TREATMENT OF BUNNY LINES
The first line treatment for bunny lines (the lines at the side of your nose that appear when you scrunch your face) is antiwrinkle injections (due to Australian regulations, we are not allowed to name the drugs used)
Small injections using a very fine needle are performed to the nose area into the muscles which cause the bunny ines Approximately 2-6 injections will be performed.
Often the bunny lines cannot be completely removed but only softened.
The consultation for antiwrinkle injections for bunny lines
History-taking is very important in the treatment of frown lines. The following should be explored:
- Has the patient had treatment before? Were they happy every time? Did the effect of the antiwrinkle injections last well
- How is the patient’s metabolism? Do they exercise? Are they very muscular? Do they have trouble putting on or losing weight?
- Have they every had any complications, eg eyelid droop or eyebrow droop or strange smile etc after antiwrinkle injections
- Does the patient want a more natural results? What are their expectations
The examination
The injector will examine the face and bunny lines. In particular, she will look at many features, such as:
- Where the lines are.
- Whether there is any eyelid droop or asymmetry
- Whether the frown line/fold is etched in at rest.
Choosing the number of units for the bunny lines treatment dose
The injector will assess the face and decide on the best dose after taking a history and examining the patient.
If the patient has a history of poor longevity, or needing high doses or wanting maximal effect, then a higher dose may be suggested
If a patient has a history of complications with muscle relaxing injections, or if their budget is small or if they want a more subtle result, then a smaller dose might be chosen. Males will need a greater dose than females in general due to larger muscle size
Pain relief during treatment
A numbing cream (eg EMLA or LMX ) may be applied to the area prior to the treatment (45 minutes prior is ideal) Glad wrap may be used over the numbing cream to increase its effect.
Most patients do not bother with numbing cream because it takes so long to work and because the treatment isn’t very painful anyway.
Ice may beused to decrease pain and to reduce the risk of bruising.
Nitrous oxide / Happy gas is available to patients
What happens during the bunny line injections treatment itself?
The following procedure is used for bunny lines treatment with injectables
- The face will be cleaned with alcohol and chlorhexidine
- Ice may be applied to the area briefly before treatment
- The doctor will inject approx 2-6 sites around the sides of the upper nose injecting in the muscles which cause the bunny scrunch.
- Then pressure with gauze will be applied.
The procedure itself takes less than 5 minutes.
Side Effects and risks of antiwrinkle injections in bunny lines
In general, treatment of the bunny scrunch lines with muscle relaxing injections is very low risk. Risks include:
- Headache happens in around 10% of new users.
- Bruising occurs in a significant number of cases.
- Asymmetry: Often one side is better treated than the other, this is usually because the patient is asymmetrical to start with.
- Patient needs a higher dose to achieve desired results
- Infection is a very rare complication, but always a possibility when the needle goes into the skin.
- Eyelid droop and eyebrow droop are possible risks withantiwrinkle treatment. It is very uncommon and in our practice below 0.01% over the last decade which is much lower than the stated rate. The risk increases with larger dose.
After bunny line injections
Instructions for care afterward
Follow these instructions after frown lines treatment:
- No makeup for 4 hours
- No massage that day
- No heavy exercise that day
- No lying down for 4 hours
- Lots of scrunching is suggested for a few hours
- Avoid acid face products for 24 hours
What to expect after bunny line injections?
Sometimes there is nothing to see immediately after bunny lines treatment. Sometimes there can be redness, small lumps, which can look like mild acne and usually resolve quite quickly.
Most people could come during their lunch break during work and go back without their coworkers noticing anything
The effect of the injections will not start to occur for 2-8 days.
The maximal effect of the drug will be at 4 weeks, so a review should be booked in at 4 weeks (only after the first treatment, for subsequent injections, a review appointment shouldn’t be required).
What if I am worried that the result isn’t enough at some time before the 4 week point?
You should wait until the maximal effect occurs at 4 weeks before reviewing. Reviewing before this time is pointless, as the effect will continue to improve.
What do I do if at 4 weeks post treatment I still have movement?
This is not uncommon, it really depends on the amount of movement and the look you are going for.
We believe that a little bit of movement is not a bad thing in bunny line. Our expectation is only to soften them! You will look slightly more “natural” with more movement. We would like patients to move away from complete loss of movement as their goal. The goal should be to look younger and more attractive.
However, it is up to the individual, and further treatment can be performed at 4 weeks.
How long will the treatment last?
The answer to this is very individual and depends on the patient’s metabolism, the dose, the placement etc.
Typically this is what happens:
- At 4 weeks, there is a maximal effect
- At 8 weeks, movement starts to return
- At 12 weeks, 50% of movement should be back
- At 16 weeks 80% of movement should be back.
With an adequate dose, for most patients, this is very close to what occurs.
When should I have my next treatment for bunny lines?
Patients should be retreated when the movement is between 50%-80% back ie sometime from 3-4 months.
Some patients have treatment every 8 weeks because they do not like any movement at all
Price for frown lines injection
Please see our pricing page for antiwrinkle pricing