‘I had 12 vials of Botox injected into my face at age 24 – but it had nothing to do with my looks’

Sofia Stidham was just 21 when she started noticing a “sharp pain” in her jaw that wouldn’t go away.

“I tried to ignore it,” said the London teenager, now 22 Independent. “But every time I ate or opened my mouth it was very, very painful.”

Ms. Stidham said the pain was so deep in her jaw that she thought it must be a problem with her wisdom teeth.

“But I went to two different dentists and they both told me they couldn’t see anything wrong,” he said. “I almost felt like I was making this up, but the pain was so sharp, so severe, and so constant that I would rather break my foot than go through that pain.”

Ms. Stidham was so desperate for answers that she eventually consulted a private maxillofacial surgeon who specializes in the face, jaw and neck.

Later, after many x-rays and MRIs, he was told he had stage four TMJ; This was something he had never heard before.

Temporomandibular joint disorder, often called TMJ, affects the jaw joint and surrounding muscles. Symptoms include jaw or facial pain, clicking or grinding noises, headaches, and locking.

The condition affects close to 6.7 million Britons in the UK, and women are twice as likely to experience symptoms compared to men, according to the NHS. The disorder is classified into stages 1 through 5, ranging from mild jaw pain to jawbone arthritis and, at its worst, extreme facial pain.

Dr., an oral surgeon at 107 Harley Street in London. “The onset of this condition is often triggered by stress; affected individuals subconsciously clench or grind their teeth,” explained Chief Amini.

Constant tension causes extreme pain in the muscles around your jaw and can radiate to your inner ear, temples, neck and even your back.

“I have recently seen an increase in the number of young women seeking treatment for TMJ: I currently care for approximately 80 female patients each month experiencing TMJ-related pain,” Dr Amini added.

“While we don’t know why young women are experiencing this more, the stresses of daily life are certainly a primary contributor to this increase.”

While not a “quick fix,” a popular treatment to relieve symptoms is Botulinum Toxin-A, branded as Botox, a purified neurotoxin that also acts as a muscle relaxant.

More commonly used in cosmetic contexts, Botox’s muscle-relaxing properties are often used to prevent wrinkles. But in cases of TMJ, injecting Botox into the muscles around the jaw partially paralyzes them and prevents them from contracting too much, which can relieve symptoms.

Ms Stidham said: “I was shocked when I was offered Botox. It’s still seen as a cosmetic treatment and I wonder, ‘What if my face changes completely?’ “I was thinking.”

But he chose to pursue it because he “had no choice.” “Honestly, it was life changing. It helped with the pain like nothing else has,” he added.

28-year-old Meryem Osman was diagnosed with TMJ by chance after experiencing headaches and jaw pain for months. During a routine dental exam, the dentist noticed some damage to his teeth and gave him a mouth guard to prevent him from grinding his teeth.

However, the tension in his jaw was so strong that it shattered in his mouth a day later.

Ms Osman from Surrey said: Independent: “I spent the next two years in chronic pain – my face began to swell due to the pressure exerted by my jaw. It was unbearable and when I was 24, 12 bottles of Botox were injected into my face.”

Noting how difficult it is to access TMJ treatment on the NHS, both Ms Osman and Ms Stidham opted to seek private treatment, which can cost up to £300.

According to the Trigeminal Neuralgia Association (TNA UK), which supports people with severe facial pain, a lack of knowledge about TMJ remains a barrier to young people seeking help.

Aneeta Prem, CEO of TNA UK, said: Independent: “We regularly hear from people who feel scared, isolated and switched between services without being able to access the right help.

“Our survey found that among those experiencing TMJ or TMD, [a related condition which causes facial pain]”34 percent said they were considering suicide.”

He emphasized the need to raise awareness of TMJ to improve access to specialists who understand facial pain.

“It’s almost crazy to me that none of the healthcare professionals I visited could detect that I had TMJ,” Ms. Stidham concluded.

“But it also highlights how little research we do on health issues affecting women.

“There still seems to be a lot to do in improving women’s healthcare – TMJ affects many women and at a significantly higher rate than men, but we know very little about it – it just shows we have a long way to go.”

If you are experiencing feelings of distress or finding it difficult to cope, you can speak to Samaritans confidentially on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org or visit . Samaritans Website to find details of your nearest branch.

If you are a US resident and you or someone you know needs mental health help right now, call or text 988 or visit: 988lifeline.org To access online chat on the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. This is a free, confidential crisis helpline available to anyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you are in another country you can go www.befrienders.org To find a helpline near you.