Smile Lines + DAO Botox
Soften The Frown. Restore A More Relaxed Expression.
Crow’s feet lines can make the upper face look more tired or aged than you feel. The goal at Bolus is a smoother, more refreshed eye-area without creating a heavy, flat or overdone appearance.
At Bolus Med Spa, crow’s feet treatment begins with your smile pattern, eye shape, cheek movement and anatomy. The goal is not to erase every expression line. It is to soften the lines that make the eye area look more tired or aged while preserving a natural, refreshed appearance that still looks like you. Bolus Med Spa is located in Elkridge, Maryland, just minutes from Columbia and Ellicott City, and serves patients throughout Howard County and surrounding communities.
Every eyebrow raise folds the eye-area skin.
Horizontal crow’s feet lines commonly develop from repeated contraction of the orbicularis oculi muscle, the broad muscle that elevates the eyebrows.
They are often called crow’s feet wrinkles, crow’s feet lines or horizontal crow’s feet lines.
When you raise your brows, the frontalis contracts and the overlying skin folds. Over time, lines that initially appear only with expression may become visible even when the eye-area is relaxed.
That distinction matters because treating movement is different from correcting an established crease in the skin.
A common concern. A more complex treatment area than it looks.
Crow’s feet are the fine lines that radiate from the outer corners of the eyes. They are strongly influenced by repeated contraction of the orbicularis oculi muscle when you smile or squint. Sun exposure, skin quality and loss of collagen can make them more visible over time.
Lines When You Raise Your Brows
Early crow’s feet lines may appear primarily when you raise your eyebrows. Carefully reducing selected frontalis activity can soften repetitive folding while maintaining useful facial expression.
Lines Visible At Rest
With repeated movement and changes in skin quality, horizontal creases may remain visible even when your eye-area is relaxed. A neuromodulator can reduce the muscular force, but an established skin crease may not disappear completely from injections alone.
Brow Position Matters
The frontalis is an important brow elevator. Brow height, eye-area length, eyelid anatomy, asymmetry and how strongly you recruit the eye-area all influence treatment. That is why eye-area injections should be mapped to the individual rather than copied from a standard pattern.
Sometimes the “frown” is coming from muscle pull—not your mood.
The corners of the mouth are influenced by several muscles working in opposition. When downward-pulling muscles are relatively strong, the mouth can appear turned down at rest. The depressor anguli oris (DAO) is a key contributor in selected patients.
Strategic neuromodulator treatment can reduce DAO activity and allow the corners of the mouth to sit in a more neutral or subtly elevated position. The change should be modest: the goal is a softer, more approachable resting expression, not an artificial smile.
DAO Pull
The DAO travels from the lower jaw toward the corner of the mouth and contributes to downward movement of the oral commissure.
Resting Frown
Some patients look unhappy, stern or tired at rest even when they are not. Muscle balance can be one contributor to that appearance.
Smile, Not Frozen
Treatment should preserve normal speech, eating and facial expression. Conservative placement is essential because lower-face muscles have important functional roles.
A small area can require thoughtful planning.
The eye-area and glabella work together to influence brow position and upper-face expression. We evaluate the entire upper face rather than treating horizontal lines in isolation.
Watch You Move
We evaluate your resting brow position, eyebrow asymmetry, eye-area height, frontalis recruitment, muscle strength and any pre-existing eyelid or brow heaviness.
Choose The Pattern
Injection sites, dose and product are selected according to your anatomy and treatment objective. Some patients want subtle softening and maximal movement. Others prefer a smoother eye-area. Natural and refreshed should never mean one identical result for everyone.
Let The Result Develop
The effect develops gradually rather than instantly. We want enough time for the neuromodulator response to declare itself before deciding whether additional treatment is appropriate.
The DAO may be only one part of the downward pull.
Treating the DAO alone can soften downward pull at the corners of the mouth. In many patients, however, we also evaluate the platysma—the broad superficial muscle extending from the upper chest and neck into the lower face. Platysmal activity can contribute to neck bands and downward tension along the lower face and jawline.
When both the DAO and platysma are contributing to the patient's movement pattern, treating the adjacent muscle groups as part of a coordinated plan may produce a more balanced experience than focusing on the DAO in isolation. This does not mean everyone needs both areas treated. The pattern is assessed individually.
DAO Only
Focused treatment when the primary concern is muscular downward pull at the corners of the mouth.
DAO + Platysma
For selected patients with broader downward lower-face pull or active platysmal bands, a coordinated lower-face and neck plan may better address the contributing muscle pattern.
Full Lower-Face Assessment
Chin activity, jawline anatomy, skin laxity, volume loss and structural support can also affect the lower face. Neuromodulator treatment cannot correct every contributor.
A smooth eye-area is not only about toxin.
If your crow’s feet lines are visible even when you are completely relaxed, the skin may have developed resting creases from years of repeated folding, sun exposure, collagen loss and other skin-aging factors.
Dynamic Frown Lines
Horizontal lines that appear mainly when you raise your eyebrows often respond well when frontalis activity is carefully reduced.
Etched Frown Lines
A eye-area crease that is already etched into the skin may soften after repeated reduction in movement, but resurfacing, collagen-focused treatments or skincare may also be considered depending on depth and skin quality.
What to expect from DAO Botox.
Treatment Time
The injection portion is generally brief. Consultation and facial assessment are part of the appointment.
Downtime
Most patients return to normal daily activities immediately. Temporary redness, tenderness, small bumps or bruising can occur.
Onset
Changes often begin within several days. The full effect is not immediate and varies by product and individual response.
Duration
Neuromodulator effects are temporary. Many patients experience results lasting several months, although duration varies with product, dose, muscle strength and individual biology.
How much does DAO / Smile Lines Botox cost near Columbia, MD?
For DAO treatment alone, typical Smile Lines treatment at Bolus is approximately $100–$150. Exact investment depends on anatomy, product and individualized dose. If platysma or other lower-face areas are also treated, the total investment will be higher because the treatment plan includes additional muscle groups and dose.
Bolus prices Botox, Jeuveau and Xeomin by the unit. Standard pricing is $15 per unit, with preferred pricing available to active Private Clients. Dysport uses its own product-specific dosing.
Standard Pricing
$15 per unit for Botox, Jeuveau or Xeomin. Your clinician determines the appropriate product, placement and dose after evaluating your facial movement and goals.
Private Client | Foundation
$10 per unit for Botox, Jeuveau or Xeomin for active Foundation Private Clients. Monthly Private Client contributions are placed into the Bolus Wallet after successful collection and can be used toward eligible treatment.
Private Client | Elevated
$9 per unit for Botox, Jeuveau or Xeomin for active Elevated Private Clients, providing our preferred neurotoxin pricing within a broader treatment-planning relationship.
Dysport uses its own product-specific dosing and is not interchangeable unit-for-unit with Botox, Jeuveau or Xeomin. Your actual DAO Botox investment is based on the individualized treatment plan recommended for you. The objective is appropriate treatment and facial balance, not simply using the greatest or fewest number of units.
Not everyone should be treated the same way.
A cosmetic injection is still a medical treatment. Your health history, medications, anatomy and prior response matter.
Tell us before treatment if you...
- Are pregnant, planning pregnancy or breastfeeding.
- Have a known neuromuscular disorder or significant muscle weakness.
- Have had a prior reaction to a botulinum toxin product.
- Have an infection, rash or significant inflammation near the proposed injection sites.
- Take medications that may affect neuromuscular transmission, bleeding or bruising.
- Have prior eyelid or brow drooping, facial weakness, facial surgery or significant asymmetry.
Potential risks
- Pain, tenderness, redness, swelling or bruising at injection sites.
- Headache or temporary discomfort.
- Asymmetry or an undesired change in expression.
- Temporary eyebrow or eyelid drooping.
- Temporary weakness in nearby muscles.
- Rarely, toxin effects can spread beyond the injection area and cause serious symptoms such as generalized weakness or difficulty speaking, swallowing or breathing.
Clinical evaluation matters.
Wrinkle relaxers should not be selected solely by the number of units someone received elsewhere or by a social-media injection map. Different products have different dosing systems, and the safest treatment pattern depends on the individual face.
Keep learning before you decide.
Frown lines are part of a larger upper-face movement pattern. Explore the treatment hub or learn about the neuromodulator products available at Bolus.
Smile Lines + DAO Botox near Columbia, Maryland.
Bolus Med Spa is located at 7310 Esquire Court, Suite 209 in Elkridge, Maryland, with convenient access from Columbia, Ellicott City, Hanover and surrounding Howard County communities.
Patients searching for DAO Botox or DAO Botox near Columbia are often trying to distinguish a dynamic muscle roll from ordinary under-eye wrinkles, bags or hollows. Our evaluation starts with the cause of the concern rather than assuming every under-eye issue should be injected.
Still deciding what you'd like to change or improve?
You do not have to book today. If crow’s feet lines or wrinkles are something you are researching, start a conversation with Bolus and we can send you useful information about how treatment works, what a natural, refreshed result can realistically look like and what questions to consider before making the investment.
Bolus Text Concierge provides general educational and scheduling information only. Although Bolus Med Spa is staffed by healthcare professionals, the text service is not a medical consultation, does not establish care or a healthcare provider-patient relationship, and does not provide diagnosis, individualized treatment recommendations, prescribing or medical advice.
Why neuromodulators are used for crow’s feet lines.
Botulinum toxin type A products have extensive clinical use in facial aesthetics. BOTOX Cosmetic has an FDA indication for temporary improvement in moderate-to-severe crow’s feet lines in adults when used with glabellar-line treatment. Product indications, dosing systems and labeling differ by brand.
BOTOX Cosmetic + Crow’s Feet Lines
BOTOX Cosmetic is FDA-indicated for temporary improvement in the appearance of moderate to severe crow’s feet lines associated with orbicularis oculi muscle activity in adults, when treated in conjunction with glabellar lines.
VIEW FDA LABELAmerican Society of Plastic Surgeons
ASPS describes botulinum toxin as an injectable treatment that temporarily reduces selected muscle activity and is commonly used for frown lines, crow’s feet lines and crow's feet.
READ PATIENT EDUCATIONCommon questions about a downturned mouth and lower-face muscle balance.
What is DAO Botox?
DAO Botox is an informal term for neuromodulator treatment of the depressor anguli oris muscles. In selected patients, reducing DAO activity can soften downward pull at the corners of the mouth and create a more neutral resting expression.
Can Botox help a resting frown or “resting bitch face”?
Sometimes. If strong downward muscle activity is contributing to the appearance, DAO treatment may soften the resting frown. Facial structure, volume loss, skin laxity and other factors can also contribute, so not every patient with a downturned expression is best treated with Botox alone.
Why does Bolus call this Smile Lines treatment?
Patients commonly describe the concern as a frown, downturned mouth or an unintentionally unhappy expression. “Smile Lines” reflects the goal of treatment: reducing selected downward pull so the mouth can rest in a softer, more neutral position while preserving natural expression.
Why would you treat the platysma with the DAO?
The DAO and platysma are neighboring depressor muscles that can both influence the lower face. In selected patients, platysmal activity contributes to broader downward tension or visible neck bands. When both patterns are present, a coordinated treatment plan may address more of the contributing muscular pull than DAO treatment alone.
How much does DAO / Smile Lines Botox cost?
Typical DAO-only treatment at Bolus is approximately $100–$150. Exact cost depends on product, anatomy and individualized dose. Treating the platysma or additional lower-face areas increases the total investment.
Can DAO Botox change my smile?
Yes. Lower-face muscles participate in smiling, speech, eating and lip movement. Unwanted asymmetry or functional changes are possible if treatment affects adjacent muscles, which is why conservative dosing and precise placement are important.
Look smoother and more refreshed - not overdone.
If a roll or bunching directly beneath your eyes becomes more noticeable when you smile, we can evaluate whether it is a true muscle-related bunny lines and whether DAO Botox is appropriate for your anatomy. Patients visit Bolus from Columbia, Ellicott City and throughout Howard County for careful, natural-looking treatment planning.
