Scar on frown line - scar healing or correction required? (Photos)

Question

About 6 weeks ago i had a bicycle accident and my face hit the ground . My sunglasses split my skin basically along my 11's/frown lines on one side travelling vertically up to 1cm above my eyebrow. The wound was glued. I had no pain, no complications and i thought it was healing well. Now depending on the light it can look like a cut scar or in harsh light it looks terrivle and like an atrophic groove in my forehead. Not sure if this is normally healing with new thin skin being thin and edema on the sides of the cut making it look worse than it is and or if the scar has stretched somehow? I greatly appreciate advice on what you think the outcome will be and what you think i can do to correct the scar and at what stage in healing. Or if this is just early stages of healing and the skin color, light, swelling etc. is making it look worse at the moment?

Yily De Los Santos, MD · Answer

Based on your photos and the timeline, what you are describing can still be part of the normal healing process. At only 6 weeks after a facial injury, scars are usually still very immature and can look much worse under certain lighting, especially in thin skin areas like the forehead and glabellar (“11 lines”) region.

The “groove” or atrophic appearance you are noticing may be related to several things happening at the same time:

* Early collagen remodeling
* Residual swelling around the scar
* Skin contraction during healing
* Temporary thinning and redness of new scar tissue

Scars often change significantly between 3 to 12 months, especially on the face. It is very common for them to appear indented or uneven early on and then soften and improve over time.

At this stage, I would usually recommend:

* Strict sun protection daily
* Silicone gel or silicone scar sheets
* Gentle scar massage once fully closed
* Avoiding aggressive treatments too early

If after a few more months the indentation remains noticeable, there are excellent options that can help improve texture and blending, including:

* Microneedling
* Fractional laser
* Subcision
* Small amounts of filler
* Surgical scar revision in selected cases

The good news is that facial scars, especially those aligned with natural expression lines like the frown lines, often heal surprisingly well with time and proper scar care. Right now, patience is still an important part of treatment.

Anna Chacon, MD, FAAD · Answer

At six weeks after your injury, what you’re describing still falls within the early remodeling phase of normal scar healing, and it’s very common for scars—especially on the forehead—to look worse in certain lighting. The “atrophic groove” appearance you’re noticing is often due to a combination of immature collagen, thin overlying skin, and mild swelling along the edges, which can create shadowing and exaggerate depth. This does not necessarily mean the scar has permanently stretched or will remain indented.

The forehead is a high-motion area, and vertical scars along the “11 lines” are particularly affected by repetitive muscle movement from the frontalis and corrugators, which can place tension on the healing wound. This can contribute to a slightly widened or more noticeable scar over time, but at this stage, there is still significant potential for improvement. Scars continue to remodel and soften for 6–12 months (and sometimes longer), with gradual collagen reorganization and thickening of the dermis, which often reduces that early “grooved” look.

Right now, the focus should be on optimizing healing. Silicone gel or sheets applied consistently can help improve texture and appearance. Strict sun protection is important to prevent discoloration. If there is noticeable dynamic tension in the area, botulinum toxin can help reduce movement and allow the scar to heal under less stress.

If the indentation persists beyond a few months, options like microneedling, fractional laser, or subtle filler can help restore smoothness. Surgical revision is rarely considered this early and is typically delayed until the scar fully matures.

Yasemin Aydinli, MD · Answer

At only 6 weeks, it’s still very early for a facial scar to declare its final appearance. What you’re describing can happen during this stage, especially in areas with thin skin and strong facial movement like the glabella/forehead region.A scar can temporarily look more indented because the new scar tissue is still immature, the surrounding tissues may still have mild swelling, and lighting from above or the side tends to exaggerate contour irregularities quite a bit. I often tell patients that scars in this area can look worse in certain lighting long before they start looking better.The good news is that many scars continue to soften and remodel for several months, sometimes up to a year. At this stage I would usually focus on scar care, sun protection, silicone gel/sheets, and patience rather than jumping into aggressive treatment too early.If the groove still looks clearly atrophic after several months, there are options depending on how it evolves things like subcision, laser treatments, microneedling, or occasionally a small scar revision. But honestly, 6 weeks is still early enough that I would not panic yet based on your description alone.

Scar on frown line - scar healing or correction required? (Photos)

Answers (3)

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