To do or not to do injections?

woman with hair pulled back with white gloved hands touching her face

Frownies supports women – and all people – in whatever way they feel their best. And we want to dispel a few myths out there – specifically that you need injection or fillers to have a smooth forehead. 

First, Frownies wants you to know that you look beautiful just the way you are! Embrace your wrinkles, fine lines, expression lines. 

And if seeing a few extra lines on your face is keeping you from feeling like the confident, radiant woman that you are – We are happy to help you too!

A comment we see a lot across social media is that smoothing wrinkles without injections is too much effort. “Just get Botox” is a message we see over and over. 

And “just getting cosmetic treatments” may work for some people, but the fact is, there are MANY reasons that women are choosing to skip the neurotoxin and are searching for other ways to achieve smooth skin. 

There are a lot of reasons why women are skipping Botox. Here are some of them:

Injections are painful

Are injections painful painful? It depends on who you ask. Most people report only a mild, temporary discomfort when getting Botox injections. 

And although the needles used for injections are tiny – only about 1 millimeter – some people still experience pain and discomfort with the needles being stuck into their face and forehead. 

Common side effects of  injections include temporary redness, swelling, and bruising at the injection site. In addition, some women also report headaches and dizziness. 

Depending on your individual pain tolerance, Botox injections may be painful. And even just the fear of pain may be enough to have women skipping injections and searching for non-invasive alternatives. 

woman with fearful look and her hands by her mouth while many hand point needles at her

Fear of needles

A fear of needles may be enough for some women to skip injections – this is an elective cosmetic treatment, after all. 

No one really likes needles, but a number of people have a significant fear of needles. According to the CDC approximately 1 in 4 adults reports a fear of needles.

The fear of needles is also known as trypanophobia and can be a serious health issue if the fear causes the person to avoid or delay medical procedures, like routine blood draws. 

Women with a fear of needles would obviously choose to avoid Botox injections and may look for alternative (needle-less!) ways to achieve a smooth forehead. 

Too expensive

Cosmetic treatments area s a luxury. Especially in this volatile economy, many people are reevaluating their budgets. And elective cosmetic procedures may not make the cut. 

And the truth is, injections can get pretty expensive!

Injections can range anywhere from $10 to $15 per unit – or more in bigger cities! 

While the number of units needed will vary, the average cost can range from $300 to $600 per injection site, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons

Many women start with injections for forehead lines and between the eyebrows. Commonly, people will expand to get injections in other areas including at the crows feet at the corners of the eyes and around the lip lines.

And when you consider that these treatments requires maintenance with repeated injections every three to four months – phew, that can add up quickly – to thousands of dollars per year!

Pregnant or Breastfeeding

Even some women who choose to get injections have to avoid the neurotoxin at some point in their lives for a variety of different reasons. 

One common reason women end up looking for alternatives to cosmet treatments is when they are pregnant or breastfeeding. Injections are contraindicated during these times. 

Most injections are considered a Class C drug in pregnancy and breastfeeding. Like many drugs, it is unethical to perform scientific research in pregnant and breastfeeding women, so there are limited studies to determine if cosmetic injections are safe or unsafe in these populations.  

According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), based on animal studies, Botox may cause harm to the unborn baby. Therefore, it is recommended to avoid Botox while pregnant. 

Although the risk may be minimal, the neurotoxin can migrate from the site of injection to other areas of the body, posing a potential risk to the unborn baby. 

In fact, neurotoxin is not recommended for women who are planning on getting pregnant within six months of receiving an injection. This is because it can take up to six months for the neurotoxin to be completely metabolized from the body.

Unnatural results

Some women avoid neurotoxins because they are wary looking unnatural or robotic  – or worse!

Think of some overly injected celebrities who appear are unable to show facial expressions for surprise or sadness because of the amount of neurotoxin “freezing” their face. 

And there’s the story of Whitney Buha that went viral on social media. Although rare, Whitney ended up with ptosis or one drooping eyelid. Whitney’s particular botched injection could have been caused by improper placement of the injections or too high of a dose of the neurotoxin into her muscle. 

The muscles of the face are complex and intricate. The injection sites will vary from person to person based on bone structure and facial features. Of course, if you are looking into getting Botox, you should seek out an experienced injector to perform the procedure. 

one woman applying paper Frownies Facial Patches to her forehead, a second woman with wrinkles with gloved hands holding a needle close to her forehead

Don't feel they look like themselves

"Looking natural" means different things to different people. For some, it's about having a more youthful appearance without looking like they're trying too hard. Others want to look like themselves without having to work at it. Whatever your reason, there are other ways of achieving your desired look than with neurotoxins  or another injectable filler treatment.

It is important to find a doctor that has experience in injections and understands how best to use them on different types of facial features in order to achieve natural looking results.To achieve the most natural looking results, you should take the time to interview multiple medical professionals and view their clients’ Botox before and after pictures. 

Neurotoxins paralyze the facial muscles so that you are unable to make certain facial movements. While this facial paralysis ensures that your face is unable to create expression lines in the skin, and therefore limits wrinkling, it also can limit some facial expressions and create a robotic face.

woman with short, curly, blonde hair wearing white lab coat and pink gloves and pink gas mask

Avoiding toxins

You might be surprised to learn that these injections are made from a neurotoxic protein, botulinum toxin. And while it's generally considered safe by doctors and the FDA, but still come with some risks. 

The body breaks down the neurotoxic protein over the course of three to four months. The amino acid components of the protein can be reused by the body or processed out of the body by the liver and the kidneys. 

Although the stress to the body to process them is likely minimal, all toxins put some amount of stress on the body’s detox pathways. Some women are choosing to take a holistic approach and attempting to limit any unnecessary toxins in their lives. 

With so many toxins present in our modern world – from pollution to pesticides – many people are making attempts to protect themselves from the total toxic load in ways that they can control. For some, this means making the choice to age gracefully without cosmetic injections.

Other health contraindications

This is not for everyone, so if you have any of the following conditions or have had a bad reaction to injections in the past, then you may want to consult with a medical professional before getting it done. 

Cosmetic treatments may be contraindicated for people with certain health conditions including:

  • Neurologic diseases
  • Autoimmune diseases
  • Cardiopulmonary diseases
  • Allergies or anaphylaxis 

In addition, some people who receive therapeutic injections for other medical reasons may not be eligible for cosmetic treatments to smooth forehead wrinkles. 

According to the Mayo Clinic, people should only receive 400 units of Botox every four months. While this is a lot for the face, therapeutic reasons often requires many more units than cosmetic. 

Although derived from a similar origin, therapeutic injections can be used to treat pain, migraines, and muscle spasms throughout the body – not just in the muscles of the face.

You should disclose your full health history with your medical injector prior to receiving cosmetic treatments. 

woman applying Frownies Facial Patches to forehead wrinkles

Wary of adverse reactions

While these treatments are generally safe, the FDA reports that some patients will experience adverse reactions. The severity of the adverse reactions can vary.

One study from the National Library of Medicine outlines the potential side effects 

Side effects may include:

  • Pain and bruising at the injection sites
  • Nausea and vomiting at the time of injection
  • Headaches 
  • Drooping eyelids or other muscle weakness
  • Risk of infection at the injection site

The most severe adverse reaction is the spread of the neurotoxin in the bloodstream throughout the body causing botulism-like life-threatening side effects.  

These side effects are considered extremely rare. Even still, for some people, the risk is not worth taking. 

woman in background holding out two pink boxes of Frownies Facial Patches

There are other options!

We hear from many women that it feels like everyone their age is getting injections. But luckily, there are other options!

Women can skip cosmetic treatments and still look fresh-faced. For women who are hesitant about injections, here are plenty of alternatives available. 

At Frownies, we are here to support all woman in their efforts to age gracefully – with or without injections you choose. 

Frownies Facial Patches are the Original Wrinkle Patch. Frownies Facial Patches create a splint over the facial muscles to retrain and relax the muscles of the face. Similar to the mechanism that injections work, the smooth facial muscles created by Frownies allows the overlying skin to lay flat without wrinkles. 

Send Frownies a message on Instagram with a picture of your face to see how best to apply Frownies Facial Patches to smooth forehead lines. 

Subscribe to our newsletter below to receive exclusive sales and promo codes off Frownies full line of plant-based skincare products

Back to blog

Leave a comment

Please note, comments need to be approved before they are published.