The vertical lines between the brows do something no other facial line does: they change what your face communicates when you are not doing anything. Patients describe being asked repeatedly whether they are angry, worried, or annoyed when they feel none of those things, and being misread constantly is a more common reason for treating this area than the lines themselves.
Sam Assassa, MD is a member of the American Academy of Aesthetic Medicine and has practiced non-surgical facial aesthetics in Los Angeles since founding Beverly Hills Aesthetics in 1995. He is board certified in Internal Medicine and has performed more than 25,000 aesthetic procedures.
What Causes Frown Lines
Two muscle groups work together here. The corrugators pull the brows inward toward each other, and the procerus pulls the area between them downward. Together they produce the expression associated with concentration, irritation, and squinting.
Unlike smiling, most of this happens unconsciously. People frown while reading, while working at a screen, while driving into low sun, and while thinking about nothing in particular. The muscle activity accumulates without any awareness of it, which is why these lines often deepen faster than expected.
Squinting from uncorrected vision or from sun without sunglasses accelerates it considerably.
Why They Are Called the Elevens
The two vertical lines resemble the number eleven, which is why the term stuck. Some people develop one deeper central line instead, and some develop a horizontal crease across the bridge of the nose from the procerus pulling down.
All three come from the same muscle group and are treated together rather than separately.
Lines That Stay When Your Face Relaxes
Frown lines follow the same progression as other expression lines. They begin appearing only during the expression, and over years they etch into the skin and remain visible at rest.
The distinction matters because the treatments differ. Lines that appear only with movement resolve almost completely when the muscle is relaxed. Lines already set into the skin soften considerably and usually need the skin addressed as well to close the remaining gap.
Treating consistently while lines are still dynamic is the most reliable way to keep them from setting, which is a more defensible reason to start early than any general claim about prevention.
How Frown Lines Are Treated
- Botox® for frown lines relaxes the corrugator and procerus muscles. This is the original approved cosmetic indication, at an approved dose of 20 units divided across the muscle group.
- Filler, occasionally, for a deep static line that persists once movement has been reduced. Placement here requires caution, since the glabella carries the highest vascular risk of any facial injection site.
- Resurfacing for etched lines, addressing the skin rather than the muscle.
Many patients find that treating this area also reduces tension headaches, since the muscles involved are frequently held in contraction without awareness.
Reverse Your Frown Lines in Beverly Hills
Dr. Assassa will assess how much of your line is movement and how much has set into the skin, and treat accordingly. Request a consultation or schedule your appointment online.