Frown lines are deep vertical creases between your eyebrows. Named because they become more prominent when you frown, many people find that these lines make them look angry or sad.
If you are tired of people commenting that you look like you’re frowning even when you’re not, a frown line treatment may be right for you.
Frown line treatment
Treating Frown Lines
Repeated movement of the muscle between the eyebrows, which creases every time you frown or squint, causes frown lines. They can be treated with a muscle relaxant that causes this underlying muscle to contract less.
This is one of the most popular areas for muscle relaxant treatments.
A 30-minute in-clinic procedure can smooth existing wrinkles and stop the lines from becoming deeper by preventing the repeated muscle movements causing them.
Clients with particularly deep frown lines may want to combine this treatment with dermal filler injections to “fill in” the indentations in the skin.
Who Is Suitable For This Treatment?
If you feel that your frown lines make you look worried or unhappy all the time, a frown line treatment may be right for you.
This treatment may be performed on adults of any age, though it is more commonly performed on people in their 30’s who have started to notice signs of facial ageing. It is appropriate for most adults in good overall health. Many clients can find this treatment leaves them looking more refreshed as a result.
What to Expect
The treatment can be performed in our clinic in less than an hour. A thin needle is used to directly deliver the muscle relaxant into the muscle between the eyebrows, and it takes just a few moments. Following the injection, the anti-wrinkle product works by causing the muscle to relax.
After receiving a frown line treatment, clients are free to resume their normal activities.
Within a week, the frown lines will have become less noticeable. The muscle relaxant that has been injected blocks signals from the nerves, causing the muscle underneath your frown lines to become weakened. Since the muscle can no longer fully contract, deep creases become smoother. Many clients report noticeable improvement to their frown lines within just a week.
The effects of this treatment usually last 3-6 months. As the muscle relaxant wears off, the muscle under the frown lines will regain its ability to contract, and the lines will reappear. Many clients schedule regular injections to keep their frown lines at bay.
What Are Frown Lines?
Frown lines are the vertical lines that form between your eyebrows. They are also known as worry lines and Glabellar lines. The contraction of the Procerus and Corrusgators facial muscles causes the vertical lines to form when your frown.
Located at the top of the nose and lower forehead, these muscles are responsible for various facial expressions. As the skin ages and loses elasticity and collagen, frown lines can become deeper and more prominent. The skin doesn’t bounce back, and frown lines can be visible even with a neutral facial expression.
What Causes Frown Lines To Form?
The repeated contraction and movement of the lower forehead’s facial muscles is the leading cause of frown lines. When you frown or furrow your brow, it causes vertical folds in the skin. As the body produces less collagen and elastin with age, the skin doesn’t bounce back as it used to, and permanent frown lines form.
Multiple factors can cause frown lines to be more prominent. Genetics can play a significant role in skin elasticity and the age when you start to see wrinkles and lines begin to appear.
While you don’t have any say over your genetics, there are certain things that you can do to make frown lines less prominent. Exposure to the sun’s UV rays can cause the skin tissue to break down faster, causing skin concerns like frown lines to appear more quickly.
Smoking can make frown lines worse by causing premature ageing of the skin by constricting blood vessels and weakening the facial tissue’s elasticity.
How Do You Get Rid Of Frown Lines?
You can improve the appearance of some superficial lines and wrinkles by following a good skincare regime. Topical retinoids and antioxidants can help to tackle superficial wrinkles and thin lines. Using sunscreen protection can help mitigate the harmful effects of the sun’s rays, and wearing sunglasses can stop you from squinting and causing lines to form.
However, these methods are not effective for deeper static frown lines. To get rid of frown lines, you may need a professional frown line anti-wrinkle injection treatment to achieve a noticeable improvement.
What Is the Best Treatment for Frown Lines?
Anti-wrinkle injections are the most effective treatment for frown lines. A small injection of muscle relaxant binds to the Procerus and Corrusgators facial muscles stopping the contraction that causes frown lines to form.
It relaxes the muscles to smooth the skin and reduce the appearance of vertical folds. Many clients choose to treat frown lines using anti-wrinkle injections before static lines set in. Frown line injections can be used as a way to improve existing lines and as a preventative treatment.
How Long Does Anti-Wrinkle Injections Last For Frown Lines?
Anti-wrinkle injections will typically last for 3 to 6 months. The facial muscles will slowly become active again, causing the frown lines to reappear. Most clients return to the clinic for a follow-up frown lines treatment after 3 to 4 months.
Results generally last for longer after each treatment due to the muscles becoming smaller.
Is There Any Downtime Involved With Frown Line Treatments?
No, there is no downtime involved with anti-wrinkle injections. Your face may feel slightly sore around the injection sites after the cosmetic procedure, but this will dissipate within 24 hours, and you can immediately return to work and your regular daily routine.
Can Frown Lines Be Filled?
For most people, anti-wrinkle injections are the most suitable and effective treatment for frown lines. A small injection can relax the overactive muscles and prevent the creases in the skin from becoming deeper and more noticeable.
If your frown lines are more severe, your clinician may recommend combining anti-wrinkle injections with dermal fillers to stimulate collagen production and restore volume. Dermal fillers work by injecting a product to restore volume to the area, plump the skin, and reduce the appearance of lines and wrinkles on the lower forehead and between the brows.
Can You Massage Away Frown Lines?
Unfortunately, you cannot massage away frown lines or forehead wrinkles. The cause of static frown lines is the contraction of the facial muscles and the ageing of the skin. You may find that an OTC cream or serum can soften forehead lines when massaged into the skin, but you can only remove static frown creases and folds through a more intensive cosmetic treatment like anti-wrinkle injections.
If you have dynamic fine lines caused by stress, a massage can help you relax your forehead muscles and improve your mood to stop you from frowning.
Possible Risks and Complications
After anti-wrinkle injections, minor side effects such as swelling, redness, bruising, and tenderness are common. They usually subside within 48 hours, and you can camouflage any visible effects with make-up. Rarely, serious complications such as infection or long-term numbness of the treated area can occur.
To prevent the injected muscle relaxant from affecting the surrounding tissue, avoid touching the area around the injection site for 12 hours and do not lie down for 4 hours.
How Much Does It Cost To Treat Frown Lines?
Many clients pair this treatment with a volumising treatment to fill in the deep indentation of the wrinkles, which comes with an added cost. To learn more about the costs involved in a frown line treatment, schedule a free consultation.