Understand Bunny Lines – the Causes, the Treatments & the Prevention
In this article:
- What Do Bunny Lines Look Like
- Causes of Bunny Lines
- How to Fix Bunny Lines
- Ways to Prevent Bunny Lines
- The Bottom Line
Out of all beauty buzz words out there, bunny lines are one of the least talked about.
In fact, many people have probably never heard of the term or have little understanding of what bunny lines actually are.
How can anything be bad if they resemble an adorable bunny, you may ask? Unlike the cute and fluffy namesake animal adored by many, there is nothing cute or fluffy about having bunny lines.
For the record, bunny lines are a type of nose wrinkles that appear on the sides of the nose. We have previously discussed the age tell-tale crow’s feet, and the neck skin terminator turkey neck.
And now, bunny lines are another addition to the big family of skin concerns named after animals. All three of them are skin wrinkles commonly seen on aging skin.
However, there is a surprising cause for skin to develop bunny lines, and you are about to find out.
What Do Bunny Lines Look Like?
Because a lot of people don’t even know what bunny lines actually are, they fail to care for those nose wrinkles properly.
If you are a proud bunny owner or have owned a bunny in the past, you might be familiar with the way bunny eats. Bunny always crinkles its tiny nose as it chews and frankly that’s the most adorable thing in the world.
Possibly discovered and named by a skincare expert and bunny connoisseur, bunny lines are a type of nose wrinkles that take place on both sides of the nose.
"These small lines typically occur when a person scrunches up their nose, similar to when a bunny lifts its nose," says Dr. Andrew Youn, a holistic plastic surgeon based in Michigan.
You probably wouldn’t find bunny lines on your own nose cute, that’s for sure. These fine lines are parallel wrinkles fanning out diagonally towards the nose bridge from the corner of the eyes, sometimes they could appear connected to under eye wrinkles.
Luckily, if you are young, the chances that you have developed bunny lines are small. Want to find out if you have bunny lines or not? Stand in front of a mirror, take a good look at your nose and scrunch it as hard as you can until it is covered with wrinkles.
Now relax your face completely, and analyze your face up-close to see if there’s any leftover of fine lines.
If the wrinkles are gone with the scrunching action, then you have nothing to worry about yet, but if you can see some tiny creases remaining, you might need to look into bunny lines treatments.
Main Causes of Bunny Lines
What Is the Nasalis Muscle
In order to understand the formation of bunny lines, we need to perform a nose autopsy first.
“So-called “bunny lines” are formed by flexing the upper fibers of the nasalis muscle on the lateral nose and contribution from the levator labii superioris alaeque nasi muscles,” wrote Joe NiamtuIII, in Cosmetic Facial Surgery (Second Edition), 2018.
To put simply, bunny lines are the wrinkly results of procerus muscle pushing down as nasalis muscle bunching up when we make any facial expressions. Procerus muscle is the pyramid-shaped muscle extending from the bottom of nasal bone to the middle forehead area between the brows. Nasalis muscle is a pair of muscles that cover the exterior of the nose, responsible for the “flaring” action of the nose.
The Inevitable Course of Skin Aging
Genetics determine the aging pace, some people are prone to skin aging while others, the lucky few, have little to care about until much later. In saying that, aging is still the primary factor that contributes to all sorts of wrinkles on our body. Aging skin appears saggy, loose and has compromised ability in producing more collagen and elastin.
Skin on certain body parts are thinner and more fragile such as decollete skin and under eye skin, while skin on the nose is much thicker and less susceptible to the effects of aging.
Nonetheless, nose skin is subject to thousands of muscle contractions every day because of the facial expressions we make. Day after day, year after year, those muscle movements will definitely leave some marks. Try to imagine the same amount of skin movements taking place on the delicate decollete skin, the end result is beyond horrifying.
Being an Animated Speaker
Some people are born more affectionate, emotionally expressive than others. They are the life of parties and they laugh the loudest.
Little do they know, their passionate way of enjoying life is secretly adding some wrinkles on their skin. Bunny lines are in fact a type of dynamic wrinkles just like many other facial wrinkles. Dynamic wrinkles are caused by repeated muscle contractions such as squinting (crow’s feet), smiling (smile lines) and frowning (forehead wrinkles).
There is no special bunny lines treatments for a dynamic speaker.
It is almost impossible to care about our facial expressions while we are in the middle of a great conversation, which is why we need to spend extra effort in taking care of facial wrinkles.
Injectables Aren’t Always on Your Side
The most surprising cause of bunny lines is in fact one of the most popular treatments for facial wrinkles.
Dermatologists and doctors have found that bunny lines are the side effects of injectables-related paralysis, and the injectables are often used to treat forehead wrinkles, under eye wrinkles and crow’s feet.
“The most common cause of bunny lines is repeated use of injectables to the glabella — the area between the eyebrows — and forehead region,” says Park Avenue plastic surgeon Dr. Robert Schwarcz.
“The muscles on either side of the nose become hyperactive with smiling to overcompensate for the lack of movement in the forehead and around the eyes.”
Some dermatologists also believe that the injectable-induced bunny lines are often the work of an inexperienced surgeon.
How to Fix Bunny Lines
A Little Bit of Retinol Doesn’t Hurt Nobody
Topical anti-aging skincare is the ultimate non-invasive treatment for any skin concerns, ask any dermatologist.
Even if you are under frequent cosmetic treatments, your doctor will still recommend a comprehensive anti-aging routine for you to stick to.
“We recommend a good daily skin care regimen that includes sunscreen, antioxidant, and retinoid to help with the overall appearance of fine lines and wrinkles,” says Dr. Jennifer D. Holman, a board-certified dermatologist based in Tyler, Texas.
Antioxidants such as Retinol (vitamin A) can effectively boost collagen production, protect skin from free radicals, and increase cell turnover rate.
You can find retinol being the main ingredient in almost every skincare product boasting anti-aging effect.
Try a Homemade Egg White Face Mask
We love a good homemade face mask, but only with the right ingredients, not some voodoo nonsense.
Egg white, for one, is an astringent with high protein concentration, and full of potassium, magnesium, and many other nutrients.
It repairs skin and strengthens its barrier to minimize the appearance of facial wrinkles.
Our recommended recipe:
- Beat 2-3 egg whites, save the yolk for a yummy cake!
- Apply the beaten whites onto your face gently
- Leave it on for 20 minutes then rinse off with water, expect an instant glow!
- You can always add oatmeal, honey, yogurt, aloe vera…into your egg white mask for more added benefits.
Make Some Positive Lifestyle Changes
As cliché as it might sound, you need to adopt a healthier lifestyle.
Sometimes the obstacle standing between your problematic skin and your skin goal is you. Noticed signs of bunny lines?
Ask yourself some questions first: are you a smoker? Have you been sleeping enough? Have you been drinking enough water?
Did you eat too much junk food? Are you really taking care of your skin with our recommended routine? You know the right answers, and you know what to do.
Skin health is tightly associated with our body health, if our body falls ill, our skin will lose its shine; if our body is dehydrated, our skin will appear flaky and dry.
It’s hard to change our normal routine completely, but you can always start with eating a nutritional meal, drink a few more glasses of water, go for a walk a few times a week, and take some short breaks at work.
More Injectables?!
Injectables are the problem and the cure for those who have issues with bunny lines.
We have established that bunny lines are in fact prominent side effects of injectables, just take a look at those red-carpet Hollywood celebrities.
But if you want fast results, injectables are the most popular cosmetic treatments that can provide a fast, satisfying anti-wrinkle result without too much surgery involved.
Dr. Youn still believes injectables are the best bunny lines treatments, despite it also being a trigger.
He thinks a small amount of injectables on both sides of the nose can relax the muscles that cause these wrinkles and smooth the areas out.
As long as the patient and the surgeon don’t abuse the amount of injectables, which will definitely lead to a partially paralyzed face, the end result should be fine.
He further states that as far as topical treatments and non-invasive skincare methods go, nothing comes close to what injectables can do to aging skin.
Ways to Prevent Bunny Lines
Exfoliate at Least A Few Times A Week
The best way to prevent premature aging or aging skin concerns is to exfoliate the skin a few times a week.
Chemical exfoliators deeply cleanse the pores and remove dead skin cells, stimulate cell regeneration, and boost collagen production.
Exfoliating regularly doesn’t just benefit bunny lines, it also reduces the appearance of eye wrinkles, nose wrinkles, and mouth wrinkles.
Always Wear Sunscreen
Sun damage accelerates the speed of skin aging.
Facial wrinkles are often worsened by the harmful UV radiation present in sunlight and the damage is persistent.
Aging skin is already on the fragile, wrinkly side. Frequent exposure to sunlight will deprive the skin of its remaining nutrients and collagen.
Make sunscreen the final step of your daytime skincare routine, and reapply as much as your skin necessitates depending on the weather, the activity level, and your location.
Stick to Non-invasive Anti-aging Skin Treatments
The best bunny lines treatments should be consistent, ongoing, and free of side effects.
You can always book an appointment for injectables. We are in no position to stop you from achieving your ultimate, dream skin.
Since the surprising cause to bunny lines is actually injectables and injectables come with various unpleasant side effects other than bunny lines, we encourage you to give non-invasive treatments a go before you jump the big gun.
A great anti-wrinkle self-care essential is Oia’s Anti-Wrinkle Patches for Eyes & Smile.
Our premiere silicone technology aids the wrinkle-prone skin to strengthen, recuperate, and retain maximum hydration.
Oia’s Vitamin C Serum is also an effective anti-aging serum for your anti-aging skincare routine.
The formula contains retinol, vitamin C, vitamin E, and hyaluronic acid, making an excellent combo for bunny lines and other aging skin concerns.
The Bottom Line
Bunny lines are not a very big deal comparing to other facial wrinkles, they could be a giveaway of our age but they are not as prominent as eye wrinkles or smile lines.
Some people even find the appearance of bunny lines rather cute as it resembles a bunny’s wrinkly nose.
If you are avid about eliminating these nose wrinkles, try our recommended methods before you dive straight into the needle solution. After all, frequent needling is a perpetrator of bunny lines.
For any aging-related wrinkle formation, specialized treatments will never be as effective as prevention.
If you are on track to prevent aging from leaving signs all over your skin, you are half-way successful to maintain the youth-forever skin facade.
Besides, preventing skin aging is much easier, less expensive compare to cosmetic treatments. You only need a little effort to incorporate our tips on prevention into your daily routine, and the result will be hopeful.
How much do you know about bunny lines prior to reading this?
Do you think you know how to take care of bunny lines now? Do us one better, show us what the best bunny lines treatments are, and how to prevent them!
Till next time!
Stay radiant,
Oia Skin Team