Why Injection Techniques Matter and The Risks of Poor Practices
Contents
Botox and Filler Injection Techniques:
Intradermal Vs. Intramuscular Injection
Botox vials can be injected intradermally or intramuscularly. Intradermal Botox injections are used for targeting oil glands, sweat glands, and arrector pili muscles on the skin. Meanwhile, an intramuscular Botox injection is for treating wrinkles and muscle stiffness.

Frown Line Technique
To treat frown lines, the glabella must be targeted. Glabella is a complex set of muscles that create the frown line known as the procerus and corrugator muscles. This muscle complex creates the vertical lines between your eyebrows which can look different on each person due to habitual facial expressions and genetics. The glabellar injection technique typically, although not always, follows a v-shaped pattern of injections..
Crow’s Feet Technique
Crow’s feet refers to the wrinkles on the outer edge of the eye that resemble a crow’s foot. The Botox injection technique on the crow’s feet follows a curve, intending to relax the orbicularis oculi muscle and is very superficial as the muscle inserts into the skin in this location.
Forehead Technique
The forehead technique is used to relax the frontalis muscle. Injecting points 1.5 to 2 cm above the orbital rim is the traditional technique to treat forehead wrinkles. This prevents brow ptosis. Usually the frontalis is not treated unless the glabella is also targeted. The glabella is the only muscle in the forehead that lifts—it is responsible for eyebrow activity and expression. An overinjected forehead can give either a “ blank stare” or cause the entire brow to feel “heavy.” A conservative approach is typically recommended in this region.
LIP FILLER INJECTION TECHNIQUES
Vermillion Border Definition
Lip fillers were frequently injected right into the corder in the past but this is not typically the case in current filler injection techniques as it can lead to filler spread. The border can be enhanced through careful product selection and placement in the vermillion (red section) of the lip.
Vermillion Volume Boost
Lip filler can also be used to volumize the vermillion or the red part of the lips itself. This is done by injecting fillers into the vermillion of the lips using both linear threading and bolus techniques depending on the desired look. Careful consideration to the lip anatomy is required to maintain a natural shape and look to the lips.
Rejevenating Filler Injection Techniques
Linear Threading
When doing the linear threading injection technique, the injector administers the product in a thin line as they retract the needles. It is used in a variety of areas—including the lips, nasolabial folds, jawline and fine, superficial wrinkles.
Fanning Technique
Fanning technique involves the injector administering the filler in a fan-like pattern coming from one injection site. This is one of the injection techniques that work best on the lower face, when trying to create overall collagen stimulation with certain fillers and in the neck. It is often used with a cannula to administer the dermal filler products.
Serial Puncture:
When using a serial puncture injection technique, the injector administers small boluses of dermal filler on various puncture sites along a facial line or wrinkle.
Cross-Hatching Technique
The cross-hatching filler injection technique creates the pattern of a net. A series of retrograde injections are done in one dimension and then another series are done at 90 degrees to the first set of lines—creating a grid like pattern. This technique is great for covering large areas of skin when trying to create more surface tension in the skin.
Sandwitch Technique
