October 12, 2009
When I talk to my patients about treating their bunny lines, my suggestion is usually met with an array of odd looks and strange comments. So what in the world are “bunny lines”?
Over the years, BOTOX® Cosmetic and the various other neuromodulators have been used to soften facial lines by decreasing activity of specific muscles and the resultant folding and crinkling of overlying skin. But while some injectors are still hammering away at the middle brow, most of us are looking at the overall face and trying to determine just exactly where lines should be softened and what effects we have caused by actually softening these lines. When you decrease activity of one muscle, the common response is for an adjacent or accessory muscle to increase or concentrate its activity. And that is exactly what can happen in the inner brow and nasal bridge. When we decrease function of the procerus and corrugators muscles of the brow and accordingly decrease activity of this area, many people respond by wiggling the nasalis muscle. This muscle stretches over the mid-bridge of the nose and is ultimately responsible for the development of transverse lines across the nose called bunny lines. And while these lines will occur with aging in patients never treated with BOTOX®, they can be made more noticeable in patients who are treated with simple injections to their inner brow without addressing the potential for development of over-activity in this area.
As such, I will generally offer bunny line treatment to my patients at least every other session to avoid developing these lines. So the next time your injector talks to you about bunny lines, don’t think that they’ve lost their mind. Thank them for their skill and knowledge and know that you are in good hands.
You Might Also Like
