Bunny Lines: What Causes Them and How Botox Softens Them

Bunny lines are the small diagonal creases that appear on the sides of the upper nose when you smile, laugh or scrunch your nose. They get their name from the way a rabbit wrinkles its nose. For most people they are only visible with expression, but they can show up clearly in photographs and, over time, start to linger when the face is at rest.

They are one of the smaller areas treated with Botox, and one of the more satisfying when it is done well, because a little goes a long way.

What causes bunny lines

The lines are made by the nasalis, a thin muscle that runs over the bridge and sides of the nose. Every time it contracts, the skin over it creases. Several things make the lines more noticeable:

How you smile. Some people naturally scrunch the nose when they smile or laugh, and they see bunny lines from a young age.
Age. As skin loses collagen and elasticity, creases that once disappeared start to stay.
Sun exposure. Sun damage thins the skin and makes fine lines more visible.
Treatment elsewhere. After the forehead and frown lines are relaxed, some people use the nose muscle more when they make expressions, and bunny lines become more obvious.

How Botox softens bunny lines

Botox relaxes the muscle that makes the lines. A small amount placed into the nasalis on each side of the nose reduces how strongly it contracts, so the skin creases less when you smile. The aim is not to stop the face moving, but to soften the scrunch so the lines are much less noticeable while your expressions still look like yours.

Because the area is small, bunny lines are often treated together with the frown lines and crow's feet. Treating them at the same time also prevents the pattern where relaxing the muscles above makes the nose work harder. The Botox guide covers the other treatment areas.

What treatment involves

Treatment starts with watching you make expressions, smiling, laughing and scrunching, so the injection points match how your own muscle moves. The injections themselves take a few minutes and use a very fine needle. Most people describe a brief pinch. There is no recovery time, and most people return to their day straight away.

Results and how long they last

Most people notice the lines softening within a few days, with the full effect after about two weeks. Results usually last a few months, after which the muscle gradually recovers and treatment can be repeated. How long it lasts varies from person to person. Botox aftercare explains what to do and avoid in the first day or two.

Risks and side effects

Small bruises and tenderness at the injection points are common and settle quickly. The more important risk is placement. The nose sits close to the muscles that lift the upper lip, and if the product affects them the smile or upper lip can look slightly uneven until it wears off. This is why the area is treated with small, carefully placed amounts by someone who knows the anatomy well. Any difficulty swallowing, speaking or breathing after an injection needs urgent medical attention.

Lines that stay at rest

Botox works on lines caused by movement. If the creases are still visible when your face is completely relaxed, the skin itself has changed, and a muscle relaxer will only partly soften them. Treatments that improve the skin, such as laser skin resurfacing or microneedling, can help those lines, often alongside Botox.

Who it suits

Botox for bunny lines suits people who dislike the creases on the sides of the nose when they smile, or who have noticed them after treatment elsewhere on the face. It is less suited to someone whose main concern is the shape of the nose itself, which a muscle relaxer does not change. Non-surgical rhinoplasty covers that question.

The short version

Bunny lines are diagonal creases on the sides of the nose, made by the nasalis muscle when you smile or scrunch. A small amount of Botox relaxes that muscle so the lines soften, with results in a few days that last a few months. Careful placement matters because the muscles of the upper lip are close by, and lines that remain at rest may also need a skin treatment.

Find out whether Botox for bunny lines suits you

A consultation looks at how your nose, brow and eyes move together, explains where treatment would help, and plans a conservative first step.

Request a Consultation

Small diagonal lines on the sides of the upper nose that appear when you smile, laugh or scrunch your nose. They are caused by a small muscle over the bridge of the nose.

Repeated contraction of the nasalis muscle with everyday expressions. Some people simply scrunch more when they smile, and the lines can become more noticeable with age as skin loses elasticity.

They sometimes become more noticeable after the forehead and frown lines are treated, because some people recruit the nose muscle more when the muscles above it are relaxed. Treating the area at the same time prevents this.

Results usually last a few months, similar to Botox in other areas, and vary from person to person.

Most people notice a change within a few days, with the full effect after about two weeks.

Bruising and tenderness at the injection points are common and short-lived. If the product affects a nearby muscle, the upper lip or smile can look uneven for a while, which is why careful placement matters.

Lines that remain when the face is at rest can be softened with skin treatments such as resurfacing or microneedling. Lines that only appear with expression respond best to a muscle relaxer.