We Reveal the Very Real Risks of Social Media's Obsession With Chiseled Jawlines
You train your biceps and they get more defined. Can the same be said about your face? That is the idea behind jaw trainers, which are all over social media as the interest in "facial fitness" grows.
There are impressive before-and-after photos circulating on TikTok of jawline transformations. Some people swear by mewing, a technique that involves sticking your tongue to the roof of your mouth. Others use jaw trainers and fitness chewing gum, which are meant to give your jaw muscles a workout.
The premise behind those trends is appealing: With discipline and consistency, you can transform the shape of your face and chisel your jawline without getting fillers or going under the knife.
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But do jaw trainers actually work? AskMen asked experts to weigh in on the trend. Here's what you need to know about the popular gadgets and whether you should be giving them a try.
Jaw trainers -- sometimes called jaw exercisers -- are silicone devices that you pop into your mouth and bite down on repeatedly. You typically start with a certain level of firmness and complete sets and reps on a weekly basis based on the product instructions, increasing the difficulty as you go. It's very similar to strength training in that way -- except for your jaw.
Take Jawzrsize, a popular facial fitness brand that makes jaw trainers. The brand offers both ready-to-go options and customizable ones that you boil, adjust to your mouth and cool down for a more personalized fit. The products come with training programs that get increasingly more challenging over several weeks.
So, can jaw trainers help sculpt your jawline? Let's unpack facial anatomy and what happens when you give your jaw muscles a workout through intentional chewing. Jaw trainers target one of the main muscles in your jaw: the masseter, which is involved in chewing.
"The major muscles involved with chewing involve the temporalis and masseter muscles. The temporalis sits up in the hairline above the ear, and it is probably obvious that building this muscle would do nothing for the jawline," according to double board-certified facial plastic surgeon Dr. Scott K. Thompson.
"The masseter muscle, on the other hand, rests just above the angled portion of the jaw. While building this muscle could make this portion of the jaw a bit wider, it has nothing to do with the overall jaw structure and size and contour of the jaw and neck."
In other words, jaw trainers work in some capacity, but it's limited. They may make your masseter muscle more prominent and give your jaw a slightly wider, more angular look -- if you don't have excess body fat in that area, that is.
That's right: Your masseter is only one part of the equation when it comes to having a sculpted jawline. "The well-defined jawline is created more from the size of the chin and by the lack of fullness in the neck," says Thompson.
When you combine a prominent chin with minimal excess fat, you've got a tight facial contour. Your soft tissue, muscles and glands in the neck also affect the look of your jawline, according to Thompson. "Some of these factors can be adjusted, and some are just fixed characteristics of facial anatomy."
If you want to enhance the appearance of your jawline, only an experienced facial cosmetic surgeon can share insights about what to focus on in your situation. Each person has unique features, after all. Some people get chin implants, liposuction, neck contouring and even facelifts to achieve results, adds Thompson.
In other words, jaw training can only get you so far if you're looking for radical changes.
Perhaps you'd be happy with a slightly tighter jawline but you don't care enough to start booking consultations with plastic surgeons. You may think that there is no harm in trying jaw trainers. But you should know that they come with potential downsides -- one of the biggest ones is the risk of temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders.
"The TMJ is a delicate joint that allows jaw movement, and excessive strain from repetitive biting can cause pain, stiffness, clicking sounds, and difficulty chewing," says Dr. Randy Kunik, DDS, founder of Kunik Orthodontics. "TMJ disorders can become chronic and require medical treatment."
Not to mention potential tooth and gum damage. According to Kunik, constant biting on a firm device places excessive pressure on your teeth and gums and can lead to enamel erosion, cracks and gum recession over time. If you've had dental work in the past, such as crowns or filling, you could even damage them.
When weighing the pros and cons of adopting facial fitness trends and gadgets, it's also important to consider your emotional well-being and mental health. Is your desire to sculpt your jawline coming from a healthy place? Or will it harm your body image?
Social media can perpetuate very limited, unrealistic attractiveness standards. Striving to achieve them can be a slippery slope in terms of your emotional well-being.
That said, if enhancing your jawline is truly a priority and you just want to do it for an extra confidence boost, you can try jaw trainers but proceed with caution -- overuse can cause all the issues mentioned above.