Frown Lines (11 Lines): Causes and Treatment Options

Frown lines are the vertical creases between the eyebrows, often called 11 lines because a pair of them looks like the number eleven. They appear when you frown, squint, concentrate or react to bright light, and over the years many people find they stay even when the face is relaxed. Because they sit in the centre of the face, they can make someone look cross, worried or tired when they are not.

The good news is that they are among the most treatable lines on the face.

What causes frown lines

The lines are made by a small group of muscles between the brows, mainly the corrugators, which pull the brows together and down, and the procerus, which pulls the area between them downward. Each contraction folds the skin. Several things deepen the lines over time:

Expression habits. Frowning in concentration, squinting at screens or reacting to bright light all use the same muscles.
Age. As skin loses collagen and elasticity, folds that once disappeared start to linger.
Sun exposure. Sun damage thins the skin, and squinting in the sun adds to the movement.
Smoking and dehydrated skin, which make lines more visible.
Vision. Squinting to read or see at distance repeatedly works the frown muscles.

Lines with movement versus lines at rest

The most useful question is whether the lines appear only when you frown, or whether they are still there when your face is completely relaxed. Lines that come and go with expression are caused by muscle movement and respond well to treatments that relax the muscle. Lines that remain at rest mean the skin itself has creased, and they usually need a skin treatment as well.

Botox for frown lines

Botox relaxes the muscles that pull the brows together. Small amounts are placed at a few points between and just above the brows, which softens the frown so the skin creases less. The aim is a calmer, more rested look, not a frozen brow, and the rest of your expressions stay your own. Most people notice the lines softening within a few days, with the full effect after about two weeks. Results usually last a few months, and with regular treatment lines at rest can soften too.

Frown lines are often treated together with crow's feet and forehead lines, and sometimes with bunny lines on the nose. The Botox guide covers each area and how treatment is priced, and Botox aftercare explains the first day or two.

Risks of Botox between the brows

Small bruises and tenderness at the injection points are common and settle quickly. Less often, the product can spread and cause a heavy brow or a drooping upper eyelid, which wears off as the product does. Careful placement by someone who knows the anatomy well keeps this uncommon. Any difficulty swallowing, speaking or breathing after an injection needs urgent medical attention.

When lines stay at rest

Deep lines that remain when the face is relaxed often need more than a muscle relaxer:

Skin treatments such as laser skin resurfacing or microneedling improve the skin itself and can soften etched lines, often alongside Botox.
Filler can occasionally be used to soften a deep line, but the area between the brows is one of the higher risk places to inject filler because of the blood vessels there. It is used selectively, in small amounts, by injectors with deep anatomical experience, and many prefer to rely on Botox and skin treatments first. The dermal fillers guide explains how filler works.
Surgery is rarely needed for frown lines alone, but where the brow itself has descended, a brow lift can address the heaviness and the lines together.

Slowing them down

Daily sunscreen and sunglasses reduce both sun damage and squinting. If you squint to read or see the screen, an eye test may help more than any treatment. Not smoking, a good moisturiser and a retinoid recommended by your doctor or dermatologist support the skin. Starting Botox while lines appear only with movement can also stop them becoming etched in.

Frown lines around the mouth

Some people use the phrase frown lines for the lines that run down from the corners of the mouth. Those are a different problem, caused by volume loss and gravity as much as by muscle, and are covered in the guide to marionette lines.

The short version

Frown lines are the vertical 11 lines between the brows, made by the muscles that pull the brows together. Lines that appear only with expression respond well to Botox, with results in a few days that last a few months. Lines that stay at rest usually need a skin treatment as well, and filler in this area is used sparingly because of its higher risk. Sun protection and less squinting help slow them down.

Bothered by frown lines?

A consultation looks at how your brow moves and how deep the lines are at rest, and explains which treatment, or combination, fits before anything is booked.

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Vertical lines between the eyebrows, often called 11 lines, made by the muscles that pull the brows together when you frown, squint or concentrate.

For lines caused by movement, Botox is the most common treatment. Deeper lines that remain at rest may also need a skin treatment, and occasionally a small amount of filler placed by an experienced injector.

Results usually last a few months, after which the muscles gradually recover and treatment can be repeated.

Lines that only appear with expression come and go with the movement. Once they are visible at rest they rarely fade without treatment, though sun protection and good skin care can slow them deepening.

The area between the brows is one of the higher risk places for filler because of the blood vessels there. It is used selectively, in small amounts, by injectors with deep anatomical experience.

Daily sun protection, sunglasses to reduce squinting, correcting your vision if you squint to read, not smoking and a good skin care routine all help.

No. Frown lines run vertically between the brows. Forehead lines run horizontally across the forehead and are made by a different muscle, though the two are often treated together.