The uses for Botox Cosmetic are extraordinarily vast—from smoothing wrinkles to alleviating urinary incontinence, it almost seems like there’s nothing Botox can’t do at this point. However, leave it to a group of plastic surgeons to prove otherwise, yet again revealing a new, off-label use for Botox that may replace a popular surgical procedure entirely.
In a study printed in the Aesthetic Surgery Journal, plastic surgeon and head of the Israel Center for Facial Sculpting, Sarit Cohen, led a team of researchers to discover how Botox could be used to lift and lengthen the forehead.
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Here’s how it worked: The case study included 29 females between 29 and 66 years old were given hairline injections of botulinum toxins. After two weeks, their forehead height was measured and compared to their original measurements before receiving the injections, and the results were startling.
The patients showed a substantial increase in forehead height post-injections, with patients who had shorter foreheads to begin with, showing the highest increase in forehead “lift.” But the results don’t only show a difference in forehead length, they also revealed a slight raise in the brows as well. By injecting the hairline and lifting the forehead, brows were subsequently lifted.
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“These injections [higher up in the hairline] inhibit the pulling effect of your frontalis muscle, which is the muscle in your forehead that pulls down on your hairline,” explains Livingston, NJ, plastic surgeon, John Paul Tutela, MD. “Therefore, Botox or other neurotoxins can be used to lengthen your forehead.”
Sadly, this fix isn’t a permanent solution for low foreheads or eyebrows. Botox injections only last about three to four months, making it a short-term and relatively expensive treatment option because it requires multiple touchups over time. However, it’s always good to be aware of noninvasive options when it comes to cosmetic procedures, especially when considering more permanent surgical options down the line.
