Do you often get questions and remarks from family, friends, or even strangers about why you look so upset, even though you’re feeling perfectly fine? You might have what is known as a “permafrown.” A permafrown is a facial expression that looks like a frown, but is actually a permanent feature on your face.
A permafrown is typically characterized by deep wrinkles around your face, which most people call frown lines. These deep wrinkles can not only make you seem upset when you’re not, but they can cause you to look older than you feel. Luckily, a permafrown can be treated with surgical and non-surgical cosmetic procedures, as well as anti-aging treatments.
What Causes a “Permafrown” or Frown Lines?
The permafrown can be caused by a number of different factors, including genetics, repetitive facial movements, sun exposure, smoking, and stress.
- Repetitive movements can cause creases and wrinkles to form. This typically happens when you laugh or scrunch up your face frequently.
- Sun exposure can cause the skin to lose its elasticity, which can lead to the appearance of wrinkles and lines.
- Smoking can also cause premature aging of the skin, particularly around the mouth.
- Stress is also a huge contributor to facial tension, which can cause the muscles in the face to become tense and lead to the formation of wrinkles and lines.
Surgical Options for Treating “Permafrown”
If you’re suffering from deep and severe frown lines, it might be worth considering cosmetic surgery to combat them. There are many different procedures to get rid of wrinkles, each depending on the area of treatment.
- Brow lift: A brow lift can help significantly decrease the appearance of wrinkles on your forehead. It also helps with sagging eyebrows, which can be especially helpful if you have hooded eyes. Your brows will be placed in a position that looks natural, but more youthful and open.
- Mid face lift: While a facelift is great at combating wrinkles in the neck area, your frown lines and laugh lines are typically present in the mid face. A mid face lift targets the areas under your eyes, your cheekbones, and the laugh line area. This procedure is ideal if you have severe wrinkles and lines in these areas.
Non-Surgical Anti-Aging Treatments
If your frown lines aren’t severe enough to need a surgical procedure, there are many non-surgical treatments that can help to combat permafrown, including:
- A good skincare routine: Cleansing and moisturizing your skin twice a day (morning and night) is one of the most fundamental aspects of maintaining healthy skin. Additionally, you should be exfoliating with a gentle scrub at least once a week to remove any dead skin cells and allow your skin to breathe. Finally, SPF is crucial in preventing wrinkles, as recent studies show that UV exposure accounts for 80% of visible signs of aging in the skin.
- Microneedling: Microneedling involves thin needles that prick into your skin, allowing your body’s natural healing instincts to take over. This lets your skin become thicker, stronger, and healthier. While you can do this at home, it is more effective to get microneedling done at a qualified medspa to get the best results.
- Facial Injections: Injections like Botox or dermal fillers are great options to see quick and relatively painless results. The injections work by relaxing the muscles in the treated area and significantly reducing the appearance of wrinkles. If you have wrinkling around your lips, dermal fillers can also provide you with a lip lift in addition to getting rid of wrinkles.
Whether your wrinkles are mild or severe, there are many available options for treating a permafrown. However, it is always recommended that you consult with a board-certified plastic surgeon while considering any of these treatments. Your surgeon will be able to give you more information about each treatment, and come up with a plan that best suits your needs.
Serving the Boise area, Dr. Kramer is board certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, the only plastic surgery board recognized by the American Board of Medical Specialties and the AMA, and is an active member of the prestigious American Society of Plastic Surgeons.
