Forehead Lines & Frown Lines (the '11s')
What Are Forehead Lines and Frown Lines? Forehead lines are the horizontal creases that run across the forehead, formed every time the frontalis muscle lifts your eyebrows. Frown lines, also called glabellar lines or the '11s', are the vertical creases between the eyebrows made by the muscles that pull the brows together when you concentrate or frown.
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Last reviewed: July 28, 2026
What Are Forehead Lines and Frown Lines?
Why These Lines Form So Early
A Doctor-Led Approach to Forehead Lines
Who Experiences This Condition?
Common in
- •Adults from their late twenties onwards, earlier in very expressive faces
- •People with outdoor lifestyles or high sun exposure
- •Smokers and ex-smokers
- •People who squint at screens or have an out-of-date glasses prescription
- •Those with a family tendency to strong brow movement
Factors Affecting Severity
- •Cumulative UV exposure without SPF
- •How strongly and how often the brow muscles fire
- •Skin thickness and genetics
- •Skincare habits, particularly retinoid and SPF use
- •Smoking, sleep and general skin health
What Are Glabellar Lines and the '11s'?
Glabellar lines, frown lines and the '11s' are three names for the same thing: the vertical creases between the eyebrows. The name comes from the two parallel lines most people develop, though some form a single central crease or three lines. They are made by the corrugator and procerus muscles, which pull the brows together and down.
Despite the name, frown lines are usually a sign of concentration rather than mood: many people with pronounced 11s simply focus hard at a screen all day or squint in bright light. Because these muscles are strong and fire constantly, glabellar lines are often the first expression lines to become static. The other common upper-face companion is crow's feet around the eyes, which share the same drivers.
How to Get Rid of Forehead Wrinkles
The honest ladder for forehead wrinkles runs from free habits to doctor-led care:
- Be realistic about skincare: Creams cannot remove established forehead lines, but a consistent retinoid plus daily SPF genuinely softens fine lines over three to six months and stops them deepening.
- Fix the squint: An up-to-date eye prescription and managed screen glare remove one of the most common hidden drivers of frown lines.
- Improve the canvas: Skin-quality treatments such as skin boosters and polynucleotides plump and rehydrate the skin so creases sit less deeply.
- Rebuild collagen in etched lines: Sylfirm X RF microneedling targets static lines that remain at rest.
- Address the movement: For lines driven mainly by muscle activity, injectable and device options exist that your doctor can discuss at a consultation.
Book a consultation for lines and wrinkles and our doctors will assess which rungs of the ladder your forehead actually needs.
Forehead Wrinkles Treatment Options
Professional options fall into three groups, and honest advice starts with which group fits your lines:
- Skin-quality and regenerative treatments: Skin boosters, polynucleotides and the PRP facial suit early creasing and dehydrated or thinning skin.
- Collagen-stimulating devices: Sylfirm X, microneedling and Tixel suit lines that are starting to etch in at rest.
- Prescription options for expression lines: Where movement is the main driver, prescription-only injectable treatments may be appropriate. Because they are prescription-only, your doctor assesses and discusses them with you at a consultation rather than online.
Most forehead plans combine a device or skin-quality treatment with skincare rather than relying on a single option. Book a consultation for lines and wrinkles to find out which group fits your lines.
How to Prevent Forehead Lines
Prevention is cheaper and more effective than any treatment, and it compounds over time:
- SPF every single day: UV is the biggest controllable cause of forehead wrinkles, and the forehead catches more sun than any other part of the face.
- Sunglasses and a hat: They cut both UV exposure and the squinting that fires the frown muscles.
- Regular eye tests: Straining to focus is a hidden driver of the 11s.
- A night-time retinoid: The best-evidenced home step for keeping skin turnover and collagen production up.
- Do not smoke, and sleep properly: Both show on the forehead sooner than almost anywhere else.
The forehead you have at 50 is largely decided by the habits of your 30s.
Treatment Process
The right plan depends on whether your lines are movement-driven, etched into the skin, or both:
1. Skincare foundations: Daily SPF and a night-time retinoid slow the etching process and soften fine lines over months.
2. Skin-quality treatments: Skin boosters and polynucleotides improve hydration and elasticity so creases sit less deeply in the skin.
3. Collagen stimulation: Sylfirm X RF microneedling and medical microneedling rebuild structural support where static lines have etched in.
4. Options for movement-driven lines: Where expression is the main driver, your doctor may discuss prescription anti-wrinkle options for the upper face at your consultation. Suitability is always confirmed by a doctor first.
Diagnosis & Assessment
We assess your forehead and frown lines at rest and during expression to establish whether they are dynamic, static or mixed, and we examine skin quality, sun damage and brow position. This matters because a line that only appears on movement, a line etched in at rest, and a heavy brow each need a different plan, and treating the wrong one wastes money.
Prevention & Management
Lifestyle Tips
- •Wear broad-spectrum SPF 50 on the forehead every day, it is the most sun-exposed part of the face
- •Keep your eye prescription up to date and manage screen glare to reduce squinting and frowning
- •Wear sunglasses and a hat in strong sunlight
- •Do not smoke, and prioritise sleep, both show quickly on the forehead
Home Care
- •Use a retinoid at night to speed cell turnover and support collagen
- •Apply a vitamin C antioxidant serum each morning under your SPF
- •Keep the skin barrier hydrated with a ceramide or hyaluronic acid moisturiser
- •Be consistent rather than aggressive, harsh scrubbing does not help lines
Symptoms & Causes
Common Symptoms
- Horizontal lines across the forehead, first during expression and later at rest
- Vertical '11' lines between the eyebrows when frowning or concentrating
- A tired, stern or worried look that does not match how you feel
- Makeup settling into forehead creases by the end of the day
- Lines deepening noticeably after sun exposure
- A heavy feeling across the brow by the end of the day
Potential Causes
- Repeated movement of the frontalis muscle, which lifts the brows thousands of times a day
- Contraction of the glabellar muscles when frowning, concentrating or squinting at screens
- UV exposure breaking down collagen and elastin in the skin
- Natural collagen decline with age, which lets creases settle in at rest
- Smoking, which accelerates wrinkle formation across the forehead
- Squinting due to uncorrected vision or bright light, which overworks the brow muscles
Treatment Options at PRP London
Anti-Wrinkle Treatment (Upper Face)
Prescription treatment for expression-driven forehead and frown lines. Options and suitability are always confirmed at a doctor-led consultation.
Learn moreSkin Boosters (Profhilo)
Deep hydration that improves elasticity across the forehead so creases sit less deeply in the skin.
Learn morePolynucleotides
Regenerative injectable that improves skin quality and supports collagen in thinning, creased skin.
Learn moreSylfirm X RF Microneedling
Radiofrequency microneedling that stimulates collagen where static lines have started to etch in.
Learn morePRP Facial
Uses your own platelet-rich plasma with microneedling to improve skin quality and soften fine lines.
Learn moreFrequently Asked Questions
Start with the foundations: daily SPF and a night-time retinoid soften fine lines and stop them deepening. Beyond skincare, skin-quality treatments such as skin boosters and polynucleotides plump early creasing, collagen-stimulating devices such as Sylfirm X help etched lines, and for strongly movement-driven lines your doctor can discuss prescription options at a consultation.
Dynamic lines that only appear on movement often soften with good skincare and prevention. Once lines are static and visible at rest they rarely disappear on their own, though professional treatments can soften them considerably. The earlier you intervene, the more reversible they are.
Partially, if they are early. Daily SPF, a retinoid and stopping smoking measurably improve fine forehead lines over a few months. Deep static creases cannot be removed naturally, and any product promising that is overclaiming.
Yes. Expressive brows plus thin skin mean many people see faint horizontal lines in their mid-twenties. At this age prevention is usually all that is sensible: SPF, a retinoid, sunglasses and an up-to-date eye prescription.
Focus on collagen support: daily SPF to stop breakdown, a night-time retinoid to stimulate turnover, good hydration and sleep, and not smoking. Facial exercises are often suggested online, but for the forehead they can make expression lines worse rather than better, because repeated muscle movement is what creates these lines in the first place.
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