Nose scrunch lines sneak up on people. One day you catch them in a bathroom mirror when you smile, squint, or laugh, and there they are, a pair of diagonal creases at the bridge or along the upper sidewalls. In aesthetics, we call them bunny lines. They form when the nasalis and neighboring muscles bunch the skin with repeated expression. If you already treat forehead or crow’s feet, these lines can become more obvious because the face naturally recruits alternate muscles to animate. The fix is usually simple and quick: a few well-placed units of cosmetic botox along the nose.
Nasal line treatment sits in that helpful category of small adjustments that make the whole face look more relaxed without changing your features. This guide condenses what I’ve learned from years of injecting faces, tracking results across skin types and ages, and troubleshooting edge cases. We will cover what causes bunny lines, how botox injections soften them, proper dosing and placement, potential side effects, and who is a good candidate. I will also give you a feel for what happens at a botox appointment, what to expect from the timeline of results, and how to find a trusted botox injector near you.
What exactly are bunny lines?
Bunny lines are fine, diagonal or horizontal wrinkles that show up when you scrunch your nose. They can sit high on the nasal bridge, peek just below the inner corner of the eye, or run down the upper side of the nose toward the Botox NJ cheek. They are dynamic lines, meaning they appear with movement first. Over time, as the skin folds in the same place, they can etch into static creases that you see even when your face is at rest.
The primary muscle at play is the nasalis. It has two main parts: the transverse portion across the bridge and the alar portion near the nostrils. In many faces, the levator labii superioris alaeque nasi contributes as well, especially if there is a bit of upper lip elevation with expression. Genetics influence where the lines track. So do habits like frequent squinting, tight smiling, or nose scrunching while laughing. After forehead botox, the brain sometimes recruits the nose more for expression, so bunny lines seem to “appear” after a smooth forehead even though they were always possible.
How cosmetic botox smooths nose wrinkles
Botox Cosmetic, a purified botulinum toxin type A, temporarily relaxes the targeted muscle by blocking acetylcholine release at the neuromuscular junction. For bunny lines, that means softening the nasalis so the skin doesn’t bunch as sharply. Used conservatively, you still smile and express naturally. The goal is not to paralyze the midface. The art is in dosing lightly and placing units where the lines form, not just where textbook diagrams show a dot.
When done correctly, bunny lines soften within a week or two. The result blends with adjacent areas, especially if you also have crow’s feet botox or glabellar botox. The face keeps its character, just without the little scrunch marks.
Ideal candidates and when to pause
Most healthy adults who develop dynamic nasal lines are candidates for a small dose of botox for nose wrinkles. The exceptions are important. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, hold off, as there is insufficient safety data. If you have a neuromuscular disorder, certain allergies to components of the product, or an active skin infection at planned injection sites, a licensed botox injector will advise against treatment. If you have very heavy upper lip elevator activity or a history of lip asymmetry, we proceed more cautiously and stage doses to avoid changing your smile.
Candidates with thin, crepe-prone skin still benefit, though they may need adjunctive skin support such as microneedling or light resurfacing later if static etching persists. Patients with thicker skin sometimes need a touch more units to achieve the same smoothing, but we still start low because the nose and midface are expressive zones.
How many units of botox do I need for nasal lines?
In practice, bunny lines respond to a modest dose. Most people require a total of 4 to 10 units split bilaterally. I tend to start at the low end for first-timers, observe the pattern at a two week follow-up, then add 2 to 4 units if needed. Faces vary. A petite person with delicate features and low muscle mass may be perfect at 2 units per side. Someone with strong expression and thicker skin can need 5 units per side.
If you are already doing glabella botox, crow’s feet botox, or a botox brow lift, the dose for the nose may be lower. The surrounding relaxation reduces compensatory scrunching. Always view the nose in the context of the whole upper face. A good botox specialist will.
The injection pattern that works
Precise placement beats brute force dosing. For most noses, two microinjections per side target the top of the crease along the upper sidewall and a second point lower where the line tracks toward the cheek. Some patients only need a single point per side near the nasal bridge. If there is a faint line toward the inner canthus, placement moves a bit higher, but we keep a safe distance from the orbit and stay superficial to avoid bruising.
Angles are shallow, the volume per point is tiny, and the needle goes intradermal to very superficial intramuscular depending on anatomy. Because the nasalis is a fan-like muscle, overly deep injections can miss the mark and spread undesirably. Less is more here. On retouch day, we paint in small gaps if a sliver of movement remains.
What the appointment feels like
A typical botox appointment for bunny lines is brief. After a focused botox consultation to review your medical history, your provider will have you animate to map the lines. Makeup is removed with an alcohol swab. Some clinics apply a quick ice press rather than numbing cream because the injections are fast. The needle is tiny. You will feel a brief pinch and perhaps a small sting from the solution. The whole series takes under five minutes.
You might see slight raised blebs at the injection points for 10 to 20 minutes. Mild redness or a pinpoint bruise can occur. Most people head straight back to work or errands.
Aftercare that actually matters
The aftercare instructions you receive can sound long, but only a few carry real weight:
- Keep your head upright for 3 to 4 hours. Avoid bending low or lying flat immediately after the injections to minimize spread. Skip strenuous exercise, heated yoga, or saunas for the rest of the day. Increase blood flow and heat can affect diffusion right after treatment.
You can wash your face gently and apply skincare that evening. Avoid rubbing the treated area aggressively for a day. Makeup is fine after a few hours if the skin looks calm. Bruising, if it happens, is usually a pinpoint and fades within a week. Arnica gel can help, but time is the real healer.
When does botox kick in and how long does it last on the nose?
Light movement reduction is often noticeable by day 3 or 4. Full smoothing typically arrives around day 7 to 14. I like to schedule a check at the two week mark, especially for first-time bunny lines botox, to calibrate the dose. If we need a touch-up, it is quick and typically within 2 to 4 additional units total.
Duration varies with muscle strength, metabolism, and dose. For nasal lines, expect roughly 3 to 4 months of result for average dosing. Some people enjoy closer to 5 months, others hold two to three months if they have animated jobs or strong midface expressors. As with forehead botox or botox for crow’s feet, consistency helps. After two to three cycles, many patients need slightly fewer units or hold results longer because the habit of deep scrunching eases.
Safety, side effects, and how to avoid problems
Botox for nasal lines is generally safe when performed by a certified botox injector with solid facial anatomy knowledge. Still, there are risks. The most common are small bruises, tenderness, or a dull ache that resolves quickly. A tiny lump at the injection site can sit for a day or two while fluid disperses.
The complications we work to prevent are dose or placement related. Too much spread downward can weaken the upper lip elevator, causing a subtle smile change. A heavy hand near the inner eye can affect orbicularis oculi movement and look odd when smiling. The best prevention is conservative dosing and careful mapping of the exact lines while you animate. If you come in with photos of your nose scrunch from different angles, your injector gets a better view of how the skin folds.
A practical Pearl: treat the crow’s feet and glabella appropriately if they contribute to compensatory scrunching. Balancing the whole upper face avoids overtaxing the nasalis. This is where an experienced botox injector shines. They will watch you talk, smile, and squint before they ever pick up the syringe.
Bunny lines versus gummy smile and lip flip
Patients sometimes confuse bunny lines botox with gummy smile botox or a lip flip. They live in the same neighborhood but solve different issues. Gummy smile botox targets the muscles that lift the upper lip too high, often the levator labii superioris alaeque nasi and zygomatic complex, to reduce gum show by a few millimeters. A lip flip uses a couple of units in the orbicularis oris to relax the upper lip margin so it rolls out subtly.
Bunny lines botox is higher and more lateral. We are not trying to change tooth or lip show, just soften the diagonal creases. If you need multiple midface tweaks, your botox provider should stage them and keep doses modest so your smile stays natural.
Cost, pricing per unit, and how to plan a budget
Prices vary by region, injector expertise, and clinic type. Many practices list botox cost per unit. In the United States, you might see a range from 10 to 20 dollars per unit in some med spas, up to 24 to 30 dollars per unit in boutique clinics with top rated botox providers. Bunny lines usually require a small total dose, which helps keep the overall price reasonable. If you hear an unusually low quote for “cheap botox,” ask questions. Authentic product has a traceable lot, comes from the manufacturer or approved distributor, and is stored properly.
Some offices offer botox specials or a botox payment plan for packages that include forehead botox, botox for frown lines, or crow’s feet. That makes sense if you maintain results cyclically. Just make sure the injector’s credentials and outcomes drive your choice, not price alone. The best botox is the one that looks like you on your best day, placed by a trusted botox injector who knows when to hold back.
Combining nasal line treatment with other areas
Faces move as a system. If you are treating 11s with glabella botox or easing crow’s feet, a couple of units for bunny lines can finish the look. Similarly, if you struggle with chin dimpling or a pebbled mentalis, botox chin treatment can smooth texture and balance the lower face. Neck bands respond to platysmal bands botox, though that is a different skill set and dose range than the nose. Patients with jaw clenching benefit from masseter botox to soften the angle and improve symptoms of bruxism or TMJ. These are separate conversations, of course, but useful to mention because upper face balance often leads to midface compensations. A skilled injector will map your expression patterns across the whole face to decide what to treat now and what to defer.
What if lines are etched in?
If your bunny lines are visible at rest, botox still helps. Relaxing the nasalis reduces movement, which prevents further etching and lets the skin recover. In older or sun-damaged skin, the etched crease can persist despite good relaxation. That is not failure, it is a sign you may need complementary treatments once the muscle settles. Options include microdroplet hyaluronic acid placed superficially, energy-based resurfacing at mild settings, or microneedling. I prefer to stage these. First, use botox to quiet the fold. Then reassess the remaining crease after four to six weeks. Topical retinoids and daily sunscreen also pull weight over time.
Real timelines from the chair
A 34-year-old teacher with strong eye expression came in for crow’s feet botox. She started to notice diagonal nose lines in photos. We added 2 units per side to the nasalis. At day 10 her smile looked the same but without the crinkles up the bridge. She held for four months.
A 47-year-old runner with thin, fair skin had visible bunny lines at rest. We used 3 units per side, then a 2 unit touch-up at two weeks. At six weeks, the lines required a tiny bead of superficial filler just under the most etched segment. The combination smoothed them nicely. Her maintenance is 6 to 8 units of wrinkle botox to the nose every four months and sunscreen daily.
A 29-year-old marketing manager, new to aesthetic treatments, wanted a botox lip flip and asked about her nose lines at consult. We staged the lip flip first to watch her smile. Two weeks later, with no smile change issues, we added 2 units per side for bunny lines. Staged dosing kept the look natural.
How to find the right injector
Credentials, experience, and a conservative philosophy matter more than a glamorous lobby. Search for a botox provider who treats faces, not just areas. Look for an experienced botox injector who explains trade-offs clearly and shows before and after photos for bunny lines specifically. A licensed botox injector should welcome your questions about botox units, anticipated duration, and side effects. Ask how they handle touch-ups and what their threshold is for saying no to more units when not needed.
If you are searching phrases like botox near me, botox injection near me, botox treatment near me, or botox injector near me, skim reviews with caution. The loudest voices are not always the best cases. A botox clinic or botox med spa with a certified botox injector on-site during your visit is a baseline. A botox doctor or PA/NP injector with robust facial anatomy training is ideal. Trust your instincts during the botox consultation. If someone pressures you toward large packages without listening to your concerns, keep looking.
What can go wrong and how we fix it
Occasionally, a patient feels “too still” or sees a tiny smile change. Dose can be dialed back at the next cycle, and in the short term, movement returns as the product wears off. A small undercorrection is common with first treatments because we err on the light side. A 2 to 4 unit tweak at follow-up usually solves it. Bruises, while annoying, are manageable with a bit of concealer for a few days.
If the lines did not improve much, it is usually a placement issue or the lines are mostly static. Your injector should adjust technique or discuss resurfacing. Rarely, patients are partial non-responders. In that case, alternatives like another neuromodulator brand can be tried. If you ever experience unexpected pain, swelling beyond mild, or vision changes after any facial injection, contact your provider immediately. That is extremely rare with superficial nasal injections, but knowing when to call is part of safe care.
Comparing nasal line botox to other treatments
Some people ask whether they should try laser or peels first. Those help skin quality, but they do not stop the mechanical folding that causes bunny lines. Think of neuromodulators as the on-off switch for the crease. Skin treatments are the polish. Filler is rarely needed and only for etched segments, not for soft dynamic lines. Topical products like peptides and retinoids make skin more resilient, yet cannot replace the effect of relaxing the nasalis.
As for timelines, botox offers the fastest visible change within one to two weeks. Light resurfacing takes several weeks to show collage remodeling. If a big event is on your calendar, book botox at least two weeks before to settle results, and schedule skin treatments far enough ahead to allow for healing.
The quiet benefit of small doses
People fixate on big areas like forehead lines or jawline botox for facial slimming. Those can be transformative, but some of the most satisfying wins come from tiny adjustments. Bunny lines sit in the field of view when you smile and talk. Softening them has an outsized impact on how rested and smooth you look. The dose is small, the downtime near zero, and the result reads as you, just a bit more polished.
Practical planning for your first cycle
- Book botox at a time when you can avoid strenuous workouts for the rest of the day and keep your head upright for several hours afterward.
Ahead of your visit, make a note of any upcoming dental procedures, facials, or events. Share your medication list during your botox consultation, especially blood thinners or supplements that increase bruising risk. If you are stacking areas like forehead botox or botox for frown lines, let your injector build a plan that balances expressions across the upper face.
Addressing broader concerns: safety, cost, and realism
Is botox safe? In trained hands using FDA-approved product, botox cosmetic has an excellent safety profile. The doses for bunny lines are small and localized. Are there botox side effects? Expect the possibility of minor bruising, swelling, transient tenderness, or a mild headache. Significant complications are rare and usually tied to improper placement or dosing.
How much is botox for the nose? Given the small number of units, the total is generally modest. Ask about botox price per unit and any botox deals with caution. Quality, not a bargain, determines your result. If your budget is limited, spend it on the injector’s expertise first. You can always add areas later.
How long does botox last and when does botox kick in? Plan on onset within a week and peak at two, with results holding around three to four months for this area. Schedule your botox appointment every three to five months depending on how your face behaves.
What if I plan other areas like underarm botox for sweating or migraine botox? Those are separate indications with different dosing and patterns. It is fine to manage them in the same clinic, but each has its own assessment. A top rated botox practice can handle both cosmetic botox and therapeutic cases, or refer you appropriately.
Final thoughts from the chair
Bunny lines are simple to treat and easy to over-treat. That is the paradox. The lines look small, so it is tempting to place a quick, heavy hand. The best outcomes come from careful mapping, low initial units, and a willingness to stage. When a patient asks, how many units of botox do I need, my answer for the nose is, let’s start with what you need to look like yourself without the scrunch. Two weeks later, we decide together if you need a touch more.
If you are searching for botox near me or a trusted botox injector, bring curiosity and clear goals to your first visit. Ask to see bunny lines before and after photos. Watch how the provider studies your expression. A thoughtful injector will notice how your forehead, eyes, and nose share the workload and craft a plan that respects that balance.
Small changes add up. When nasal lines no longer upstage your smile, your face reads calmer and more open. That is the quiet charm of botox for nasal lines, and why a few precise units on the bridge of the nose have become a favorite finishing touch in a well-planned, natural result.