Horizontal Forehead Lines, or “Surprise” Lines, can form over years of facial expressions, specifically the raising of the eyebrows. They can be treated with Botox. (Credit: cosmopolitan.com)
Horizontal Forehead Lines are wrinkles that appear on your forehead; between the brows and the hairline. These lines stretch out horizontally across your forehead in rows. They appear when the brows are raised when the skin of the forehead scrunches up. After many years of scrunching up, these wrinkles can gradually stay visible even without the eyebrows raised.
What’s more, the more expressive you are (i.e. raising your eyebrows), the easier it is for you to stack up rows of the wrinkle.
Horizontal forehead lines can appear when you raise your brows. These are called dynamic lines. The lines fade away when your brows return to a neutral position.
An example of static horizontal forehead lines. (Credit: milled.com)
Over the course of many years of frequent brow-raising, these transient lines gradually become a permanent fixture on your forehead, slowly turning into static lines.
Treatments for dynamic lines differ from static lines. More on that later.
[Wrinkle Wisdom: Dynamic Wrinkles vs Static Wrinkles]
Aging aside, the most common cause of these lines is the repetitive movement of the forehead muscles, raising the brows and upper eyelids, while wrinkling the forehead in the process.
Other factors that contribute to the formation of horizontal forehead lines include aging, weight loss, sun damage, and smoking.
As you age, you lose volume in your facial fat compartments. These pockets of fat also slide down, giving you a saggy, sad look. These factors, along with sudden weight loss, can contribute to the formation of horizontal forehead lines.
Sun damage, or photoaging, is the premature aging of the skin caused by exposure to the sun’s ultraviolet radiation (UV). Other artificial sources of UV rays also contribute to photoaging, which might be more prominent in sunny countries like Singapore, for example.
UV rays (UVB and UVA) damage the DNA in the outer layer of your skin, as well as the deeper epidermal cells, skin collagen, and elastin. This accelerates the formation of lines and wrinkles on the skin.
Cigarette smoke contains carbon monoxide that displaces vital oxygen in your skin, as well as nicotine, which reduces blood flow. This leaves skin dry, discoloured, and more likely to result in wrinkles. Smoking also cuts your skin’s access to nutrients such as vitamin C, which is crucial for skin repair and rejuvenation.
As dynamic wrinkles, or at the stage when they only appear during muscle movement, they are best treated with a wrinkle relaxer such as Botox.
When they have turned into static lines, a combination of fillers and Botox can help alleviate the look.
Botox helps by blocking the nerve signals in the forehead muscles, limiting their activities and hence preventing the wrinkle formation. Patients typically require 8 to 20 units of BOTOX or more, depending on the individual*. Getting Botox in Singapore can be an option because there are various reputable aesthetic clinics in Singapore with licensed doctors to help with the appropriate skin tightening treatments for your skin.
Fillers are used to fill and even out static wrinkles on your forehead.
*Unit dosage differs from brand to brand (i.e. Xeomin, BOTOX).
Treatment for horizontal forehead lines is more popular with women. This is because of current beauty ideals, where women are seen to look better with a smoother forehead.
Men, on the other hand, can in some opinion look “over-Botoxed” with a completely smooth forehead. With male beauty ideals, it is considered better to soften these lines so that they are still visible but not completely erased. They are seen to add character and maturity to a man’s face.
[07 Apr 2020] A blog post by Dr. Sue Ho
Having honed her medical and surgical skills in Ireland and across the straits, Dr Sue has, since 2006, worked in Singapore’s public hospitals, including Singapore General Hospital, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, and National University Hospital.
Sue’s passion for aesthetics was sparked by a chance encounter with Dr Kelvin Chua, founder and medical director of SL Aesthetic Clinic. Sue is committed to enhancing the natural beauty of each patient, through a personalised and holistic program of treatment and care.
Vaginal rejuvenation and tightening, Botox treatments, filler augmentation and skin rejuvenation are some of the minimally invasive procedures Sue is interested in. She is also an advocate for active living, often giving patients tips and insights to leading a healthier, more wholesome lifestyle.
Recently married to a Frenchman and having just become a mother to a lovely daughter, Sue makes a conscientious effort in keeping a work-life balance.
For more information, write to contact@slclinic.com.sg
To contact Dr Sue Ho, write to suewei@slclinic.com.sg
Like what you read? Share them!
Opening Hours
Mon-Fri 10am-9.30pm
Sat 10am-8.30pm
Sun 10am-7.30pm
