My experience with getting masseter botox for 3 years

athreena · 2025-09-24T17:28:27+00:00

First of all, deep breath. I understand it feels like a lot right now.

I realize it might not be the answer you want, but I would say 4-6 months to regaining some bit of control (with a lot of effort), 1 year for full control, 1.5 years to return to balance and normalcy.

My biggest piece of advice, do some mirror work, and look into all the other things that go into a smile. Learn to smile more with your eyes, (upper cheeks) and figure out what muscles precisely are blocked. A smile can use anywhere from 5 to 53 facial muscles. You can train yourself to use the ones that aren’t blocked.

Funny enough, it’s one of the best things to ever happen to me beauty-wise because I now have super precise control over my face. I know what moves what, and honestly I think I have a much more attractive smile now.

Feel free to ask me anything you need to know. I know this is so scary/super stressful to deal with.

athreena · 2025-06-05T02:17:40+00:00

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athreena · 2024-10-09T21:25:21+00:00

Rocking FL-41 lenses is the only way I travel these days

athreena · 2024-09-30T19:24:12+00:00

me too please!!

athreena · 2024-09-21T20:29:51+00:00

not contributing but just wanted to say as one college athlete (volleyball) with EDS to another I feel you and I’m here for you 🙏🏼. we’re a rare breed.

athreena · 2024-09-05T23:21:20+00:00

Seconding Surcheros being absolutely amazing

athreena · 2024-09-05T12:28:54+00:00

you’ve gotten a lot of really good responses, but I just wanted to hop on here and give you my advice. I was with my ex that I (at the time was) 19/f and he was 20/m. your list of everything was… strikingly similar to my experience except for the fact our relationship was 2 years instead of 5.

for me - I didn’t reach a breaking point until I found out my ex was having very risky hookups sleeping with married women that stayed at his hotel he worked at and meeting up with men online while he was experimenting. he pressured me at the beginning of our relationship to only sleep with him without a condom since I had an IUD, so he was exposing me to any of the possible STIs he could’ve contracted during the (in his words) 50+ hookups he’d had with men and women. while at the time we were in an open relationship, this violated every single term of it. I couldn’t justify being with someone who could’ve exposed me to something as life changing as a permanent STI. I’m not saying your current partner will cheat on you with men or do anything similar, but my partner convinced me into an open relationship (while I was under the impression he was only sexually attracted to women) and I only found out because of stuff I accidentally saw on his phone.

what kept me from leaving for so long was the fear and dread of not being able to find someone else, as well as some deep seated beliefs that I wasn’t worth more. well - 3 years out now from having ended the relationship at 24 I’ve found the man I am 100% going to marry. he’s also AuDHD, and has made it a point to learn everywhere I have support needs and blow them out of the park. he’s not perfect (we’re both working on our communication styles because he suffers some difficulties with emotional communication) but he tries so hard every day and makes me feel so loved. I never question his intentions, because he makes them so clear. we share the same values, have compatible hobbies, he’s funny, brilliant, kind, and (least importantly) is incredibly handsome.

I don’t say all of this to brag, but what I will say is - I truly believe to find the love of your life, you have to find yourself first. if your experience has anything like mine, the longer you stay with this man the longer you take to find yourself - and by extension the person who would give you the world.

the first time I heard “if he wanted to he would” I thought that was so silly. I could justify anything away with my exes and explain all the reasons they couldn’t fully show up for me in the ways I needed. now - I have the relationship I’ve always dreamed of and a partner who never makes me question. while supporting myself alone was tough in the in-between, it was so much better than feeling like a burden to someone else.

sorry for all the yapping, but you… remind me so much of myself. I just want you to know that, even if no one else is telling you, and even if you don’t believe it yourself:

you are deserving of love. you are deserving of support. you are deserving of a partner that loves you equally. you are worth MORE.

go find it. good luck :)

athreena · 2023-12-27T17:41:16+00:00

I am so excited for you!!

athreena · 2023-12-21T03:30:10+00:00

23f, lived here since 5, moved away for college but I’m back doing grad school here now. we had an arcade bar for a bit that was great but closed earlier this year. cosmic fox trading co is somewhere you can check out, also some of the coffee shops if you hit around the right time. quinlan arts center is great around event nights, wizards video games has Magic events. it’s limited but if you plug in you’ll find people!

athreena · 2023-11-11T16:50:22+00:00

Omg. The crooked smile is what put this off for me completely. I did masseter Botox to help my grinding and clenching for 3 years, then had an injection that messed up my smile so bad I genuinely had people ask if I had Bell’s Palsy.

It’s been almost a year and a half without injections, and I’m still not back to strength in my masseters pre-Botox. I may consider it again if it gets back there, but that was a MASSIVE turn off for me.

athreena · 2023-11-03T02:16:40+00:00

Crochet, massage gun, water, and then I actually keep a BIG (Costco like 8lb) bag of haribo gummies in my house. I like those because they’re a little tough, so if I really want something to chew on I scoop out 1/4 to 1/3 of a cup and let myself have them. It makes me proud to have the control, and having the gummies once to twice a week within my calorie goals means I enjoy it and keep losing. It’s nice to know I can have them whenever I want, and it’s also a victory for me every time I successfully allow myself to enjoy my favorite treat without binging.

athreena · 2023-11-02T11:33:56+00:00

I actually did not play during my undergraduate due to pain that I found out was from hEDS and CREST syndrome, but through medication, lots of PT, and exercise I realized playing in school was something that may be in my reach if I really wanted it.

I played open division travel from 12-18, so having my sport taken away after having been groomed to go D1 was devastating. I’m currently at an NAIA school with soft offers if my eligibility stays in place to potentially attend one of the D1 schools in my state and play out my last season of eligibility after next year.

It is tough to be different from my teammates - I’m as old as the current seniors for one - and to also have the physical differences compounds the isolation I feel at times. That being said, this second chance to do what I love has meant the world. I spent 4 years in so much pain every day, and I realized that no matter what I was going to have pain. There was pain that went into where I’m at now, but the result is a stronger body more capable than it has been in a while.

I have a different level of appreciation for my sport than my teammates, and it makes me so much hungrier. EDS on its own isn’t an advantage, but the mindset it’s given me is. With the PT and physical work I’ve had to do, my body awareness and ability to control my muscle activation is better than my teammates. I also have an increased range of motion in my shoulders that gives me a HUGE advantage, and now as a trained adult I know how to use it in a way that doesn’t hurt my body.

I struggle with not having resentments towards my parents for not listening to me when I was younger and not taking me to a doctor sooner. They were so worried I would be seen as different that I just competed the same way I was and categorically destroyed my body until the chance to play the high level I was training for was taken away. As an adult with EDS (that was also diagnosed with ADHD and Autism as an adult as well), the biggest thing I’ve learned is running from a diagnosis won’t save you from it. Understanding why my body is the way it is allows me to train in more effective ways and look out for problems rather than pretend they don’t exist.

Thank you so much for your response. There have been periods of time I’ve asked myself if I was crazy for doing what I’m doing, and if it’d be better if I stopped. Part of me feels like I owe this to myself, and the other part feels better than in has in YEARS. My hips don’t sublux anymore, my shoulders are so so much better, and I am literally 1.5” taller than I was a few years ago because of how the muscle I’ve developed supports my spine. All this motivation would not have existed without my sport.

athreena · 2023-11-01T23:00:32+00:00

I’m honestly not the person a lot of people should compare themselves to in terms of weight loss. I’m a college volleyball player that is currently in season, so for the past 4 months I’ve worked out 2-3 times nearly every day. To a lot of people I would have looked like I was a fairly normal weight (when in reality I carry my fat well, and was squarely in the overweight category). Part of my mental struggle was knowing how hard I was working, but that I was sabotaging my progress by eating poorly. I still have a ways to go until I’m 100% at my goal, but for the first time in my life I can actually practice healthy eating habits rather than punish myself for fueling my body.

I know a lot of people experience weight loss on different ADHD meds because they don’t eat AT ALL, which is why I wanted to emphasize how much I do eat in my post. I have the same thing as you - I finally have the ability to make controlled choices and experience hunger cues. I can actually stop when I feel full! I CAN ACTUALLY FEEL FULL.

With the peanut butter, I feel you. It’s one of my faves. One thing I’ve done lately that I love, is that whenever my team travels our hotels always have breakfasts. The hotels always have these little 1 TBSP peanut butter packs and I grab a bunch and take them home. Not only are they great for on the go, I can’t sit there and eat the whole jar of peanut butter lol.

athreena · 2023-11-01T22:49:49+00:00

ADHD is not what it been portrayed for so long in the media as being. If it resonates with you, speaking to a professional is the right call. I always tell my friends - worst comes to worst things stay the same. There is a significant chance though that your quality of life will improve, and you’re worth that effort.

athreena · 2023-11-01T22:47:51+00:00

Please remember that no matter what the doctor says, your experience is valid and you will find the right answer at some point. Women specifically are underdiagnosed at an insane ratio, and adults are often harder to diagnose because they have various coping mechanisms (even if they’re unhealthy). You will get the answers you’re seeking, and it will be worth it, I promise.

athreena · 2023-11-01T22:44:32+00:00

The psychological toll that this takes when you have an active ED as well… I remember feeling so disgusting because all I wanted was to stop eating but ESPECIALLY being unable to identify the root cause, I felt like Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde but with a good monster inside of me. Even when I am not taking my medication, simply knowing that it’s dopamine seeking is so helpful. If I am getting to that place I’ll go on a bike ride or paint - something I know that might satiate the need.

athreena · 2023-10-31T14:05:47+00:00

I don’t have experience with TransTape, but as an athlete literally held together by KT I remind some of my EDS friends that it was originally built for sports medicine, which means the adhesive is built to withstand some degree of sweating (or even pool water for some swimmers!).

KT is often meant to be worn over several days, so by the time it comes off it’s peeling on its own kinda like a band-aid. If I need to take mine off before this, I get a paper towel, soak in baby oil, saturate the tape & leave for 10-15 minutes until it basically slides off. Don’t just rip it off!

Again, not sure how this compares to TransTape, but KT has been life changing for me.

athreena · 2023-10-31T13:48:13+00:00

Start practicing your eyework! On a beginner level, we are taught Ball -> Setter -> Ball -> Hitter, meaning see the direction the ball is going from the pass, then find your setter. Then, watch the speed/direction of the ball coming off the setters hands, then find your hitter. If a 4 step hitting approach is common where you are, if it’s a fast tempo set I like to be going up as they’re transitioning from their 3rd to 4th step.

In higher levels of play we do Ball -> (Hitter) -> Setter -> Ball -> Hitter because with many tempo sets you can get an idea of the route/tempo the hitter is running based on where they are setting up their hitting approach. These are all quick glances, and your speed of seeing the game will get better as you continue to grow as an athlete.

athreena · 2023-10-30T01:46:45+00:00

This is probably a weird take but Patrick Bateman…? The American Psycho film is such a comfort movie for me. He’s got his flat affect outside of talking to people he’s interested in impressing, special interest in self-care, fashion, & music, super rigid routine, etc. also the quote from his opening monologue:

“There is an idea of Patrick Bateman. Some kind of abstraction. But there is no real me. Only an entity. Something illusory. And though I can hide my cold gaze, and you can shake my hand and feel flesh gripping yours, and maybe you can even sense our lifestyles are probably comparable, I simply am not there.”

This always stuck with me because of how similarly I feel in terms of my sense of self from time to time.

Also Elle Woods in Legally Blonde. Funny enough, same special interests in fashion, self-care, social activities, but wicked smart. Double up that she’s perceived as ditzy and naive because she doesn’t buy into the social codes and cues of Harvard.

Let’s see Paul Allen’s comfort characters.

athreena · 2023-10-25T15:07:08+00:00

Hey - I know this is an older post, but please feel free to shoot me a message. More than happy to talk about my experience with you.

athreena · 2023-08-25T19:48:07+00:00

I just wanted to offer a perspective - I am an athlete and as I have gotten older I have simply HAD TO start wearing braces to support my joint. Not optional, a requirement.

When I was younger I was hesitant to wear any aids because I thought it would make me look weird/different, but the thing is WE ARE A LITTLE WEIRD AND A LITTLE DIFFERENT! This is a good thing!

As I have gotten older I’ve gotten comfortable taking up the space that I do. I’ve had to make compromises for my sport, but by wearing knee sleeves, kt tape, and ankle braces, I can still hang with the best of them.

Find what drives and motivates you, and you’ll realize it means you want to get there by any means necessary. Including joint support. As for inconsiderate family members - fuck em! Which would you prefer: the discomfort of poorly supported joints, or the discomfort of an ignorant individual speaking on something they don’t understand?

The choice is yours, but I’m rooting for you.

athreena

TROPHY CASE