Human Growth Hormone Therapy - How it Affects Your Facial Muscles

Craniofacial muscles are basically the muscles that you are able to see on your face. For example the muscles that support your cheeks, forehead and the jaws as well as the muscles that make up the back of the head all fall into this category. Human growth hormone therapy has a very beneficial effect on shaping craniofacial muscles.

In HGH deficiency states like Prader-Willi syndrome, it is very common to see children with puffy or bloated faces. If your child has low levels of the hormone, it is not uncommon to see craniofacial muscles that are ill-defined and out of shape. This is because lack of growth hormone activity in this area facilitates fat deposition on the muscles of the face leading to a bloated look.

In such a condition, your doctor may advise you to go for injections of growth hormone. These injections are typically administered in doses of 0.1 to 0.15 units/kg/day depending on the severity of the condition.

So how does human growth hormone therapy affect craniofacial muscles?

HGH therapy causes the release of fatty acids from adipose or fatty tissue. This means the levels of fatty acids in the body increase. Consequently, your body will start using fat to get energy as opposed to carbohydrates and proteins. Therefore one of the earliest signs when HGH therapy is started may be lean muscle mass that is evident on your face. You will lose the bloated and puffy look and gain an acceptable facial profile.

However many studies have suggested that the timing of HGH supplementation may play a big role in its eventual effects on craniofacial muscles.

Growth hormone also stimulates growth of bone and cartilage. Therefore the eventual shape of the main bones of the face including the jaws may change for the better if hormone therapy is instituted at an early stage.