Everybody knows them, nobody likes them. We are talking about the frown line – that little wrinkle that appears in pairs between the eyebrows when we are angry (hence the name), or wrinkle the forehead. Anatomically, it is usually caused by a muscle with the complicated name “Musculus corrugator supercilii”.
This muscle pulls diagonally down from the center of the eyebrows towards the nose, and is responsible for the contraction of the eyebrows towards the center. When we look grim and our eyebrows are contracted, this is the muscle we use. If we do this too often, however, small wrinkles of skin appear, because the skin over the muscle is also moved.
This takes natural years or even decades, so it is no wonder that wrinkles are generally referred to as signs of aging. Since the muscle corrugator supercilii is arranged in pairs under both eyebrows, not only one, but two wrinkles are formed, which together are called frown lines. In addition to the vertical frown line, a horizontal frown line can also occur, which is caused by another muscle, the M. depressor supercilii. However, a horizontal frown line is less frequent, but can occur if the soft tissue of the forehead also sinks.
Causes
The causes of frown lines are of natural origin. Over time, our skin wears out, the connective tissue weakens, and environmental influences such as sun, wind, and cold do the rest. The skin ages.
Like leather, our skin wears down and wrinkles – a natural process that many people want to stop at all costs in order to retain some youthfulness. Besides the natural signs of aging, stress and an unbalanced lifestyle can accelerate the formation of wrinkles. From the name “anger wrinkles” already much can be concluded to the possible causes. Weak connective tissue, or neurological disorders such as tics, can also promote wrinkles.
Therapy
The frown line is not an illness or a symptom requiring treatment in the true sense of the word. A therapy is therefore purely cosmetic. While many people see the wrinkles as a natural sign of the times, they want to get rid of others as quickly as possible.
The agent of choice for the treatment of wrinkles is now the nerve toxin botulinum toxin, trade name Botox. Botox works on the transmission between nerve cell and muscle cell. It blocks the release of the neurotransmitter acetycholine into the synaptic cleft, thus preventing muscle contraction. If there is no muscle contraction, the skin is not wrinkled, it appears smooth and taut – exactly the result one hopes for.
