Guide to 7 Facial Wrinkles Smoothed by Botox

Aging is an inevitable result of living, and wrinkles are a sign of aging. Collagen in the dermis is made up of fibers of protein that, along with elastin, give strength, support, and resilience to the skin. Collagen production starts to slow down as early as a person's 30s.

The strands break up and decrease in number and elongate. This, along with hyperactive facial muscles, sun damage, and years of tobacco use all contribute to wrinkle formation.

There's nothing wrong with wrinkles, and some people view their wrinkles as evidence of a full life. They don't mind wrinkles and don't want to spend money or time smoothing them out. Other people, however, desire to rid themselves of wrinkles.

Close up of attractive older woman
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In addition to certain lifestyle modifications like avoidance of sun exposure and smoking cessation, there are numerous non-invasive treatments for wrinkles including laser, chemical peeling, tissue filler injections, and injection of botulinum toxin (Botox, Daxxify, Dysport, Xeomin, and Jeuveau).

Injection with botulinum works best with dynamic wrinkles or wrinkles that appear after the formation of facial expressions like a smile or a frown.

Conversely, static wrinkles remain while your face is relaxed and are best treated with a combination of botulinum toxin and dermal fillers. Static wrinkles are also treated commonly with chemical peels, microdermabrasion, radiofrequency micro-needling, and laser resurfacing.

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6 Tips for Preventing Wrinkles

Here are seven different facial wrinkles treated by injection with botulinum toxin.

1

Glabellar Lines

Closed eyes of wrinkled old woman, eyebrows and eyelids tattoo, beauty concept
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The glabella is a patch of skin between the eyebrows and above the nose. Treatment of glabellar lines is the most common cosmetic use of botulinum toxin.

2

Crow's-Feet

Close up of woman's eye wrinkles
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Crow's-feet (also called periorbital lines or lateral canthal lines) are wrinkles that branch from the outer corners of the eyes while smiling. Of note, crow's-feet that are static thus occur in both the presence and absence of smiling.

Crow's-feet are the second most frequent types of wrinkles treated with Botox Cosmetic, which works beautifully with the dynamic wrinkles in this area.

3

Forehead Wrinkles

A man sweating, detail of forehead
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The relatively large facial muscle that overlies the forehead is called the frontalis muscle. When the frontalis muscle contracts, the brow raises and forehead lines appear.

4

Bunny Lines

Man with Eyes Closed
Nico Kai / Getty Images

Bunny lines occur on the bridge of the nose. They can become more prominent after botulinum toxin treatment for glabellar lines or crow's feet. Thus, people who have Botox treatment for glabellar lines or crow's feet often return for treatment of bunny lines, too.

5

Lipstick Lines

Senior woman puckering, close-up of mouth
Simon Winnall / Getty Images

Perioral or lipstick lines are vertical wrinkles above the upper lip. The formation of lipstick lines is likely multifactorial and photoaging, hereditary factors, puckering, and smoking all contribute.

6

Marionette Lines

marionette lines

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Marionette lines are vertical wrinkles that originate at the corners of the mouth and branch downwards towards the chin. (These lines resemble the borders of the jaw segment of a marionette.) Marionette lines are usually treated with dermal fillers or a facelift.

7

Chin Dimpling

chin dimpling

Tim Flach/Getty Images

Chin dimpling gives the chin an orange-peel (peau d'orange) appearance. As with the treatment of marionette lines, smoothing chin dimples often requires both botulinum toxin and dermal fillers.

A Word From Verywell

Most people who receive botulinum toxin injections are pretty happy with the results and go on to purchase more injections. However, treatment with such agents is a temporary measure with lines returning after about four to six months.

Furthermore, as with all medical treatments, treatment with Botox carries its own risks of adverse effects (mostly short-lived) including swelling, muscle weakness, and pain. For instance, Nicole Kidman famously told La Republica, "I did try Botox, unfortunately, but I got out of it and now I can finally move my face again."

If you're interested in Botox, please make an appointment with a specialist for an evaluation and to discuss your options.

2 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
  1. Small R. Botulinum toxin injection for facial wrinkles. Am Fam Physician. 2014;90(3):168-75.

  2. De boulle K, Fagien S, Sommer B, Glogau R. Treating glabellar lines with botulinum toxin type A-hemagglutinin complex: a review of the science, the clinical data, and patient satisfaction. Clin Interv Aging. 2010;5:101-18. doi:10.2147/cia.s9338

Additional Reading

By Naveed Saleh, MD, MS
Naveed Saleh, MD, MS, is a medical writer and editor covering new treatments and trending health news.