Can I Botox ONLY the elevens between my brows without it affecting the brows or forehead?

Botox is a muscle relaxer, not a wrinkle filler so the effect on the "11" wrinkles between the eyebrows is due to relaxation of muscles called the corrugators. These muscles pull toward the middle to cause the "11" but they also angle downward a little bit so they also tend to raise the central eyebrow when relaxed. If you only inject the central part you won't get a good effect on the wrinkles, so you have to go over the brow. I think the key is to not place it too deep over that part because the muscle is more superficial there.

Botox will affect the muscle that is injected. It creates a smoother look to the "11's" by affecting the ability of the injected muscle to contract. It does not treat the wrinkle itself. I've included a video about neuromodulators that I hope you find helpful.

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

This is a great question. There are many reasons you may be experiencing collapsing eyelids with Botox, but a face-to-face consultation is needed to pinpoint the underlying cause. If you only inject the medication into the center of the wrinkle, it likely won’t have the smoothing effect you’re looking for. This procedure requires a tremendous amount of precision, skill, and technique to target the correct muscle without affecting other areas of the face. I recommend looking for an injector that has the experience and expertise to perform this procedure well.

If the corrugators are properly injected you shouldn't have a problem you are describing, unless you have a variant anatomy. Always do procedures with board certified physicians.

Hello Maine1944:

There are several reasons one might see hooded eyelids after Botox or Jeuveau to the frown lines only.
1) The injector might be using a less concentrated solution of Botox, requiring a larger volume for the same number of units. The greater the volume, the more the diffusion and the greater the possibility of spreading to the frontalis muscle, releasing the upward lift of this muscle on the brows.
2) the injector might be injecting too high, thus relaxing the frontalis muscle as well as the glabellar complex.
3) the injector may be injecting too deeply, thus relaxing the frontalis muscle instead of the corrugators.
4) Using a less concentrated dilution of Botox or injecting close to the mid pupillary line, over the supraorbital foremen, can allow Botox to spread to the Mueller’s muscle which is needed to be able to elevate the eyelid.

The best advice I can offer is to seek treatment from an advanced injector with decades of experience who uses a more concentrated dilution of the neuromodulators like Botox and Jeuveau.

Feel free to reach out with any additional questions!

Sheryl Clark MD FAAD

If you only inject the brow it will leave the frontalis or forehead muscles unopposed so it should actually raise your eyebrows 1-2 mm.

Hello and thank you for your question. We always recommend a face-to-face consultation for advice however from what you have provided here yes botox can be given to the frown area only- in this case you should not get any heaviness of your eyelids.
I hope that helps, please always a seek a qualified and experienced practitioner for any cosmetic treatment, best wishes