What Do Eleven Lines Mean?

In the area between your brows, each person will develop different patterns of creasing the skin as you furrow your brows together.  The typical patterns seen are a single crease ( a "1"), two creases (an "11") or three creases (a "111").  Other patients do generate horizonal deeper lines that don't fit these discriptions.  Botox is very effective in softening these lines.  If you lines exist even at rest, then a filler product, such as Juvederm, may be more appropriate to help fill in the lines.  Combining both Botox and Juvederm is also an option. 

 

These are wrinkles that form between the brows as a result of frowning or focusing.        With repeated activity they can  be etched while at rest.  Early treatment with BOTOX/Dysport and other neurotoxins help prevent these lines from deepening over time.

Once they are etched they may requre a combination of filler and neurotoxin therapy. 

Hi and thank you for your question. Nicknames, like "11s" when referring to the furrow or vertical creases that form between the eyebrows, can often become used in an industry and it takes a good question like this to stop and realize how this so commonly used reference internally, can cause you to speak to patients using this terminology (and in this case, Allergan, the makers of Botox) without considering how confusing this can be.

As others have answered, the "11s" has become a name given to very common vertical surface lines between the eyebrows, as the strong muscle activity underlying contracts and causes repetitive "creasing" or "pinching" of the skin in that area. There is a patient education tool provided by Allergan in many offices that is attempting to answer this very question, offering a question to you as to if you have a "1", "11", or "111", as there are similarities in many people as to how the muscles work in this area. Some people will notice a single vertical line or pinch, and sometimes these muscles crease the skin to form as many as three creases, all which can be softened, relaxed, and restored to a smoother appearance by administering Botox to the underlying muscle.

On behalf of all of us in an industry where this slang has become everyday use, we hope this is helpful clarification.