Is Int Safe To Have Temporal Muscles Removed?

Q: Dr. Eppley, I’m reaching out to you again regarding the reduction of the temporal muscle and I have a question about it.The superior and inferior temporal muscles are both responsible for mastication. If I were to undergo a total removal of the superior temporal muscle, would the inferior temporal muscle, located around the cheek area, along with other muscles like the masseter, compensate for the activity of the superior temporal muscle? Would this result in these muscles gaining volume and becoming stronger over time, leading to a swelling of the cheeks and face? If so, is there another way to reduce the temporal area without removing the temporal muscle, such as altering the bone structure in this region, or by reducing the superior temporal muscle by 1 cm or less without fully removing it?

A: Your temporal muscle reduction questions are very common. While removing normal muscle seems like it would cause functional or compensatory muscle issues it does not. The proper terms are posterior and anterior components of the temporal muscle in which the entire posterior portion of the the muscles removed and a little of the anterior part. But this reduces 30% or less of the total temporal muscle volume which explains why no dysfunctional jaw motion results as well as no enlargement of the remaining muscle.

The temporal bone is fairly thin so its reduction does not make a significant difference in head width reduction plus it requires a visible scar along the side of the head above the ears. It is muscle removal which provides the greatest benefit in width reduction as well as can be done with no visible scar.

Dr. Barry Eppley

World-Renowned Plastic Surgeon