Where can Botox be used?

Botox treatment options..

Which muscles are injected with Botox?

Since Botox removes wrinkles by preventing muscle contraction, practitioners must know all about the underlying facial muscle anatomy and know which facial muscles can be treated with Botox to get the best results and avoid complications.

Facial expression muscles

Face muscles are complex and a thorough understanding of contracting and counterbalancing muscles is needed. This relationship must be understood before injecting Botox.

The muscles of the upper part of the face that are usually treated with Botox include the forehead ('Frontalis') for forehead wrinkles, the muscles in and above the eyebrow ('Corrugator/Depressor supercilli complex'), the frowning muscle between the eyebrows ('Procerus'), crinkling and crows feet muscles surrounding the eye ('Orbicularis oculi'), and 'bunny lines' muscle over the nose ('Nasalis').

In the lower half of the face, the wrinkles around the mouth may be treated by injecting small doses of Botox into the 'Orbicularis oris' (muscle circling the mouth) and the downward 'marrionette line' depressions at the lower corners of the mouth ('Depressor anguli oris'), while neck sagging is treated injecting Botox into the Platysma muscle (the large muscle from the lower face, over the jaw and down the neck).

The main expression muscles to be given Botox injections are..

(A) Frontalis muscle for forehead wrinkles
(B) Corrugator and Depressor supercilli complex for vertical frown lines
(C) Orbicularis oculi for crows feet
(D) Procerus for horizontal frown lines
(E) Platysma for saggy necks
(F) Nasalis for treating nose wrinkles
(G) Orbicularis oris for treating wrinkles around the lips
(H) Depressor anguli oris for treating lines at the corners of the mouth.

Pictures from Emerging Pharma Inc.