The Real Reason We Don’t Recommend Forehead-Only Botox

Hey everyone! Let’s talk about something I see often in the world of aesthetic treatments—patients who come in and say, “I just want to treat these lines above my forehead.”

Totally fair request, and technically, yes—you can treat just the forehead (frontalis muscle) with neurotoxin like Botox or Dysport. But here’s where my job comes in: to educate you on what really happens when we only treat that one area.

Let’s get into the “why” behind the full picture of forehead neurotoxin treatments—and how treating just your frontalis muscle might not give you the look you’re expecting.

Every Action Has a Reaction—Especially in Aesthetics

The forehead lines you're trying to soften are caused by the frontalis muscle, which is responsible for raising your eyebrows. So when we inject neurotoxin into that muscle, it relaxes—which means your ability to lift your eyebrows goes away (at least temporarily). That part usually makes sense to most people.

But here’s where the reaction comes in. Once the forehead muscle is relaxed and no longer lifting your eyebrows, the brows can start to droop. And when that happens, it can create a heavy, tired, or even droopy-eyed look.

It's a Work of Art, Not a One-Size-Fits-All

Everyone’s forehead is different—some are wide, some are narrow, some have deep lines, and some have subtle movement. Treating the frontalis is like painting on a curved canvas. We have to consider:

• The natural shape of your brow
• The strength of your muscles
• Your skin type and age
• Your goals (softened lines vs. completely smooth vs. subtle movement)

Oh—and let’s not forget the infamous Spock brow (when only the outer edge of the brow lifts too much). Yeah, we’re not trying to go for that. That’s why precision and balance are key.

What Usually Happens When People Treat Forehead Only

Nine times out of ten, when someone chooses to treat only the forehead, they come back a couple of weeks later saying, “Okay, now can you treat this area too?”—pointing to the glabella.

They feel that heavy, weighed-down sensation and realize that just relaxing one muscle group without considering the rest creates an imbalance.

And again, that’s not your fault—you don’t know what you don’t know, and that’s why I’m here to walk you through the process.

Trust the Process

If you’ve been considering forehead Botox and weren’t sure about the "why" behind treating other areas too—hopefully, this helped clear things up.

Have questions? Curious if you’re a good candidate for neurotoxin? Reach out to our clinic—we’d love to chat and walk you through the best treatment plan for your face.