FIRST ON RADAR: Muse Aesthetics denies negligence allegations over patient’s facial paralysis complaint

Patient says an “excessive” Botox dose allegedly left her unable to smile and claims the clinic was unresponsive to her ₱244,000 demand.

A Botox treatment meant to slim the jawline has turned into a controversy for viral skin clinic Muse Aesthetics, after a patient claimed she developed facial paralysis following a 50-unit “jawtox” procedure at its Parañaque City branch.

Jawtox, a colloquial term for Botox injections into the masseter muscles along the jaw, is intended to relax those muscles and create a slimmer-looking jawline. The masseter muscles are responsible for chewing movements in the jaw.

The patient shared her experience in a Reddit post on August 17, claiming the doctor on duty administered the dosage as part of the clinic’s “standard operating procedure.”

The patient said she had undergone the procedure at another clinic before and was given only 20 units. Nonetheless, the doctor allegedly insisted on the higher dosage.

Jawtox works by introducing onabotulinumtoxinA, a neurotoxin that temporarily paralyzes the muscle, to slim and soften the jawline.

Pharmaceutical encyclopedia Drugs.com recommends using the lowest possible dose. The source places the optimal amount of jawtox at 20-30 units per side, or 40-60 units in total.

On its website, Muse Aesthetics lists masseter botox options as ₱12,000 for 50 units and ₱15,000 for 60 units. It is not indicated whether the listed dosage is overall or per side.

No longer able to smile

“Two weeks later, I woke up and could no longer smile. IT WAS TERRIFYING. The movement of my mouth and lips became restricted. My cheeks and lips would shake when I tried smiling, and even speaking and pronouncing certain words became strained,” the patient wrote.

Attending physicians at St Luke’s Medical Center reportedly attributed the condition to “the placement of the [botulinum toxin injections] and the substantially higher dosage,” wrote the patient.

The clinic allegedly promised a refund, but when the patient began sending medical findings and hospital receipts, Muse Aesthetics reportedly stopped responding.

Muse Aesthetics chief executive officer Cristina Anne Relucio said the clinic was already in the process of assisting the patient when the allegations suddenly went viral online.

Relucio denied the allegations of negligence by the clinic. She said legal action is now being taken in relation to the allegations.

“We did not ignore the patient. Our team communicated with her, offered follow-up assistance, and formally acknowledged her concerns. We also received a written demand seeking ₱244,000. While our legal team was reviewing the demand and relevant records, the allegations were posted publicly,” Relucio said in a Facebook post on August 19.

As the allegations gained traction online, the clinic issued a statement saying the claims had already been brought before the appropriate authorities and remained unverified.

“We are confident that the appropriate process will allow all parties to present their respective evidence and documentation fairly,” part of the clinic’s statement read.

Muse Aesthetics also urged the public to refrain from harassing its staff, physicians, partners, and clients as the controversy continued to unfold.

Muse Aesthetics operates four branches in Parañaque City, Mandaluyong City, Alabang in Muntinlupa City, and Malate in Manila. It specializes in non-invasive and surgical skin procedures.

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