The vertical lines between the brows are the area anti-wrinkle injections address most predictably, and the area where too much dose shows fastest.
The vertical lines between the brows, sometimes called the elevens or the glabellar lines, form from the muscles that pull the brows together. Concentration, bright light and reading a screen all recruit them, which is why these lines often appear earlier than people expect and in patients who do not consider themselves frowners.
Treatment uses botulinum toxin, a prescription medicine, to reduce the activity of those specific muscles. The skin above them stops folding at the same point and the line softens.
This is the most predictable area on the face for this treatment. It is also the area where excessive dose is most visible, because the muscles here interact directly with brow position. Results vary between individuals, and treatment is suitable following consultation.
Two muscle groups create these lines: the corrugators, which draw the brows together, and a small central muscle that pulls the brow down. Treatment places small amounts of botulinum toxin into specific points within them.
Dose here is decided by muscle strength rather than by protocol. Patients with strong corrugators need more than patients with weak ones, and giving both the same pattern is how a treatment ends up either doing nothing or dropping a brow.
Brow position is the constraint. The muscles that pull the brows down sit alongside the ones being treated, and the muscle that lifts the brow sits above them. Treating too heavily, or too low, can leave the brow heavier than it started. Dr Sateei assesses brow position and how it changes on movement before deciding placement, and reviews new patients at two weeks so a small adjustment can be made if the balance is not quite right.
Where a line has become etched at rest rather than only appearing on movement, softening the movement improves it partially and slows its progression rather than removing it. That distinction is made clearly before treatment rather than discovered afterwards.
It may suit you if you are looking to:
It is not suitable during pregnancy or breastfeeding, or where you have certain neuromuscular conditions. If your brow already sits low, treatment here needs particular care and Dr Sateei may recommend a lighter dose or a different plan.
If you are looking for complete absence of movement in this area, she will tell you at consultation that she is not the right practitioner for that.
Treatment takes around 15 minutes. Very fine needles are used and most patients describe a brief sting. Numbing is generally not required.
There is no expected downtime. Avoid strenuous exercise, facial massage and lying flat for around four hours afterwards. Small raised marks at injection points settle within an hour, and occasional pinpoint bruising within a few days.
Onset begins around day three to five, with the full effect at around two weeks. New patients are reviewed at two weeks, and it is worth waiting until then before judging the result.
The effect typically lasts three to four months. The glabella has strong muscles and often holds longer than the forehead, and duration frequently extends with consistent repeat treatment as the muscle gradually weakens.
Benefits of frown line treatment
| Treatment | London | Sevenoaks |
|---|---|---|
| Anti-wrinkle injections | From £495 | From £395 |
New patient consultation, £195 at both clinics. If you go ahead with treatment on the day of your appointment, this fee is deducted from the cost of your treatment.
Prices correct as published and subject to change.
“This is the area patients think is simple and it is the area where I see the most heavy-handed work. The muscles here sit right next to the ones holding your brow up, so a dose that is too generous does not just soften a line, it changes where your eyebrows live. I would rather start lower, see you at two weeks, and add a little than have you spend three months with a brow you did not ask for.”
Dr Ellie Sateei has over two decades of experience in dermatology and aesthetics.
Anti-wrinkle injections are from £495 in London. Your consultation is £195, deducted from treatment on the day.
Not where dose and placement account for brow position. The muscles treated sit alongside those that hold the brow up, which is why assessment matters and why new patients are reviewed at two weeks.
Typically three to four months. The muscles here are strong and often hold longer than the forehead, and duration frequently extends with consistent repeat treatment.
Onset begins around day three to five, with the full effect at around two weeks. It is worth waiting until then before judging the result.
Where the line only appears on movement, the improvement can be considerable. Where it has become etched at rest, treatment softens it and slows its progression rather than removing it.
There is no expected downtime. Avoid strenuous exercise, facial massage and lying flat for around four hours afterwards.
Treatments of interest to book alongside frown lines
Frown line treatment is predictable when dose and brow position are assessed together, and visible when they are not. If these lines bother you, the conversation worth having is how little will soften them while leaving your brow where it belongs. Dr Ellie Sateei sees patients at her London clinic.
Our London clinic is located at 91a New Cavendish Street, London, W1W 6XF
We serve patients from London, Kent and the home counties as well as from all over the world. Our London clinic sits in the heart of Marylebone, within easy reach of the West End by tube, while our Sevenoaks clinic in Ightham is moments from the M25 and M26 for patients across Kent.
