Botulinum Toxin for Forehead Wrinkles
This is a fun example of a common botulinum toxin treatment outcome that dermatologists refer to as “spocking”.
Briefly, botulinum toxin is a toxin that paralyzes muscles. It is popularly known for its use as a cosmetic treatment for reducing the appearance of lines/wrinkles that develop due to the repetitive use of facial muscles.
You’ve likely heard of Botox, but there are other brands as well, and this miracle toxin can treat a lot more than just wrinkles.
In this case, the medial portions (those closer to the midline of the face) of my frontalis muscle (the one that elevates the brow and causes forehead lines) were treated adequately, but the lateral portions didn’t get enough.
As you can see in the video, this causes my lateral brows to raise disproportionately when I emote, yielding a peculiar and artificial facial expression reminiscent of the beloved Dr. Spock.
You can also see that the lines on the lateral aspects of my forehead remain prominent (whoops!) while the ones in the center are barely perceptible, even when I raise my brows (the desired and quite magical effect of this treatment).
Honey, I Spock’d the Patients!
One could easily fix this by adding a bit more toxin in the lateral portions of that muscle, but what fun would that be? 🙃
Dermatologists routinely offer touch-ups to address things like this, especially the first couple times a patient gets a botulinum toxin treatment. It’s the right thing to do and is great for client satisfaction and loyalty. It shows you care.
Typically a week or two after the treatment, once the toxin has had plenty of time to do its thing, we invite the patient to return so we can assess the need for any subtle tweaks. Often, no additional injection is needed, but it’s the courtesy that counts.
When done correctly and touched up as needed, botulinum toxin can be a fantastic and subtle way to reduce the appearance of both dynamic (in motion) AND static (at rest) facial lines.
When executed properly, your friends won’t immediately think you had something done, but they’ll probably comment on how great you look.
It makes you look like you, just with fewer of those pesky lines.
If you, like me, are more Shar Pei than Chihuahua, your frontalis will need plenty of toxin, but it’s worth it.
Fun Fact
Botulinum toxin injections can also help reduce or completely eliminate (for ~3-4 months at a time) a debilitating condition of excess underarm sweating called axillary hyperhidrosis. It’s no sweat, and it can truly be life changing. I love being able to offer people that option. It can also help with migraines and bruxism (teeth grinding), among other things.
What questions do you have about botulinum toxin treatments? Have you ever been Spock’d?
