Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2020 Oct:46 Suppl 1:S62-S70.
doi: 10.1097/DSS.0000000000002320.

Botulinum Toxin Injections for Leg Contouring in East Asians

Judy Cheng  1 , Hye Jin Chung  1 , Matthew Friedland  1 , Sarah Hahn Hsu  2
Affiliations
Review

Botulinum Toxin Injections for Leg Contouring in East Asians

Judy Cheng et al. Dermatol Surg. 2020 Oct.

Abstract

Background: A common aesthetic concern among East Asian women is enlarged calves. Although surgical resection has been a traditional treatment option, botulinum toxin injections into the gastrocnemius muscle are an emerging, noninvasive alternative.

Objective: To perform a literature review on botulinum toxin injections for leg contouring.

Materials and methods: A literature review was conducted using PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and Cochrane's CENTRAL database to identify articles relating to combinations of the terms botulinum toxin, gastrocnemius, calves, and leg contouring.

Results: Based on the limited publications to date, the authors prepared a review on how to treat an enlarged calf with botulinum toxin including injection techniques, anticipated efficacy, outcome monitoring, and potential side effects.

Conclusion: Botulinum toxin injections for calf reduction are an emerging, noninvasive treatment option. Studies to date suggest that it is an efficacious method with few immediate side effects. Future areas for investigation include defining the criteria for calf hypertrophy, minimum effective dosage of botulinum toxin, and the potential long-term effects of injections.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Han KH, Joo YH, Moon SE, Kim KH. Botulinum toxin A treatment for contouring of the lower leg. J Dermatolog Treat 2006;17:250–4.
    1. Seo K. Body contouring with botulinum toxin. In: Botulinum Toxin for Asians. Singapore: Springer; 2017; pp. 148–57.
    1. Schuman M. Some Korean women are taking great strides to show a little leg. Wall Street Journal. February 21, 2001.
    1. Wang H, Xu X, Sun Z, Luo S. Safety and efficacy of selective neurectomy of the gastrocnemius muscle for calf reduction in 300 cases. Aesthet Plast Surg 2015;39:674–9.
    1. Lee JT, Wang CH, Cheng LF, Lin CM, et al. Subtotal resection of gastrocnemius muscles for hypertrophic muscular calves in asians. Plast Reconstr Surg 2006;118:1472–83.

MeSH terms

Substances

LinkOut - more resources