Now, the culprit of Tay Ping Hui’s ‘intense’ expression is actually the group of muscles between the eyebrows (the glabella). These muscles contract every time we frown, pulling the eye brows together and downwards to produce the characteristic angry or stern expression we are all so familiar with.

When we were younger, and our skin was more supple, the frown lines disappeared after we stopped frowning. However, repeated creasing of the skin at the glabella area, coupled with decreasing skin elasticity as we age, results in the lines being permanently etched into our face, even when we are not frowning (Think of it as a piece of paper being folded along the same line repeatedly, and the crease which forms).

The unfortunate result: like what we see here.. a facial expression which is always ‘angry’, and ‘intense’.

Prevention is Better Than Cure : With Botox

Botox is wonderful for treating these angry frown lines. In fact, the treatment of glabellar frown lines was the first cosmetic use of Botox (FDA approval in 2002). Botox relaxes the group of muscles between the brows, preventing them from pulling the eyebrows together and creating a frown. This gives a relaxed and more approachable look.

Prevention is always better than cure. While Botox is great for preventing the dynamic lines from etching into the skin permanently, it cannot cure frown lines which are already deeply etched. Once the lines are etched in, they become harder to treat, requiring lasers to resurface the skin, and fillers to plumb up the lines. Hence, I always advise Botox early, especially for people who frown very often (like teachers!).

For people who still want to others to know when they are discontent, fear not. The dose of Botox can be varied to suit your needs – discuss with your doctor the degree of treatment you want, and how much you still want to be able to frown after your treatment.

Source: Pictures from mrbrown.com