How Come After Botox on my Frown Lines, It Helped a Little,but Did Not Make It All Go Away?

Botox can help relax the muscles in the glabella region to help soften the facial expression as the action of the muscles become less apparent.  However vertical lines between the eyebrows can become permanently etched into the skin. This is the result of years of muscles contractions between the brows which crease the skin.  If this is the case, a dermal filler can help fill in the creases to help them become less noticeable.

 

 

If your muscles are larger than average in the glabella then you may need more units of Botox than average.  The muscles could still contract after the Botox was injected initially then the doctor determines how many more units were needed..  Other patients may say that the Botox didn't work but the muscles are proven to be 100% relaxed and the lines couldn't fade any further from Botox but they could improve with a mild fillers.       

Botox relaxes movement but may not totally stop all frowning.  If the lines are still deep, you may require filler to plump up the creases.  Botox treatments are usually about 4 months apart but the filler can last for 6 months or longer.  Please see a board certified dermatologist or plastic surgeon to ensure the best possible results.

If your frown lines are deeper or if the injector was overly conservative, you may need additional units. For particularly deep creases, a filler such as juvederm or restylane can help.  To perfectly flatten your frown lines is not a reasonable expectation.

Botox won't erase lines that have been etched in to the skin.  Botox keeps muscles from contracting and increasing the depth or severity of the lines.  Imagine your skin is like a piece of paper...once you fold it and create a crease in the paper even when you unfold it and lay it flat you can still see the impression of the line on the paper.  If the groove is quite deep you may consider a filler in addition to Botox and possibly a laser procedure like Pearl Fractional to help soften the line further.

Good luck~

Dr. Grant Stevens