Understanding the safe, effective way to reduce forehead lines

Many of our patients find that botox injections are an incredibly effective way to manage the appearance of lines on their upper face, and in particular the deeper lines that can appear on the forehead.

However, a precise and careful method is what makes this treatment so successful. Here we explain our meticulous approach for each individual patient.

How does botox work?

The botulinum toxin (commonly known as botox) is a neurotoxin which is produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum.

Botox temporarily relaxes muscles through the blocking of certain nerve signals, which would otherwise cause the muscles to contract.

This reduction in muscle activity has the benefit of reducing the lines and winkles caused by repetitive facial expression, such as frowning and raising the eyebrows.

Understanding facial anatomy

The key with any botox treatment lies in truly understanding the anatomy of the injected area, and more importantly, the individual muscularity of each patient.

An experienced botox practitioner will have a firm understanding of the thickness of each muscle being targeted and how deep beneath the skin the muscle resides – both these aspects are then considered alongside the facial anatomy of the patient.

The most important consideration with botox injections in the forehead is an understanding of the specific muscle that needs to be treated to reduce the appearance of lines.

Understanding the frontalis muscle

The frontalis muscle is responsible for lifting and supporting the eyebrows – it is this muscle into which botox injections are administered.

Whilst botox injections are intended to weaken the frontalis muscle to successfully reduce expression lines, it is imperative to preserve the part of the muscle that enables the eyebrows to be elevated.

Our practitioners ensure that injections are carefully targeted to avoid the area just above the lateral eyebrow (usually 1-2cm depending on the patient).

We focus on the upper section of the frontalis muscle. This ensures that any risk of temporary drooping of the eyebrow is minimised.

For patients with lower-set brows, and for older patients, there can be a greater risk of brow drooping. That is why it is so important to receive botox injections from a reputable and experienced botox clinic such as Melior Clinics.

Combining treatments for optimum results

To ensure that we achieve the results for our patients that they desire, our practitioners may suggest combining botox injections in the forehead with dermal fillers.

This approach may be appropriate for a patient who has some wrinkles situated higher up on the forehead, which can be safely and effectively targeted with botox injections. Additional wrinkles that are lower down on the brow line, or glabella lines (also called ’11s’), can be subtly plumped out with targeted use of fillers.

A short or long-term solution to forehead lines

Forehead wrinkles generally respond very well to botox treatment – lines are visibly softened.

Patients have a choice about how they wish to approach botox treatment, whether they are looking for a short or long-term solution to forehead wrinkles.

Short-term

Botox brings immediate benefits – within a few days, you can expect a noticeably smoother forehead with fewer lines. The effects of botox treatment last for three to four months.

Long-term

Repeated and regular botox treatment can achieve a ‘late’ or ‘chronic’ effect. This benefit can be seen by a patient who has two to three treatments per year, over several years.

In effect, patients taking this approach to botox treatment are giving parts of their frontalis muscle a permanent holiday – freeing the skin on their forehead from further wrinkles, and achieving a truly preventative tactic.

As the forehead is permanently rested, lines continue to soften and can disappear entirely.

In safe, experienced hands

Our highly experienced team of aesthetic practitioners will carefully examine you to assess your brow position, the location of your forehead wrinkles and how these are impacted by your frontalis muscle.

The suggested approach to treatment will be discussed with you to ensure we achieve a smoother forehead with significantly reduced lines, whilst ensuring an overall natural and even appearance.

To book your free, initial consultation for forehead botox treatment, you can book online, call us or email  info@meliorclinics.co.uk.