Chin Botox (Mentalis) in Irvine, CA — Smooth a Dimpled “Pebble” Chin

The mentalis is one muscle. It originates from the mandible just below the lower incisors and inserts into the skin of the chin point. When it contracts, it pulls the chin pad upward and protrudes the lower lip slightly — a normal expression, used in everything from pursing the lips to closing the mouth during swallow. In patients with an overactive mentalis, that contraction is exaggerated even on a light smile or neutral animation, and the skin overlying the muscle bunches into the cobblestone, orange-peel, or pebble pattern that patients notice in photographs.

It sits alone at the midline. There is no contralateral pair like the LLSAN (lifts upper lip) or the zygomaticus (lifts the corner of the mouth), so asymmetric placement on the left versus right body of the mentalis can pull the lower lip to one side — the most common 'uneven results' complaint. The depressor labii inferioris sits just lateral and below, and the orbicularis oris forms the border of the lip itself — both must be spared for normal speech, swallowing, and lower-lip closure.

This is the anatomical reason chin Botox uses a tiny dose, placed centrally, in the body of the mentalis only — not at the lip border, not laterally, not at depth against the bone. The aim is to relax the bunching without flattening the chin's natural role in animation.

Dr. Munib uses one of two placement patterns depending on where the dimpling sits. A single midline injection — placed about 5 mm above the chin point, in the bulk of the mentalis — suits central, focal dimpling. A two-point paramedian pattern — one on each side of midline, also about 5 mm above the chin point — suits dimpling that spreads laterally on animation. The needle is superficial, into the upper portion of the muscle, not deep against the mandible.

Placement is measured against your specific chin pad, not a textbook diagram. The vertical distance from the lower lip border to the chin point varies, the lateral spread of the mentalis varies, and the depth of the soft tissue overlying the muscle varies. A placement that works on a short-chin patient may be too high on a long-chin patient.

Conservative dosing matters because the mentalis is a working muscle: it stabilizes the lower lip during speech and swallow. Over-relaxation reads as a 'long lip' or weak lower-lip seal, which patients dislike more than the original dimpling. Numbing cream is applied beforehand. The injection itself takes a few minutes.

Chin Botox is priced per unit at Spectrum Skin Clinic. A typical first visit uses 2 to 6 units of botulinum toxin total — the toxin charge plus a per-visit fee. Because the dose is small, chin Botox is often one of the least expensive single-area Botox treatments offered.

Pricing is given exactly at consultation, once your dosing pattern is confirmed. The right dose for your anatomy is not the same as the cheapest dose: under-dosing produces a partial smoothing that wears off faster, and over-dosing produces the weak-lower-lip complication patients dislike. A touch-up at two weeks is included in the first-visit fee.

Combined treatments — chin Botox plus chin filler for a pebble-and-recessed presentation, or chin Botox plus masseter Botox for jawline tone — are quoted by total units and milliliters.

Not every chin concern is mentalis. The chin has four distinct anatomical compartments, and each responds to a different tool. Treating the wrong compartment produces no result — and burns budget on a tool the problem was never going to respond to.

Muscular (mentalis overactivity): the chin pad bunches on animation, creating cobblestone, orange-peel, or pebble texture. Botox helps.

Submental fullness ('double chin' from fat): fat sits below the mandible, between the jawline and the upper neck. This is not mentalis — it is the submental fat compartment. The treatment is fat reduction (Kybella deoxycholic acid injections, HIFU energy-based treatment, or surgical submental liposuction) — not Botox. Treating the mentalis on a submental-fat patient does nothing for the perceived double chin.

Skeletal (recessed or under-projected chin): the mandibular point is set back, so the chin reads as small or weak in profile, particularly on side view. This is managed with chin filler for added projection in the short term, or with an oral and maxillofacial genioplasty consultation when surgical projection is appropriate. Botox addresses muscle, not bone.

Skin laxity (loose skin under the jawline): crepey or sagging skin that does not move with muscle. This is a tightening question — HIFU, RF microneedling, or surgical lift — not a muscle question.

A patient with mixed presentation may benefit from Botox alongside another treatment, sequenced appropriately. Dr. Munib will tell you plainly which compartment your concern lives in, and which tool will actually move it.

Explore other Botox and chin/jaw treatments at Spectrum Skin Clinic in Irvine: Chin Filler, Chin Filler Dissolve, Jawline Filler, Masseter Botox, Nefertiti Lift, Marionette Lines Filler, DAO Botox, Gummy Smile Botox, Lip Flip with Botox, Forehead Botox, Glabella Botox, and Botox (overview).

For peer-reviewed aesthetic-medicine literature on mentalis Botox technique and the assessment of chin dimpling and creasing, see Harley Academy: Using Chin Botox to Address Dimpling and Creasing.

Schedule a consultation to find out whether a pebble chin is what you actually have — and whether Botox is the right tool for your chin concern. Dr. Sabeen Munib, MD evaluates your chin dynamically, identifies the compartment driving the issue (muscle, fat, bone, or skin), and tells you plainly which treatment will actually move it.

Spectrum Skin Clinic · 114 Pacifica, Suite 280, Irvine, CA 92618 · (949) 647-5234