Forehead wrinkles are a sensitive subject for many of us because they’re often at the top of our list of complaints about ourselves. But a range of treatments are available to help regain natural-looking, smooth, tight skin on our foreheads.
Botox injections are the most common and effective way to alleviate forehead wrinkles. More on that in a moment. First: How is it that our foreheads become billboards for our age?
There’s no simple answer because there are lots of factors that can cause forehead wrinkles, ranging from the repeated use of certain muscles in your face to a loss in skin elasticity that comes with aging. Perhaps the most common culprit is the frontalis muscle, which elevates the eyebrows and causes the forehead to wrinkle in the process.
But even if you’re someone who’s preferred subtle facial expressions, age inevitably catches up with all of us. As our skin laxity lessens, fine lines and wrinkles begin to form. And the forehead, if only because of its prominent placement, is usually the first place we notice them.
What does Botox do, exactly?
Botox burst onto the scene in 2002, when it was approved by the FDA as a safe and temporary solution for smoothing wrinkles. It continues to be the most popular nonsurgical wrinkle treatment, even as the injectables market has grown exponentially in recent years. Last year alone, nearly 7.5 million Botox procedures were performed in the United States, a 3% increase over 2017.
So, how does it work, exactly? Where forehead wrinkles are concerned, it stops the targeted muscles from working, which, in turn, gets rid of the creases. You’ll notice the muscles slowly freeze up within a day or two of the injections. The full, line-smoothing effects will appear after a week. And they typically last for three to four months before gradually wearing off.
There aren’t any other treatments thus far that have been shown to extend the effects of Botox, but there are things you can do to complement the treatment and enhance the results. Wearing sunscreen and taking care of yourself is a start. An ultrasound treatment will help further tighten the skin on the forehead for a greater duration, and a brow lift, which entails small incisions along the hairline, will help create a smoother look overall.
Start sooner rather than later
A couple of other things to keep in mind. First, the number of injections varies from person to person. And, side effects are rare, but when they do occur, they’re usually the result of the injection process. So, seek out a board-certified plastic surgeon who has extensive experience in cosmetic injectables.
Also, Botox is most effective as a preventative treatment. While the mid-twenties may sound premature for considering any kind of facial cosmetic treatment, that’s when traces of lines begin appearing on the forehead. If you wait to treat forehead wrinkles after they’re apparent, it becomes more difficult to achieve ideal results.