox (intradermal injection technique), which softens fine lines while keeping the underlying expression mobile.

Lower-Face Slimming (Masseter / Jaw Botox)

A square or wide lower face is often the result of an enlarged masseter muscle, frequently associated with clenching or grinding. Reducing the activity of the masseter gradually shrinks the muscle, refining the jawline and softening the overall facial silhouette. The slimming effect typically becomes visible from around four weeks after treatment and continues to refine over the following months.
In addition to a slimmer contour, many patients notice that nighttime clenching, jaw fatigue, and tension headaches related to bruxism become noticeably easier.

Reduction of Excessive Sweating

Botulinum toxin temporarily blocks the nerve signals that activate sweat glands. This can significantly reduce uncomfortable underarm sweating and odor, as well as palmar, plantar, and scalp sweating. A single session before summer often allows patients to spend the warmer months free from the daily worry of sweat marks and odor.

Other Applications

• Relief of chronic shoulder and neck stiffness when caused by muscular tension
• Calf slimming for those with a prominent gastrocnemius muscle
• Subtle elevation of the corners of the mouth (DAO injection)
• Smoothing of a “pebbled” or dimpled chin (mentalis injection)
• Reduction of a gummy smile

Each application requires its own dosing and injection technique. Some indications are off-label (i.e., outside the formally approved use of the product in Japan). We will discuss expected effects, limitations, and alternatives in detail during your consultation so that you can make a fully informed decision.

Duration of Effects

• Effects of botulinum toxin are not permanent. The active substance is gradually metabolized by the body, and muscle activity slowly returns. While individual response varies, the following timing is typical:
•  Onset: visible smoothing of wrinkles around 3–7 days after injection, with the full effect at approximately 1–2 weeks
•  Wrinkle treatment: meaningful effect for about 3–4 months; many patients choose to repeat treatment every 4–6 months
•  Masseter / calf slimming: the muscle itself becomes thinner over several months, so the visible effect tends to last longer than for facial wrinkles
•  Hyperhidrosis: a single treatment before summer often controls excessive sweating for one season

With regular treatment, many patients find that wrinkles become progressively softer at baseline, because the skin spends less time being repeatedly folded.

Products We Use

We use only legitimate, properly distributed botulinum toxin products approved by the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. The quality, purity, and consistency of the product directly influence both safety and the predictability of the result, so we never compromise on the source of our medication.

Botox® Vista (Allergan / AbbVie)

Botox® Vista is approved in Japan for the treatment of glabellar lines (between the brows) and crow’s feet, with decades of global clinical evidence behind it. We also use the same product, off-label and based on extensive clinical data, for other commonly requested indications such as forehead lines, masseter slimming, hyperhidrosis, and other facial fine-tuning. The director of our clinic is an Allergan-certified Trainer & Faculty for injectable treatment in Japan.
“Botox®” is a registered trademark of Allergan / AbbVie. Other products of the same drug class (botulinum toxin type A) exist on the global market, but we have selected Botox® Vista as our primary product based on the consistency of its clinical effect and its safety record.

Treatments That Pair Well with Botox

Hyaluronic Acid Injection

Aging shows itself as both wrinkles and volume loss / sagging. Botulinum toxin softens wrinkles caused by muscle movement, while hyaluronic acid restores the underlying structure that has been lost. Used together, they form one of the most effective non-surgical anti-aging strategies, addressing the surface and the foundation of the face at the same time.
A typical example: hyaluronic acid is used to lift sagging cheeks and refine the jawline, while botulinum toxin softens the masseter that has flared outward in compensation. The result is a more refined, harmonious lower face than either treatment alone could achieve.

Skin Treatments

Once dynamic wrinkles are softened with botulinum toxin, skin-quality treatments such as photo-rejuvenation, peeling, or topical care become more visibly effective, because the skin is no longer being folded repeatedly along the same lines.

Treatable Areas

• Forehead lines
• Glabellar (frown) lines between the brows
•  Crow’s feet at the outer corners of the eyes
•  Bunny lines on the bridge of the nose
•  Perioral lines and a “gummy smile”
•  Chin (mentalis) for cobblestone texture or a strong chin pad
•  Jawline / masseter for lower-face slimming
•  Neck platysmal bands
•  Underarms, palms, soles, and scalp for hyperhidrosis
•  Shoulders (trapezius) and calves for muscle bulk reduction

Examples of Unsatisfactory Outcomes

Heavy or Frozen Expression

When too much product is placed in the forehead, the frontalis muscle that holds the brows up is over-relaxed. This can leave the brows feeling heavy, the eyelids drooping, and the overall expression flat. The forehead is one of the areas most easily over-treated, and dose, depth, and injection points must be tailored to each patient’s brow anatomy and habitual expression.

Loss of Natural Smile

Around the crow’s feet and lower face, injecting at the wrong depth can affect muscles that are essential to a natural smile. The result is an unnatural or “stiff” expression. Avoiding this requires precise knowledge of facial anatomy and careful technique, which is why we deliberately limit dose and depth at our clinic.

Inconsistent Effect

If the underlying product has unstable potency — for example, due to non-genuine, improperly stored, or grey-market product — the result can be too weak, too strong, or asymmetric. Using a properly distributed, approved product is one of the simplest and most important ways to avoid this problem.

Why These Outcomes Are Avoidable

At La Belle mira clinic, we choose dose, depth, and injection points based on each patient’s anatomy and expression, and we use only legitimate, approved product. We also see follow-up appointments as part of the treatment, not an add-on, so that any fine adjustment can be made before the result settles.

Side Effects and Complications

Any injection treatment carries some risk. Botulinum toxin is one of the most studied injectables in modern medicine, and serious complications are rare, but they are not zero. We take time to explain the following so that you can make a fully informed decision before treatment.

Common, Usually Self-Limiting

• Pinpoint redness, swelling, or bruising at the injection site, usually resolving within several days
• A mild “heavy” feeling around the treated muscle for the first 1–2 weeks
• Transient mild headache, especially after a first treatment

Less Common

• Asymmetry of expression that may require a small touch-up dose
• Eyelid or brow heaviness when the forehead is over-treated
• Temporary difficulty smiling fully after treatment near the lower face
• Allergic reactions, which are rare for botulinum toxin itself

Contraindications

• Pregnancy or breastfeeding
• Neuromuscular disorders such as myasthenia gravis, ALS, or Lambert–Eaton syndrome
• Active infection or inflammation at the planned injection site
• Known allergy to botulinum toxin or any product component

If any of the above apply, please let us know during your consultation. We will explore alternative treatments that may suit you better.

Free Consultation

At La Belle mira clinic, the initial consultation is free of charge. We treat consultation not as a sales opportunity but as an opportunity for you to fully understand the treatment — what it can and cannot do, what risks are involved, and what alternatives exist — before making any decision.
Whether you are considering your first ever injectable treatment, or looking for a second opinion after treatment elsewhere, you are welcome to come and talk with us. There is no obligation to proceed with any treatment on the day.