Neurotoxin injections like Botox and Dysport are the ultimate wrinkle treatments. For those who remember the frozen foreheads of the 2000s, they can also raise some concerns. Will Botox prevent you from making facial expressions? Will it make you look frozen? 

The reality is that Botox can impact your facial expressions – it’s part of what it’s meant to do. Cosmetic Botox relaxes the muscles that cause expression wrinkles, leading to a more youthful and serene look, with fewer furrows or creases.  

But that doesn’t mean that Botox stops you from having facial expressions! In this post, we’ll cover everything you need to know about Botox and facial expressions. We’ll explain how it impacts different expressions, and how you can ensure more natural-looking Botox results. 

How Botox Affects Facial Expressions

In simple terms, Botox works like a controlled and targeted muscle relaxer. It prevents muscles from clenching (or just weakens them, depending on the amount injected). 

It’s a very controllable and targeted treatment, so how it’ll impact your facial expressions depends on where it’s injected and why. For example, many of our clients want Botox to reduce the intensity of their negative facial expressions so they can look (and possibly even feel) calmer and happier. 

Glabellar Botox Reduces Frowns

One of the most popular uses for Botox is to treat the glabella lines, more commonly known as frown lines. They’re the vertical lines that form between the eyebrows when you make an angry expression – with time, those “number 11” lines can remain even when your face is at rest. 

The quantity of Botox needed to completely prevent frowning would be astounding since the glabella muscles are quite powerful. Normally, enough is injected to prevent the lines between the brows from getting very deep, but you’ll still be able to knit your brows together and show dissatisfaction. In other words, Botox affects these facial expressions by softening them rather than eliminating them.

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Forehead Botox Softens Surprise

Humans express surprise by raising their eyebrows. Unfortunately, this is also the facial expression that leads to etched-in horizontal forehead lines. 

In the early days, getting too much forehead Botox made it truly impossible to raise the brows in surprise, but nowadays, injectors are well aware of the risks, and accidental over-injection is a lot less common. 

Nowadays, qualified injectors focus on natural-looking Botox that won’t stop you from raising your eyebrows completely. Your surprised expression might be a little more subtle, but you’ll get to kiss the corresponding wrinkles goodbye. 

Botox and Your Smile

There are a couple of Botox injections sites that can impact your smile. For example, our eyes tend to crinkle when we smile genuinely, resulting in lines known as crow’s feet. After getting Botox, you’ll still be able to smile, but you may find that it doesn’t look as genuine if your eyes don’t crinkle as much (especially if your injector went overboard). 

However, Botox can also be used to treat a downturned mouth, to improve your smile! If you find that you sometimes look like you’re frowning when your face is at rest, Botox can lift the corners of your mouth to create a more neutral or slightly happier expression. 

Will My Face Look Frozen After Botox?

Whether your face will look frozen after Botox largely depends on your injector and how much Botox they use. There are also individual factors, like how active your muscles are. 

If you get a small amount of Botox in an area where your muscles are very strong, there’s a very low likelihood that you’ll achieve enough facial paralysis to look frozen. You’ll probably find yourself disappointed since you won’t notice much wrinkle reduction either.  

To achieve effective wrinkle reduction but without that frozen look, it’s imperative to go to a very experienced nurse injector. Learning to inject the ideal and balanced amount of Botox for each client takes both knowledge and practice. 

It can also take some trial and error as you discover your exact preferences and learn how your body responds to Botox. The good news is that Botox fades within a few months of treatment, so over time and by visiting the same injector consistently, you can work together to find your very own sweet spot. 

 

Achieve Natural-Looking Botox At SEV

Ultimately, how Botox will impact your facial expressions comes down to your nurse injector. 

At SEV, our specialized nurse injectors have a robust understanding of facial musculature. They also have the experience needed to customize your treatment based on your facial anatomy and beauty goals. 

Whether you’re looking to adjust your facial expressions in a specific way or you’d simply like a non-frozen natural-looking Botox, you’ll be in great hands with us! We offer Botox and other neuromodulator injections at select SEV med spas. Have a look at our booking portal to get started.