Seoul
Chief MD, Gangnam
Duk-ha Kim
The trust our patients have placed in this clinic was built on conviction and principle. We intend to hold to both, unchanged, through the next hundred years.
Botulinum toxin treatment guide
Full-face Lifting Toxin
Full-face lifting toxin is a clinic package name, not an approved indication. This guide focuses on its newest component: in October 2024 the U.S. label for BOTOX Cosmetic added moderate to severe platysma bands, a neck-muscle indication, while neither toxin product approved in Korea lists that use — the reverse of the pattern where Korea approves a use before the United States does.
- Target tissue
- Platysma — the thin neck muscle behind vertical neck bands
- United States
- Approved for moderate to severe platysma bands — added to the label in October 2024
- Korea
- Not on record — the approved indications for Nabota and Meditoxin do not include platysma bands
- Pivotal trials
- Two randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials (M21-309, M21-310) — 408 on BOTOX Cosmetic vs 426 on placebo
What is full-face lifting toxin, and which muscle does the newest indication target?
Full-face lifting toxin is a clinic menu name, not a label term — it bundles several separately approved or off-label botulinum toxin type A injections across the upper, mid and lower face into one appointment. This page focuses on the newest addition to that bundle: the platysma, a thin, sheet-like muscle that runs down the front of the neck and produces the vertical bands sometimes visible under the jaw. In October 2024, the U.S. prescribing information for BOTOX Cosmetic (onabotulinumtoxinA) was revised to add an indication for moderate to severe platysma bands associated with platysma muscle activity. That single line is the only part of “full-face lifting” this page can verify — the menu name itself names no approved use anywhere.
How does a toxin injection change a neck muscle rather than a wrinkle?
Botulinum toxin type A blocks the release of acetylcholine at the neuromuscular junction wherever it is injected, so the treated muscle fibres contract less. In thin muscles of facial expression, weaker contraction reads as softer wrinkles; in the platysma, weaker contraction reads as looser, less visible vertical banding down the front of the neck. Nothing is removed and no bone or fat is touched — the effect recedes as nerve terminals recover. The same mechanism, applied to a different muscle, is why the platysma indication sits in its own paragraph on the U.S. label rather than folded into the wrinkle indications.
What exactly changed in the U.S. label in October 2024?
The FDA-approved prescribing information for BOTOX Cosmetic was revised to add “moderate to severe platysma bands associated with platysma muscle activity” as an indication, alongside the existing frown-line, crow’s-feet and forehead-line indications. The revision applies to one product, onabotulinumtoxinA marketed as BOTOX Cosmetic, and to one specific muscle, the platysma — it does not create a broader neck or lower-face approval, and it does not extend to any other toxin brand.
What doses does the U.S. label specify for platysma bands?
The label lists three total doses for this indication — 26, 31 or 36 Units — divided across injection points along the visible bands. These figures describe BOTOX Cosmetic’s own labelled units for this one indication; they are not a duration, an improvement rate, or a number that transfers to another product’s units. This site’s masseter toxin guide covers why unit counts cannot be compared across brands, so it is not repeated here.
What did the trials behind this approval actually test?
The platysma indication rests on two multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials, identified in the labelling as M21-309 and M21-310. Together they enrolled 408 participants who received BOTOX Cosmetic and 426 who received placebo. That is the population and design the FDA reviewed for this specific indication — it is not evidence about any other body site, and this page does not have duration or long-term outcome figures from these trials to report.
Does either toxin product approved in Korea cover the neck?
No. The MFDS product records for Nabota (Daewoong) and Meditoxin (Medytox) list their own approved indications — glabellar lines, lateral canthal lines and forehead lines, masseter hypertrophy, blepharospasm and spasticity are among them — and platysma bands or any other neck indication do not appear on either record. So the indication added to the U.S. label in 2024 has no counterpart on file for either Korean product.
Sources: MFDS drug product record — Nabota (Daewoong), approved indicationsMFDS drug product record — Meditoxin (Medytox), approved indications
Why is Korea usually first with toxin approvals, but not here?
Approval maps are drawn per body site, not per drug, and that produces different winners depending on which muscle is in question. This site’s masseter toxin guide covers a jaw-slimming indication where Korea was the first market to approve a botulinum toxin product and the U.S. still has an application under review. Platysma bands run the opposite way: the U.S. label already carries the indication and neither Korean product’s record does. Same drug class, sometimes the same manufacturer, two different regulatory outcomes for two different muscles.
Does any label actually approve “full-face lifting” as one indication?
No single label — American or Korean — approves a treatment called “full-face lifting.” What exists are separate, narrowly worded indications for separate muscles: frown lines, crow’s-feet, forehead lines and platysma bands on the U.S. BOTOX Cosmetic label, and masseter hypertrophy on a Korean product record. A clinic can combine several of these approved, off-label or unapproved uses into one appointment and call the package “full-face lifting,” but that name itself carries no regulatory status — each component of the appointment needs to be checked against its own approval record separately.
Sources: DailyMed — BOTOX Cosmetic (onabotulinumtoxinA) prescribing information, platysma bands indication added in the October 2024 labelling revisionMFDS drug product record — Nabota (Daewoong), approved indications
If a product is used off-label for the neck, is that illegal?
No — off-label use means a licensed medicine is used for a purpose outside its approved label, and prescribing decisions of this kind are a routine, legal part of medical practice in most jurisdictions, including Korea. It is not the same as an approved indication, though: the evidence, the studied dose and the safety data that support an approved use do not automatically carry over to an off-label one. Anyone offered a platysma or neck injection with a product whose Korean record does not list that use should be told plainly that it is off-label, and should be able to ask what evidence the clinician is relying on instead.
Sources: MFDS drug product record — Nabota (Daewoong), approved indicationsMFDS drug product record — Meditoxin (Medytox), approved indications
How long does the effect last?
The two pivotal trials behind the platysma indication (M21-309, M21-310) are cited on this page for their design and enrollment — 408 participants on BOTOX Cosmetic against 426 on placebo — and this page has already noted that it holds no duration or long-term outcome figures from those trials to report, so no number here should be read as how many months a platysma result lasts. What the label and the mechanism described above do establish is that any toxin effect recedes as nerve terminals recover, which is a biological process rather than a fixed clock, and that the U.S. label lists three different total doses (26, 31 or 36 Units) for this one indication — meaning the dose used, not a single quoted figure, is part of what a clinic would be describing if it discusses how long a result might hold. The muscle treated, the dose selected within that labelled range, and individual differences in how quickly nerve terminals regenerate are what actually vary a result — not a number this page can state for platysma bands specifically. Ask the clinic what evidence it is citing for how long it expects a platysma result to last, which dose within the labelled range is planned, and how it decides when a repeat injection would be appropriate.
What does the label warn about injecting near the neck?
The U.S. prescribing information carries a specific instruction for this indication: “Do not inject into structures deep to the platysma muscle, particularly in the anterior region of the neck.” The neck holds the airway, the swallowing muscles and major vessels close together in a small space, which is why this warning is written for the platysma indication specifically rather than folded into the general injection instructions used for facial wrinkles.
What symptoms after a neck injection need urgent attention?
Botulinum toxin carries a boxed warning that its effect can spread beyond the injection site, and for an injection placed in the neck the symptoms to watch for are difficulty swallowing, a changed or weakened voice, and any difficulty breathing. The label’s warning against injecting deep to the platysma exists precisely because those structures sit close to the muscle. Anyone who develops swallowing, speech or breathing difficulty after a neck injection should contact the treating clinic or seek medical care immediately rather than waiting to see if it passes.
Who should not receive this injection at all?
Botulinum toxin is contraindicated in anyone with known hypersensitivity to a botulinum toxin product or to the components of its formulation, and where there is infection at the planned injection site. The boxed warning calls for particular caution in neuromuscular disorders such as myasthenia gravis, Lambert-Eaton syndrome and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and in anyone with pre-existing swallowing or breathing difficulty — a group for whom a neck injection carries added risk given the structures the label warns about. Pregnancy, breastfeeding, current medicines and any previous toxin injections all need to be disclosed before treatment.
Is this the same injection as toxin for wrinkles or for the jaw?
Same toxin class, three different target muscles with three separate approval records. Wrinkle toxin is placed in thin muscles of facial expression; masseter toxin, covered on a separate page of this site, is placed in the thick chewing muscle at the jaw angle; platysma toxin is placed in a sheet-like neck muscle close to the airway and swallowing structures, which is why its label carries a dedicated depth warning. Units are also not interchangeable between different manufacturers’ products, so a dose quoted for one brand says nothing about another.
What should you confirm before agreeing to a neck injection?
Ask which product will be used and whether its approved record — American or Korean — lists platysma bands or any other neck indication, or whether the injection would be off-label. Ask for the dose in that product’s own units, the number of injection points, and how the clinician plans to stay superficial to the platysma. Disclose any swallowing or breathing conditions, prior neck surgery, current medicines, pregnancy or breastfeeding, and previous toxin injections with dates and product names. Agree in advance on which symptoms should trigger an immediate call: difficulty swallowing, a changed voice, or any breathing difficulty.
Sources: DailyMed — BOTOX Cosmetic (onabotulinumtoxinA) prescribing information, platysma bands indication added in the October 2024 labelling revisionMFDS drug product record — Nabota (Daewoong), approved indications
How should a claim that a treatment is “FDA-approved” be read?
“Approved” only means anything when it is tied to a specific product, a specific indication and a specific country’s record — it is not a property of a drug class or a clinic’s whole menu. BOTOX Cosmetic’s platysma indication is approved in the United States and appears on no Korean product’s record; masseter hypertrophy is approved in Korea for one product and appears on no U.S. label. A clinic mentioning “FDA-approved” or “MFDS-approved” without naming the indication it refers to has not actually told you anything you can check.
Sources: DailyMed — BOTOX Cosmetic (onabotulinumtoxinA) prescribing information, platysma bands indication added in the October 2024 labelling revisionMFDS drug product record — Nabota (Daewoong), approved indicationsMFDS drug product record — Meditoxin (Medytox), approved indications
Who is a platysma indication meant for, and does that alone decide who should get it?
The U.S. label describes the indication as moderate to severe platysma bands associated with platysma muscle activity — a graded clinical finding assessed in person, not a description of anyone who dislikes the appearance of their neck. Whether a visible band reflects muscle activity, loose skin, or both is exactly the kind of judgment the trials’ assessors were trained to make, and a single consultation photo cannot replace that judgment. Anyone considering this off a marketing name like “full-face lifting” should ask a treating clinician to name the specific indication, product and record it maps to before agreeing to anything.
Which country approved which body site, and for which product?
Botulinum toxin approval is granted per country, per product and per body site — not as a single “toxin is approved” status. This table maps the three records cited on this page; it is not a comparison of how well any product works.
| Market — product | Platysma / neck indication | What the record says | What to confirm |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States — BOTOX Cosmetic (onabotulinumtoxinA) | Approved | Label revised in October 2024 to add moderate to severe platysma bands associated with platysma muscle activity, dosed at 26, 31 or 36 Units | That the dose quoted is stated in BOTOX Cosmetic’s own Units, and how the injector plans to stay superficial to the platysma |
| Korea — Nabota (Daewoong) | Not on record | The MFDS record lists glabellar lines, lateral canthal lines, forehead lines, masseter hypertrophy, blepharospasm and spasticity; platysma bands are not among them | Whether a neck injection with this product is being offered as an approved use or off-label |
| Korea — Meditoxin (Medytox) | Not on record | The MFDS record lists its own approved indications, and platysma bands or any other neck use are not among them | Whether a neck injection with this product is being offered as an approved use or off-label |
This table maps regulatory records only. It says nothing about whether a neck injection suits you, and it does not compare how BOTOX Cosmetic, Nabota and Meditoxin perform against each other.
Sources: DailyMed — BOTOX Cosmetic (onabotulinumtoxinA) prescribing information, platysma bands indication added in the October 2024 labelling revisionMFDS drug product record — Nabota (Daewoong), approved indicationsMFDS drug product record — Meditoxin (Medytox), approved indications
Medical care at Abijou
Care is provided by the medical team at the branch you select. These clinicians lead the three branches linked from this guide; confirm the doctor assigned to your visit with that branch.
Chief MD, Myeongdong
Cheol-su Yoon
I want to be thinking about how the patient feels right up to the last moment of the procedure.
Chief MD, Hongdae
Jae-wook Kim
I will give my best with the attentiveness to catch even the smallest change.
Listed branch medical team — not a medical-review byline for this article.
Frequently asked questions
What is full-face lifting toxin?
It is a clinic menu name for a package of several separately approved or off-label botulinum toxin injections across the face and neck — it is not itself an approved indication. This page focuses on the newest item in that package: an October 2024 revision to the U.S. BOTOX Cosmetic label that added moderate to severe platysma bands, the vertical neck-muscle bands, as an approved indication.
Is “full-face lifting” an indication on any label?
No. No American or Korean drug record uses that phrase. What exists are separate indications for separate muscles — frown lines, crow’s-feet, forehead lines and platysma bands on the U.S. BOTOX Cosmetic label, and masseter hypertrophy on Korea’s Nabota record — and a clinic package name does not change which of those approvals actually applies to a given injection.
What changed on the U.S. label in October 2024?
A revision added “moderate to severe platysma bands associated with platysma muscle activity” as an approved indication for BOTOX Cosmetic (onabotulinumtoxinA), alongside the existing frown-line, crow’s-feet and forehead-line indications. The addition applies to that one product and that one muscle.
What dose does the label specify for platysma bands?
The label lists 26, 31 or 36 Units of BOTOX Cosmetic for this indication, divided across the injection points along the visible bands. Those figures are specific to this product’s own labelled units and are not a duration or an outcome rate.
What evidence supports the platysma indication?
Two multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials, M21-309 and M21-310, enrolled 408 participants on BOTOX Cosmetic and 426 on placebo. That is the population the FDA reviewed for this specific indication; this page does not have duration or long-term outcome data from these trials to report.
Is a neck or platysma indication approved in Korea?
No. The MFDS records for Nabota and Meditoxin list their own approved indications, and platysma bands or any other neck use are not among them for either product.
Isn’t Korea usually the first country to approve a new toxin use?
Not for this muscle. This site’s masseter toxin guide covers an indication where Korea approved a product first and the U.S. still has an application under review; platysma bands run the other way, approved in the U.S. and absent from both Korean product records. Approval order depends on the body site, not on a general pattern.
What does the label warn about injecting near the neck?
It states: “Do not inject into structures deep to the platysma muscle, particularly in the anterior region of the neck.” That instruction is written for this indication specifically because the airway, swallowing muscles and major vessels sit close together just beneath the platysma.
What symptoms after a neck injection need urgent medical attention?
Difficulty swallowing, a changed or weakened voice, and any difficulty breathing all need urgent attention — botulinum toxin carries a boxed warning that its effect can spread beyond the injection site, and the neck sits close to the structures those symptoms would signal. Contact the treating clinic or seek medical care immediately rather than waiting.
Who should not receive a platysma injection?
Anyone with known hypersensitivity to a botulinum toxin product or its formulation components, or with infection at the injection site, should not receive it. The boxed warning also calls for caution in neuromuscular disorders such as myasthenia gravis, Lambert-Eaton syndrome and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and in anyone with pre-existing swallowing or breathing difficulty.
If a Korean clinic injects the neck off-label, is that illegal?
No — off-label use means a licensed medicine is used outside its approved indication, which is a legal and routine part of medical practice, not a banned act. It does mean the studied dose and safety data behind the approved use do not automatically apply, so ask what evidence the clinician is relying on for that specific use.
Is this the same injection as toxin for wrinkles or the jaw?
Same toxin class, different muscle and different approval record. Wrinkle toxin targets thin muscles of facial expression, masseter toxin targets the thick chewing muscle at the jaw angle, and this indication targets the platysma, a neck muscle close to the airway — which is why only the platysma label carries a dedicated depth warning. Units also do not convert between different manufacturers’ products.
What should I confirm before agreeing to a neck injection?
Confirm which product will be used, whether its approved record lists platysma bands or the injection would be off-label, the dose in that product’s own units, and how the clinician plans to stay superficial to the platysma. Disclose swallowing or breathing conditions, prior neck surgery, current medicines, pregnancy or breastfeeding, and previous toxin injections.
How should I read a clinic’s claim that a treatment is “FDA-approved”?
Ask which specific indication it refers to. BOTOX Cosmetic’s platysma indication is approved in the United States and appears on no Korean product’s record, while masseter hypertrophy is approved in Korea for one product and appears on no U.S. label — “FDA-approved” without naming the indication does not tell you which body site or product it covers.
How Abijou works
We started in Gangnam in 2006 and the network now runs 17 branches across Korea. The line we work to is skin transformation woven into everyday life — care you can keep up with, rather than one dramatic change.
- Across the 17 branches in Seoul, Gyeonggi, Incheon and Busan: over 1,000 medical professionals and more than 350 certified medical devices
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