Can we reduce frown lines or make them less pronounced?

Eleven lines, glabellar wrinkles or frown lines are vertical lines occurring between the eyebrows. These wrinkles mostly appear when we are demonstrating negative emotions such as tiredness, anger, self-criticism, impatience, doubt and disapproval  or simply when we are under a lot of stress or when we squint to focus clearly or avoid excess sunlight. It is worth noting that it is our default setting to frown  (we really have limited control on frowning)  and it is a natural phenomenon by which our face gives away  how we are feeling at that specific moment. But, because the frown lines do not add value to our appearance, we all want them to disappear or become less visible.

Some key facts about eleven / frown lines

The muscles involved in eleven lines formation are known as the glabellar complex depressor muscles which are composed of several sets of muscles, namely: corrugator supercilii, procerus, depressor supercilii and orbicularis oculi (as shown in figure 1) . Anytime we are frowning these muscles contract to different extent to accentuate the formation of eleven lines. Normally, these muscles would relax after a while to cause the frown lines to fade away. But, as we age our skin loses its elasticity and hence if we frown and squint constantly, the glabellar complex depressor muscles will be contracting repeatedly and result into the frown lines becoming a permanent feature on our face. The same thing may happen to much younger people (20 to 35 years old), if they constantly frown due to life stress or due to squinting while reading or being exposed to excess sunlight.

How to reduce eleven lines or make them less pronounced?

• While reading, always wear your reading glasses if you use one or if you have difficulties reading as you age make sure you see an optometrist to get reading glasses. This might seem a very simple thing, yes it is, but it can be a key factor that deepens the eleven lines between the eyebrows of many people. As their eyes are unable to automatically focus on near objects, they keep squinting to see clearly without realising they need reading glasses.

• If you wear prescription glasses (for short-sightedness, far-sightedness or any other conditions for which you need corrective lenses)  have your eyes checked if you feel constant eye tiredness. A poor prescription puts a lot of pressure on the eyes and leads to squinting to get a good focus. This inturn causes the glabellar complex depressor muscles to be overactive and leads to the deepening of the frown lines.

• Ensure that you get adequate sleep (a minimum of 6 to 8 hours are recommended) as the skin as well as the whole body does most of its repair activity when we are asleep. As we sleep, our requirement for energy to power physical activities drops to almost zero, which then allows the body to access that energy for regeneration activities. 

• Having a healthy diet is primordial for a healthy skin as well as to reduce the appearance of wrinkles (including frown lines). Ensuring a daily dose of vitamin A, C and E (all of which have antioxidant properties) coupled with drinking of 2 to 3 litres of water to keep the skin fully hydrated. 

• Adopt a healthy skin regimen to keep your skin always clean  
  • use a cleanser on a daily basis to wash your face
  • exfoliate your face at least once per week
  • apply an antioxidant serum to your skin as these help fight free-radicals that are responsible for wrinkle formation
  • Moisturize your face a minimum of twice per day (morning and night). But, if you live in a pretty dehydrating environment, use your moisturizer as frequently as needed to ensure that your face is kept fully hydrated at all times. You should ensure that you moisturize your whole face including between your eyebrows (at the spot where the eleven lines appear), and the space between your eyes and eyebrows.
  • Wear sunscreen on your face everyday, not just when it is sunny.

• Wear sunglasses and a hat when you are outside and exposed to the sun. This will lessen the amount of UV light (known to enhance the skin aging process) that reaches your  face as well reduce squinting on your part.

• Use simple massaging techniques (as highlighted below) for 3-5 minutes on a daily basis to relieve the tension on your glabellar complex depressor muscles. Several scientific researches have proven the efficacy of massaging at reducing the severity of facial wrinkles¹.

Simple massaging techniques that you can use to release the tension on the glabellar complex depressor muscles (or relax these muscles), which will in turn help in making your  eleven lines less pronounced.

To help you find the right spot on your face to do the massage please refer to the figure 2 above. The starting point (where the line starts) and the direction in which you need to massage the four muscles (orbicularis oculi, corrugator supercilii, depressor supercilii and the procerus) have been highlighted by the arrows a to d. Make sure that you apply the massaging technique to both sides of the face by pressing lightly and stretching the muscles in the direction of the arrow. To understand how massaging these muscles would help in reducing the appearance of the frown lines (or making them less pronounced), it is important to understand the role that each one plays in the glabellar complex.

The role played by each muscle of the glabellar complex

(a) The orbicularis oculi is a facial muscle that contracts to close the eyelids. When there is excessive light reaching the eyes or when an object is not clearly visible, these muscles contract and cause squinting. This action in turn causes both the corrugator supercilii, depressor supercilii to contact leading to the appearance of eleven lines.

(b) Corrugator supercilii is a tiny muscle in the middle of the eyebrows  that stretches towards the nose. When it contracts it causes the brows to be pulled down creating vertical frown lines. Thus, this is the key muscle responsible for the eleven lines, despite the fact that the whole complex is responsible to some extent.

(c) The depressor supercilii muscle is located near the eye on either side of the procerus muscle, and helps in moving and lowering the eyebrows.  

(d) The procerus muscle is located between the eyebrows and when contracted it  produces horizontal lines over the bridge of the nose. These lines often accompany the eleven lines. Though it is not always present.

It is worth noting that working on one muscle alone is unlikely to bring any major change as all the four muscles of the glabellar complex work together to create the frown lines. Use a moisturizing cream (of your choice and that works for your skin type) or oil (almond oil is a very good one to use on skin as it is rich in vitamin E and antioxidants which are both known to be very effective at fighting wrinkle lines) as you massage along lines a-d as highlighted in figure 2. It is also advisable to warm the oil slightly, by making the oil bottle stand in a bowl of hot water for a few minutes, before applying on the face. Since, our body does most of its repair activities at night, it is best to massage before going to bed (leave the oil on, do not wash it off). 

Massaging your glabellar complex depressor muscles will not make all your frown lines disappear, but it will definitely have a positive impact, which will vary according to your age. Those less than thirty are more likely to see the disappearance of those frown lines that had become a permanent feature on their face due to bad habits (mostly related to squinting), while those with more mature skin may see their frown lines become less pronounced over a few weeks.