How Will You Age?

Find out which forehead muscles you have and how this can impact your wrinkles!

Mr Dalvi Humzah, consultant, plastic and reconstructive surgeon, Plastic and Dermatological Surgery, London IG: @pdsurgery

Forehead lines – they’re something we all have and wanting them improved is one of the most popular reasons for getting an aesthetic treatment. While they can be softened, unfortunately they aren’t something we can completely prevent – the lines are mainly caused by our muscle movement, meaning they form when we raise or burrow our eyebrows. Over time, this can cause grooves to develop in your skin that eventually present as wrinkles.

But did you know that not everyone’s forehead lines present in the same way? According to consultant, plastic and reconstructive surgeon Mr Dalvi Humzah, there are four main ways that forehead lines can appear and knowing which type you fall into will affect what type of treatment plan your practitioner should follow.

So, which type are you?

WHY DOES YOUR SHAPE MATTER?

Mr Humzah explains that knowing your individual forehead anatomy is important for getting optimal results from an aesthetic treatment. He explains, “The most popular procedure for treating forehead lines is botulinum toxin. This product is injected into a muscle and causes it to relax, limiting its movements. For forehead lines, this treatment means the existing lines look smoother. In addition, you can’t move your eyebrows inward anymore, so you don’t make the existing lines deeper.”

He adds that when you’re going to a practitioner for toxin, you need someone who is going to treat you as an individual rather than replicate the same injection points for everyone. “If your muscles contract differently and your lines don’t present in the

TYPE 1: V-SHAPED

Mr Humzah calls this the flying bird shape! This is where the muscle covers the entire forehead, including the central part, giving rise to parallel wrinkles that extend continuously throughout the forehead.

TYPE 2: HORIZONTAL

This type is when you have straight lines presenting horizontally across the whole forehead, explains Mr Humzah. Like the V-shape, this is a common presentation of forehead lines, and occurs because the muscles are formed by two bands separated by a connective tissue.

middle of your forehead for example, there’s no point getting any toxin injected there,” he says, “If people inject in the wrong places, it can actually cause your eyebrows to droop or leave you with a frozen look. Getting the treatment to reflect individual anatomy can help give a more natural result.”

When seeking treatment, Mr Humzah recommends ensuring you go to a medically-qualified and regulated injector who is able to assess your face correctly and perform the appropriate injection method.

TREATMENTS

Alongside botulinum toxin treatments, Mr Humzah explains that dermal fillers can help lessen the appearance of forehead lines as they help to create plumpness and volume, and skin boosters can be used to help to smooth out the texture of the skin by providing it with more hydration. Find out more about how skin boosters can help your skin by turning to p.8.

Mr Humzah also notes that a good skincare regime can help. He explains, “The forehead is easily exposed, so it is one of the areas which is most prone to sun damage. Sun damage can cause accelerated ageing, so it’s important to always wear an SPF of at least 30 even on non-sunny days. While we can’t stop forehead lines appearing completely, implementing this from a young age means you will help to reduce their appearance in the future. Using retinol in your skincare can also be good, as it stimulates collagen to help the skin resist wrinkling and smooth out its appearance.”

TYPE 3: CENTRAL

Mr Humzah explains that these are where your lines only present in the middle of your forehead because the connective tissue is located laterally, and the muscle is in the central part of the forehead, leading to a column of lines in the central part. This means there are no lines around the corners for your eyebrows.

TYPE 4: LATERAL

According to Mr Humzah, this type only presents with lines at the sides of the eyebrows, but with nothing showing in the middle of the forehead. This is because the two muscle bands are placed laterally in the forehead with a large portion of connective tissue in the central part.