Dermal Filler Without Botox - for Frown Lines?

Frown lines develop from muscle contraction whether you are aware of it or not. Before Botox, we would fill the lines with filler, but the muscle action would tend to force the filler out.  After Botox, we paralyze the muscle first and inject the filler a week later if convenient in a perfect world.

If the wrinkle is soft and pliable in the early stages, a filler may work very well.  If the wrinkle is very deep etched, save your money.  Fillers are disappointing, but the Botox may prevent it from worsening.

"​For glabellar lines (or frown lines / ""11"" lines), we inject Botox, Xeomin, or Dysport into the muscle, causing the muscle to weaken and improving the appearance of the lines. These work by binding to receptors that send nerve signals for muscles to contract. Since your body makes new receptors and neurotransmitters all the time, it needs to be maintained otherwise the wrinkles will slowly return as the muscle regains function over time. Neurotoxins take 2 to 4 weeks to start working and lasts for up to 6 months.

For deeper glabella lines or strong 11s, I use a combination of Botox with fillers, lasers and microneedling with PRP. I suggest getting a formal evaluation with an experienced cosmetic dermatologist and expert in lasers and fillers. Best, Dr. Emer
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Thank you for your question. The frown lines between the brows can be address two different ways:
1) Botox or Dysport can be used to soften the deepening of the frown lines when making a frown expression. The treatment may even soften the lines that are present at rest.
2) Restylane or Juvederm can be used to soften the frown lines that are present even when you don't make an expression.
For someone who has concerns with both the static lines (without expression) and the dynamic lines (with expression), then using both products would work well together.
I often find that patients who return after a Botox or Dysport treatment in the frown areas complaining it didn't work, is due to the confusion between the static and dynamic frown lines. They continue to see the static lines even though the dynamic lines have softened considerably.

Using both Botox and filler will do two things: stop the musculature that helps to create or form the line, then filler to provide immediate volume back to the crease.

Adding Botox to that area will help to diminish the line. There are muscles on either side of the line that push the skin together.  Botox is usually my first choice, adding filler only if the line is too deep to be overcome by Botox alone.