3 Facial Wrinkles Botox Treats

These days, Botox might seem like the granddaddy of minimally invasive, anti-aging treatments. It was first approved for treating wrinkles back in 2002. However, it’s been on the radar of medical professionals since the mid-20th century.

But it seems like the uses for Botox continue to increase. For example, in October 2017, the FDA finally approved Botox as a treatment for forehead lines. Get to know the types of facial wrinkles Botox treats and three areas of the face it’s FDA-approved to treat.

Types of Wrinkles Botox Treats

There are two types of wrinkles that can occur in the skin as part of the aging process. The first type is the static wrinkle. These are the lines that form whether or not you make a lot of facial movements. Static wrinkles develop as your skin produces less collagen and becomes less elastic. Usually, static wrinkles can be treated or minimized with a dermal filler like Juvederm.

In contrast to static wrinkles, dynamic wrinkles develop over the course of your life as a result of repeated facial movements. When you smile, laugh, frown or cry, you move parts of your face, causing the skin to fold and crinkle. Over time, those crinkles and folds can leave lasting marks, or dynamic wrinkles.

Unless you keep your face perfectly still, it’s likely that you’ll see at least one type of dynamic wrinkle appear as you get older. Where the wrinkles develop depends on how your face is structured and the type of movements you make. Three very common types of dynamic wrinkles include crow’s feet, frown lines and forehead lines.  Each of these wrinkles can be treated with Botox.

Crow’s Feet

Crow’s feet are the fine lines that develop at the corners of the eyes. The lines form as a result of repeated squinting, laughing or crying over the years. When they aren’t very deep, you can use a retinol-based eye cream to help reduce their appearance.

Deeper crow’s feet might be better treated with Botox, though. The Botox will block certain nerve signals to the muscles responsible for the movements that lead to the wrinkles. You won’t be able to make the small movements that create the lines, so the crow’s feet will end up fading.

Frown Lines

When Botox was first FDA-approved as a cosmetic treatment, it was approved to treat the frown lines, sometimes called the “11’s,” that form between the eyebrows. Frown lines are two short, vertical lines that develop after years of furrowing your brow and frowning. When they stick around, they can make you look tired or angry.

Similar to the way it works on crow’s feet, Botox can help the frowns line fade from view by blocking the signals certain nerves send to certain muscles. You’re unable to furrow your brow or frown in the same way, so you can’t make the wrinkles.

Forehead Lines

Many plastic surgeons have long been using Botox to treat the horizontal lines that develop across the forehead, even though this use was only recently approved by the FDA. Those forehead lines are created over time when people lift their eyebrows or furrow their brow in concentration.

Other Uses for Botox

Although Botox is well-known for its use as a wrinkle treatment, wrinkles aren’t the only thing it can treat. The FDA has also approved it as a treatment for excessive sweating, migraines, muscle spasms and crossed-eyes, among a few other things. While you should see a plastic surgeon for Botox injections for wrinkles and to treat sweating, you’ll want to see another specialist for the other treatments.