Tackling Those Dreaded Frown Lines

Frown lines, or glabellar lines, are the vertical lines which occur between the eyebrows when we frown and involve activation of the corrugator and procerus muscles. Glabellar lines are formed by repeated contraction of the corrugator and procerus muscles. In aging skin these frown lines may be visible even after we’ve stopped frowning due to loss of elasticity in the skin. Permanent glabellar lines generally have a negative affect on appearance as they tend to make you look tired or grumpy.

Botox injections complimented, if required, by injectable dermal fillers, are used to reduce the appearance of glabellar lines. Dermal fillers can be permanent or more usually temporary, in which case they are absorbed by the body. Temporary dermal fillers are commonly collagen, derived either from the skin of cows or hyaluronic acid – a naturally existing ‘complex sugar’ found in the body. This latter type is particularly favoured in the UK because it is less likely to cause an allergic reaction than its bovine based counterpart.

A more drastic invasive approach to the reduction of glabellar lines would be to have a brow lift. There are several different types of brow lift. A ‘direct brow lift’ involves removing a section of skin and muscle just above the eyebrows and hiding the scar in the eyebrow area. This procedure is most suited for bald men with bushy eyebrows.

A ‘mid-forehead lift’, used to address deep forehead wrinkles, involves removing excess skin, fat and muscle by cutting along the trough of one of the wrinkles. A coronal forehead lift involves an ear to ear incision across the forehead, pulling the whole forehead up and hiding the scar in the head hair. The most modern method, an ‘endoscopic forehead lift’, is performed using a surgical telescope and involves very small incisions made behind the hairline.

However, if invasive procedures are not your cup of tea, what alternatives are there? There are a few easy and simple things you can do to help prevent the formation of frown lines, including: eating a healthy diet; regularly getting a good night’s sleep; using a sunscreen; wearing sunglasses; using a moisturizing cream; using a facial scrub; stop smoking; and treating yourself to a facial massage. It might also be worth trying a regular routine of facial exercises. Facial exercise tones and tightens facial muscles and increases circulation and the supply of oxygen to the muscles, which improves skin tone.