Forehead Wrinkle Botox: Why You Should Know Before Getting It
Hello, I am a plastic surgeon who has dedicated many years to helping patients regain their youth and confidence. When I sit down with patients in my office, there’s a topic that always garners interest, regardless of the changing times: wrinkles. Among them, forehead wrinkles are a major concern for many because they influence one’s impression.
The most immediate solution that comes to mind is the Forehead Botox treatment. Although it seems simple, how it’s administered can lead to vastly different results, which is why I want to discuss this today.
How Does Forehead Botox Work to Remove Wrinkles?
First, it’s essential to understand why wrinkles form on the forehead. Our forehead has a broad muscle called the ‘frontalis muscle,’ which raises the eyebrows and creates expressions when surprised or focused. This muscle repeatedly contracts, causing the skin to crinkle and uncrinkle, and over time, those crinkle marks remain as wrinkles.
Forehead Botox works by temporarily stopping this frontalis muscle from moving. Botulinum toxin temporarily blocks nerve signals that cause muscle movement, relaxing the muscles. It’s similar to smoothing out a paper that’s been continuously crumpled. This prevents wrinkles caused by expressions and helps improve shallow wrinkles.
Common Concerns: Understanding Side Effects
“Doctor, won’t Botox make my expressions stiff and awkward?”
This is the most common question and concern from patients. To conclude, this is an issue that can be avoided depending on ‘how it’s administered.’
1. Unnatural Expressions and Heavy Eyelids (Ptosis)
If too much is injected or at too low a position, these effects can occur. Forehead Botox weakens the strength of the frontalis muscle, and for those who frequently use their forehead muscles to open their eyes, they may feel heaviness in the eyelids after the procedure. In severe cases, ptosis can occur where the eyes cannot open well.
To prevent this, it’s essential to inject the right amount at the precise location, considering the individual’s eyebrow position, the habit of opening eyes, and muscle development. It’s not just about injecting based on wrinkles; the overall facial balance and function must be considered for satisfactory results.
2. The So-called “Samurai Eyebrows” Phenomenon
Sometimes, after a Forehead Botox procedure, only the ends of the eyebrows appear to rise sharply. This occurs when the central forehead muscles are paralyzed, but the outer muscles are still active. Again, the experience and anatomical understanding of the practitioner are crucial. Predicting and designing the overall muscle movement before injecting can prevent such asymmetrical results.
In seemingly simple procedures like this, the experience and know-how of the medical staff significantly influence the outcome.
When Treatment Alone Reaches Its Limit for Deep Wrinkles
However, Botox isn’t a universal solution for all wrinkles. While Botox is effective for ‘dynamic wrinkles’ that appear with expressions, it’s difficult to completely eliminate ‘static wrinkles’ that are deeply etched and visible even when expressionless.
Especially after the age of 50, skin elasticity decreases, and the subcutaneous fat layer thins, resulting in complex signs of wrinkles and sagging. Not just forehead wrinkles, but eyelid sagging, nasolabial folds, and drooping jawlines often accompany these stages. At this point, one should consider solutions that go beyond smoothing wrinkles, addressing the root by lifting sagging skin and fascia.
One potential solution is a ‘facelift’ surgery. These days, patients most frequently ask the following questions during consultations.
“Doctor, is the dissection really precise during surgery? Are the nerves safe?”
Today, I’d like to share my answer to these questions.
New Standard in Facelift: The 3D Microscope
As a physician who has performed facelift surgeries for a long time, I always pondered how to perform surgeries more safely and precisely. Relying on surgical loupes, lowering my head to operate for hours, I too felt my concentration wane and my neck and shoulders grow weary. I went through that phase as well.
But since adopting the 3D microscope in surgeries, things have changed significantly.
The 3D microscope magnifies minute blood vessels and nerves, along with the SMAS layer (the fundamental cause of aging), up to 20 times in three dimensions, letting us see them vividly as if they’re right before our eyes during surgery. This drastically reduces the risk of nerve damage and allows for more precise and definite dissection and lifting of sagging tissue.
More importantly, I, being a surgeon, can focus entirely on the operation without lowering my head, maintaining a comfortable posture. Even if the surgery time is prolonged, maintaining high concentration directly correlates with the surgery’s completeness and the patient’s safety.
Since I began using this technology, patients waiting for surgery often say, “I’d prefer to receive surgery with that technique.” Frankly, I’d think the same if I were in their shoes. It’s about regaining youth and natural expressions across the entire face, not just smoothing a wrinkle. The result of surgery is determined by very fine differences.
What do you value most when considering treatment or surgery? Safety, naturalness, or something else? Your valuable feedback in the comments would greatly assist in creating future content.
Even though the procedure appears simple, forehead Botox requires an understanding of the fine anatomical structures and precise injection. Particularly, using a 3D microscope in surgery allows for a stereoscopic understanding of nerves, blood vessels, and the SMAS layer, which cannot be seen with traditional loupes, resulting in safer and more meticulous outcomes. For more specialized guidance on procedures and surgeries, contact us.
We promise the best surgical outcomes with the 3D microscope, even for the finest details. Now, go for the 3D SCOPEYE!
