Three adverse effects of aesthetic forehead animation

Injectable cosmetic medications, Botox and Dysport, are the most effective non-surgical treatments for unwanted forehead wrinkles. They are easy to inject and generally work very well. But there are adverse effects from its use and it is usually that of unforeseen or unwanted aesthetic effects.

The most feared and well-known complication of injectable neuromuscular facials is drooping of the upper eyelid, known as ptosis. This occurs when the toxin diffuses or migrates from an injection site in or around the eyebrows to the upper eyelid. The position of the upper eyelid margin descends, covering a part of the iris. This is easy for everyone to see and no patient wants to walk for months with the eyelid at half mast. This is because it is injected too close to the eyebrow or it is placed in large volume at an injection site close to the eyebrow. Fortunately, eyelid ptosis is very rare, as there is no known reversal or antidote to this problem other than letting it go away.

One of the most common adverse effects is unusual or unnatural-looking forehead movements. When the area between the eyebrows (glabella) is treated, those pesky vertical lines and furrows will disappear, but the rest of the forehead will not be affected. For those with very active forehead movements, this can result in a central zone of paralysis amid a sea of ​​moving forehead areas. This can also cause the eyebrows to rise mid to side, but not in the brow area closest to the nose. (known as ‘Spock’ brow) These abnormal forehead movements can be easily managed by judiciously placing injections in other areas of the forehead to smooth out those movements and create a less active but more symmetrical forehead and brow movement.

The last adverse effect on the forehead is an unwanted lowering of the eyebrows, also known as ptosis. When too many injections are done above the brow and in the forehead, the brow can feel heavy and actually droop a bit. The arch of the brow can also change. In some cases, placing injections high on the scalp line can cause the brow to rise, although this is not always successful.

Botox and Dysport have a very profound reducing effect on the movements of the facial muscles where they are injected. But forehead movements, brow positions, and eyelids can be adversely affected by these injections, and sometimes it is possible to have too much of a good thing. In some cases, additional “balancing” injections may be given to counteract how muscle movements have been affected. When in doubt about whether more injections can be effective, I prefer in my Indianapolis plastic surgery practice to first use a local anesthetic that lasts about 24 hours and see if the patient finds it helpful … before moving on to the longer action. injections. Upper eyelid ptosis, however, is largely irreversible and must wait for the tint of time.