Cosmetic Botox and Spock from Star Trek shouldn’t be associated

I wrote this post a week before the passing of Leonard Nimoy, but it published after the fact.  Perhaps it was a premonition.  In any case, he truly was an iconic actor and author and I’m glad he was truly able to live long and prosper.  His character, Mr. Spock, helped to define the genre of science fiction television, with his cold, robotic demeanor and his high-arched brows.  This is not the look that most people are going for when they have a Botox or Dysport treatment. The over-arched, over-lifted Spock eyebrow can be the result of a muscle imbalance caused by misdirected Botox.

Botox (botulinum type A) is a purified protein that relaxes muscle and is the most popular cosmetic treatment in the world because it reduces wrinkles caused by repeated facial expression. At its best, Botox  (or Dysport or Xeomin) can make you look younger, smoother, and less angry.  When it’s overdone or placed in the wrong spots, it can make you look different and not in a good way.

Why Spock brow happens after Botox

It occurs because the central forehead is weakened by the treatment while the outer sides of the forehead are still active.  This causes the central brow to drop and the outer brow to lift too high in comparison.

1. Imprecise injections : When Botox is diluted with too much water it relaxes muscles in a larger area.  This creates a loss of precision.

2. Cookie-cutter treatments : If an injector does exactly the same treatment on everyone, it won’t be effective for some, because muscles aren’t in exactly the same place in everyone.  And this can lead to unwanted results.

The Spock brow can easily be fixed

I’ve heard of patients and acquaintances here in NYC who tried Botox for the first time to get rid of the “11” lines between their brows but ended up with the “Spock brow” and it turned them off to Botox forever.  I wished they would have seen me or went back to their doctor because this issue can be corrected with a very minimal amount of Botox just above the highest part of the eyebrow.  It usually solves the problem within days.

Botox me up, Scotty

Some people have a naturally high brow arch and that looks good on them.  It can be disturbing if you didn’t have an arch before botox and suddenly one appears.  Leonard Nimoy who played Spock on Star Trek just had some eyebrow pencil and pointy ears and it helped to define his iconic persona, but nobody should have to look like him after a cosmetic treatment that is meant to make you look younger, and you don’t have to.  Botox done nicely can be a subtle and flattering thing.