Electrophysiologic Frontalis Muscle Response Following Neuromodulator Injections

Konstantin Frank; Shirin Assemi-Kabir; Michael G Alfertshofer; Denis Ehrl; Robert H Gotkin; Nicholas Moellhoff; Paul Z Lorenc; Tatjana Pavicic; Claudia A Hernandez; Sebastian Cotofana

doi:10.1016/j.fsc.2022.01.010

Electrophysiologic Frontalis Muscle Response Following Neuromodulator Injections

Facial Plast Surg Clin North Am. 2022 May;30(2):225-231. doi: 10.1016/j.fsc.2022.01.010.

Affiliations

¹ Department for Hand, Plastic and Aesthetic Surgery, Ludwig-Maximilian University Munich, Germany.
² Private Practice, New York, NY, USA.
³ Private Practice, Munich, Germany.
⁴ CH Dermatologia, Medellin, Colombia.
⁵ Department of Clinical Anatomy, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science, Mayo Clinic, Stabile Building 9-38, 200 First Street, Rochester, MN 55905, USA. Electronic address: cotofana.sebastian@mayo.edu.

PMID: 35501060
DOI: 10.1016/j.fsc.2022.01.010

Abstract

Neuromodulator treatments limit the contractility of the frontalis muscle, resulting in reduced dynamic and static horizontal forehead line formation of the overlying skin. This interventional study investigated the electrophysiologic response (via signal-to-noise [SNR] ratio) and the overlying skin displacement of the frontalis muscle following neuromodulator injections in a total of 11 healthy neuromodulator-naïve volunteers. Relating SNR to the respective skin movement revealed that the higher the SNR, the more vertical the skin displacement is; this remained statistically relevant after gender stratification. These results are novel and will help the aesthetic community to understand neuromodulator effects on the frontalis muscle.

Keywords: Facial anatomy; Facial muscles; Motor-unit action potential; Neuromodulators; Surface electromyography.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Esthetics
Forehead*
Humans
Injections
Muscle, Skeletal*
Neurotransmitter Agents / pharmacology

Substances

Neurotransmitter Agents