Consultations / Facial Lines / Frown Lines
Frown line assessment in
Glenroy, Melbourne
The vertical lines that form between the eyebrows are created by three muscles pulling the brow inward and downward. Patients often call them the elevens. Clinically they are glabellar lines.
Every consultation at Tajmeel Cliniq is conducted in person by a doctor. Assessment comes first. What is appropriate, if anything, follows the assessment.
Dr Ibrahim Hawli
MBBS · Registered Medical Practitioner
Ahpra registration MED0002627622
Ahpra registration MED0002627622
In short
Frown lines are caused by the corrugator supercilii, procerus and depressor supercilii muscles contracting when you frown, squint or concentrate. The glabella is a small area with dense vascular anatomy, which is why examination and a working knowledge of that anatomy come before anything is considered. Assessment determines whether anything is appropriate.
01 / Anatomy
What causes a crease
between eyebrows
Three muscles do the work, and knowing which one is dominant in your face changes the clinical approach. Together they are called the glabellar complex. When they contract, the skin between the eyebrows bunches. Repeated thousands of times a year, the fold becomes established.
01
Corrugator supercilii
Draws brows together
Runs diagonally above each eyebrow and pulls the brows toward each other. This muscle creates the two vertical lines most people see.
02
Procerus
Lowers central brow
Sits over the bridge of the nose and pulls the centre of the brow downward. It produces the horizontal crease at the top of the nose.
03
Depressor supercilii
Lowers inner brow
A smaller muscle that lowers the inner brow and contributes to the bunching of skin in the glabella.
Two other factors compound it. Skin loses elastin and collagen with age, so it stops flattening out after each contraction. And squinting adds volume of movement. Uncorrected vision, screen glare and driving into afternoon sun all recruit these muscles for hours a day. This is why a wrinkle between eyebrows can appear in someone in their late twenties. It is a function of how often the muscle fires, not only how old you are.
02 / Assessment
Dynamic and static lines on eyebrows
The distinction determines what is achievable. At assessment Dr Hawli will ask you to frown, then fully relax, and will tell you which category your lines fall into. That answer, not a price list, is what determines the plan.
Dynamic lines
Appear only when you frown and vanish at rest. The skin is still elastic, which is the key finding at assessment for this category.
Static lines
Visible when your face is completely relaxed. The crease is etched into the dermis, and an established crease is not erased. What realistic change looks like for your face is explained at assessment.
Most patients presenting in their thirties and forties have a combination of both.
03 / Clinical Detail
Why the forehead and glabella are assessed together
The glabellar complex pulls the brow down. The frontalis muscle across the forehead pulls it up. They oppose each other.
Assessing one without the other is the most common cause of an unbalanced outcome. Too much change to the frontalis and the brow drops. Change to the glabellar complex alone can allow the brow to sit slightly higher, which may or may not suit a particular face depending on its starting anatomy.
For this reason the forehead and the glabella are always assessed at the same appointment, even when you have only asked about one of them.
Why this region gets particular attention
The supratrochlear and supraorbital vessels run through this small area. In the context of dermal filler, the glabella is recognised in clinical literature as one of the highest risk sites on the face for vascular complications.
This is a documented reason why filler in this region is approached with caution and, in many cases, declined. Understanding that anatomy is a medical skill.
04 / Options
How to reduce frown lines
Options assessed at consultation range from measures that reduce how often these muscles contract, through collagen stimulating treatment for established static creases and medical skin treatment to improve dermal quality, to topical therapy where appropriate, and proceeding with nothing at all.
Australian advertising law limits what any clinic website may publish about specific cosmetic procedures, so this page names no products or brands and quotes no procedure prices. What is recommended for you and why is explained during your appointment, in writing as well as in conversation, with time to take the information away before you decide.
Three measures that reduce how often the glabellar complex fires
Have your vision checked
Squinting is muscle activity. An eye test costs less than any cosmetic procedure and addresses a cause rather than an effect.
Daily sunscreen
Australia records among the highest ultraviolet levels globally. UV degrades the collagen and elastin that allow skin to flatten after each contraction. SPF 50+ daily.
Reduce screen glare
Monitor brightness matched to the room, and a break from close focus every twenty minutes.
05 / Timeline
How long does it take to see a change in wrinkles between the eyebrows?
Onset differs between individuals and depends on what is appropriate for you, so it is explained specifically at your consultation rather than quoted in advance. Where lines are deeply etched, change is slower and partial. A review appointment is scheduled two weeks after any first procedure, so that the outcome is assessed in person.
How long do results last?
Any effect on dynamic movement is temporary. Duration varies between individuals with muscle bulk, metabolism and how much the muscle is used, and is explained specifically at your consultation.
Because duration varies this much between individuals, a figure published on a website would not be reliable for your face. Your own interval is discussed at review, once there is something real to measure.
30 to 45
Minutes per consultation
Time set aside for discussion and examination.
2
Weeks to review appointment
Any outcome is reviewed in person, not from a photograph.
0
Obligation to proceed
You are not asked to decide on the day.
06 / Common Concern
Do frown lines come back worse?
No. This is a common concern and the mechanism does not support it.
As muscle activity returns to its previous baseline, lines return to how they were, not beyond. Some patients perceive them as worse because the comparison with the preceding months is fresh.
A fold that is made less often deepens more slowly. That is a plausible mechanism rather than a guarantee, and it is not put forward here as a reason to proceed.
Individual results vary. Not all patients are suitable candidates.
07 / Suitability
Who is not suitable
Contraindications assessed at consultation include:
- Pregnancy or breastfeeding
- Certain medical conditions identified during history taking
- Active skin infection in the area
- Known sensitivity relevant to the procedure
- Certain current medications, which is why a full medication list is needed
- Unrealistic expectations about achievable change
Anatomical factors matter too. Significant upper eyelid skin laxity or a low resting brow increases the risk of heaviness. In some patients the appropriate recommendation is that nothing be undertaken. Bring a list of your current medications. Some interactions are not obvious.
08 / Risks
Risks and side effects
No cosmetic medical procedure is risk free. Documented effects for this area include:
- Bruising at the site, more common in the glabella than the forehead because of the vascular anatomy
- Headache in the days following
- Eyelid droop, which is uncommon and temporary
- Brow asymmetry
- Rare allergic reaction
Unwanted outcomes in this area are generally temporary, though resolution can take weeks to months. Full risk information specific to your case is explained before consent is sought. Written aftercare instructions and a direct contact number are provided after any appointment.
09 / What Happens
What happens at your consultation in Glenroy
Appointments run 30 to 45 minutes. A consultation fee applies and is confirmed when you book. No referral is required.
01
Discussion
What you have noticed, how long it has been present, your medical history, current medications and any previous cosmetic procedures.
02
Assessment
The glabellar complex and frontalis are examined at rest and in movement. Brow position, symmetry, eyelid position and skin quality are assessed.
03
Information
What is clinically appropriate, what it involves, cost, timeline, risks, alternatives and the option of proceeding with nothing.
04
Decision
You are not asked to decide on the day. Time to consider information is part of informed consent.
10 / Service Area
Frown line consultations for Melbourne's northern suburbs
Tajmeel Cliniq is on Glenroy Road, close to Glenroy Station and the Pascoe Vale Road corridor. Patients attend from Glenroy, Oak Park, Pascoe Vale, Hadfield, Gowanbrae, Fawkner, Broadmeadows, Moonee Ponds, Campbellfield, Craigieburn and Roxburgh Park.
The clinic is on Level 1. Street parking is available on Glenroy Road and adjacent side streets. Sunday and Monday appointments suit patients who cannot attend during a standard working week.
Tajmeel Cliniq
Level 1, 10 Glenroy Road, Glenroy VIC 3046
0404 342 222
info@tajmeelcliniq.com.au
Level 1, 10 Glenroy Road, Glenroy VIC 3046
0404 342 222
info@tajmeelcliniq.com.au
Opening hours
- Sunday10am to 5pm
- Monday10am to 5pm
- TuesdayClosed
- Wednesday10am to 5pm
- Thursday10am to 5pm
- FridayClosed
- SaturdayClosed
11 / Common Questions
Questions patients ask
about glabellar lines
If your question is not answered here, ask it at your consultation. There is time set aside for exactly that.
Because two vertical lines between the eyebrows resemble the number 11. The clinical term is glabellar lines. Both refer to the same thing.
A dynamic line that only appears when you frown can be reduced by addressing the cause, which usually means correcting vision, reducing squinting and protecting the skin from UV. A static crease already etched into the dermis will not resolve with topical products alone.
Line formation follows how often the muscle contracts, not age alone. Strong corrugator muscles, uncorrected vision, outdoor work and high sun exposure all produce visible glabella lines earlier.
They are always assessed together because the muscles oppose each other. Whether both are treated depends on your brow position and what the assessment finds.
It can. Reducing the muscles that pull the brow down sometimes allows the brow to sit marginally higher. Whether that suits your face is part of the assessment, which is why brow position is measured before anything is recommended.
Cost follows assessment and cannot be quoted before an examination, because what is appropriate is not known until then. A consultation fee applies and is confirmed when you book.
Written and medically reviewed by
Dr Ibrahim Hawli
MBBS. Level 1 Certification, American Academy of Aesthetic Medicine. Advanced training in non surgical nose reshaping with Aesthetic Intelligence.
Ahpra registration MED0002627622. Dr Hawli practises cosmetic medicine at Tajmeel Cliniq in Glenroy, Melbourne, and conducts every consultation in person.
Last reviewed: [insert month year] · Next review due: [insert month year]
Your first step is
an assessment.
0404 342 222 · Level 1, 10 Glenroy Road, Glenroy
This page provides general information about cosmetic medical consultations and does not constitute medical advice, nor is it intended to encourage the use of any procedure. Any procedure carries risks. Individual outcomes vary and not all patients are suitable candidates. Any decision follows an individual consultation with a registered medical practitioner. This page does not name, describe or advertise any prescription medicine, and no prescription medicine is offered or supplied through this website. Where a prescription medicine is relevant to a patient, information about it, including how it is used and its risks, is provided by Dr Hawli during a consultation, as required under Australian therapeutic goods advertising law. Cosmetic procedures are not advertised or provided to anyone under 18. Dr Ibrahim Hawli, Ahpra registration MED0002627622.