Treatment
Frown lines, forehead and crow's feet: what is and is not possible
In brief
Frown lines, the forehead and crow's feet are the three areas treated most often. They are connected: the forehead lifts the eyebrow and the frown muscles pull it down. If you treat only the forehead, the frown muscles win and the eyebrow drops. That is why those two are assessed together, or not at all.
The frown lines
The vertical lines between your eyebrows come from muscles that pull the brows towards each other and downwards. This is the area that responds best and the one people are most satisfied with, because a deep frown line quickly makes a face look angry or tired when you are not.
A side effect: in many people the eyebrow rises slightly because the downward pull disappears, which opens up the gaze. In some people that effect is stronger than intended, which we manage through placement.
The forehead
The horizontal lines come from the muscle that lifts your eyebrows. That is the same muscle that keeps your eye area open, which makes this the trickiest of the three. Relax it too much and the eyebrow drops and the forehead feels heavy.
That is why we always treat the forehead more cautiously than the frown lines, and never without assessing the frown area as well. In people with naturally low-set eyebrows or a good deal of excess skin above the eyelid, we sometimes advise against treating the forehead at all. You will get that advice too, even if you came in with a different plan.
The crow's feet
The fine lines running outwards from the corner of your eye come from the ring muscle around the eye. This area responds well and carries little risk of unwanted effects, because the muscle lies superficially and the injections stay well away from the eyeball.
What a wrinkle treatment does not do here: remove under-eye bags, reduce excess skin or treat pigmentation. Anyone coming for those needs something else, and we say so honestly.
Areas we do not treat
There are regions where treatment is technically possible but the risk of unwanted effects is higher, or where more experience and follow-up are needed than we can currently provide. Think of the area around the mouth, the neck and the jawline.
We deliberately start with three areas we know very well. If you ask for something outside them, we refer you on rather than adding it in.
Frequently asked questions
Can I have only my forehead treated?
We advise against it. The forehead lifts the eyebrow and the frown muscles pull it down. If you treat only the forehead, the eyebrow may drop and your forehead may feel heavy. We assess both areas together.
Will my crow's feet disappear completely?
The lines that appear only when you smile usually soften considerably. Lines visible at rest become softer but partly remain, because those sit in the skin rather than in the muscle movement.
Will people be able to tell I have had something done?
With an appropriate dose your face keeps moving and what people mainly notice is that the lines are less deep. We dose deliberately with that in mind; anyone wanting a completely motionless forehead has come to the wrong place.
Written by Dr Emma van Dijk, doctor at Calla Medical. This article is general information and does not replace personal medical advice; please discuss your own situation during a consultation.
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