Treating frown lines
Do you have vertical lines between your eyebrows? Or one deeper wrinkle just above your nose that won’t go away? That’s a frown line. Frown lines can be prevented, treated and removed with Botox and possibly supplemented with a filler treatment. Since you’re considering doing something about frown lines, we’d like to tell you what your options are and what steps you can take. During a consultation with a plastic surgeon at our private clinic located in Maastricht, we’ll provide you with all the necessary information so you can make an informed decision.
What are frown lines and how do you get them?
Frown lines are often confused with the wrinkles on your forehead. What both wrinkles have in common is that they are both caused by repeated muscle movements and expressions. Frown lines form between your eyebrows. You get them when you use your eyebrows frequently like when frowning, looking angry or squeezing your eyes shut from the sun. When your skin is still young, the lines simply recede when you relax the muscles. But as you age, your skin becomes thinner and less elastic. This is because the production of collagen and elastin in the skin changes. This usually begins between the ages of 30 – 40. This leaves the wrinkles visible and thus creates permanent frown lines. Sometimes there is even a deep line between your eyebrows. Although frown lines are a natural part of the aging process, it is also hereditary. If one of your parents suffers from them, you’re more likely to get them too. Excessive sun exposure, smoking or stress can accelerate the aging process.
When to get your frown lines treated?
If you find that you use the muscles around your eyebrows frequently and your skin also folds quickly in those areas, consider treating this early. This is how you can prevent frown lines. Also, if your frown lines bother you, you may want to consider having them treated. For most people, frown lines become distracting once the lines remain even with a relaxed face. Frown lines can also make you look angrier, and we can imagine that can be annoying.
Reduce frown lines with Botox
Frown lines can be treated well with a temporary muscle relaxant such as Botox. Because of the muscle relaxant, your eyebrows no longer contract and the skin here is no longer folded causing the wrinkles. Existing wrinkles will also slowly fade away, but when these wrinkles are too deep, treatment with Botox alone is not enough.
In that case, it’s helpful to soften the frown line using temporary fillers to fill in the wrinkle. Preferably, we use Belotero hyaluronic acid fillers for this purpose.
Tip: Try a frown treatment combined with a brow lift. You’ll see that by relaxing the muscles around the eyes you’ll have a beautiful open look!
Botox® or Bocouture®.
At MOOI Clinic, we work with two different brands of muscle relaxants: Botox® and Bocouture®. Botox® is the well-known brand of Allergan. Bocouture® is a new, purified form of Botulinum toxin. During a consultation, we will tell you about both brands and help you make the right choice.
Consultation and treatment
During the consultation, you and the doctor will look at your face, wrinkles and skin. Then, the doctor will recommend what is an appropriate treatment for you to reduce or get rid of your wrinkles. Often treatment can be done immediately after the consultation.
With Botox treatment, the substance is injected with a very thin needle into the muscles that cause the wrinkles. Facial muscles create facial expressions, so it’s very important to achieve a natural result and not lose your unique appearance. Always choose Botox treatment from a specialist such as a cosmetic doctor or plastic surgeon.
The treatment takes about 15 minutes and no anesthesia is necessary. Afterwards, the skin is somewhat red and swollen but this also goes away in about 15 minutes. You can return to work immediately after treatment since normally there is no visible sign that you had anything done. After a few days, the relaxant begins to work and after two weeks the effects of muscle relaxing are optimal.
After treatment
There are rarely any side effects after Botox treatment. In case of swelling or pain, you can treat areas with a cold compress but this is usually not necessary. After treatment, you can do almost anything again. We only recommend keeping your head upright for the first 3 to 4 hours, and not exercise (including yoga), or use a tanning bed or sauna for 24 hours.
Our specialists
Our specialists
Your appearance is precious to us. We believe that for proper treatment, you need the right people. Training, competence and quality can only be provided with specialists who understand their trade. We do not want to be the largest clinic in the Netherlands, but the best.
FAQ
If the skin is well hydrated, fine lines will be less noticeable. However, deeper frown lines unfortunately can no longer be fixed with cream alone. After all, if the mimicry remains you will continue developing wrinkles. Then toxin treatment is the best choice
By properly moisturizing the skin around your eyes, you can delay, but not prevent, the formation of frown lines for longer.
This varies from person to person. The more often you’ve already had a toxin treatment, the longer the effects tend to last as well. Thus, the effect will often last around 3 months in the beginning and later it can last up to 4-6 months.
So, you cannot look angry after the treatment? That’s no big deal right!
People often worry that this will look unnatural; however, this isn’t the case, and often it’s not even noticeable. The skin just looks a little smoother.
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