Bunny Line Treatment

Most patients become aware of bunny lines in one of two ways. They notice the lines on their own face during animated expression and want to soften them. Or they receive treatment of the glabellar complex (the muscles between the brows) and find that the nasalis becomes relatively more active afterward, making the bunny lines more visible than they were before treatment. Both presentations are clinical, both respond to a small targeted dose, and both deserve a careful conservative approach.

The lines themselves are not deep wrinkles in the conventional sense. They are dynamic creases produced by a strong, focused muscle that elevates the upper lip and flares the nostril during expression. The skin overlying the muscle creases predictably each time the muscle contracts, and over years the creases can begin to persist between expressions.

The nasalis muscle and what it does

The nasalis is a small paired muscle that originates from the maxilla above the lateral incisor tooth and inserts into the cartilage of the nose and the surrounding skin. It has two parts: the transverse part, which compresses the nasal aperture during forced expiration and contributes to the bunny line crease pattern, and the alar part, which dilates the nostril. The transverse part is the main contributor to bunny lines.

The muscle is small, superficial and well defined anatomically, which makes it amenable to precise treatment. Two to four units of prescription neuromodulator per side, placed near the muscle origin on the lateral nasal sidewall, is the conventional dose range described in clinical literature. The actual dose used is always individual to the patient anatomy and existing expression dynamics.

Why bunny lines often emerge after glabellar treatment

This is one of the more clinically interesting points about bunny lines. After well placed treatment of the procerus and corrugator complex (the muscles that produce the vertical glabellar lines and pull the brow downward and inward), the nasalis is often relatively unopposed. The face has lost some of the surrounding muscle activity and the nasalis stands out more during animated expression. Patients sometimes describe noticing bunny lines for the first time in their life within weeks of an otherwise excellent glabellar treatment.

Anticipating this is part of how an experienced practitioner plans glabellar treatment. Some patients are obviously prone to nasalis prominence and warrant pre emptive nasalis dosing as part of the same treatment plan. Others have less prominent nasalis activity and can defer the question until or unless the lines emerge.

Conservative dosing in this region

The nasalis is small and superficial. Over dosing produces a subtle but identifiable change in upper lip elevation during smiling and can affect the appearance of the smile in social interaction. The C.O.R.E. Method approach in this region is to start with the lower end of the dose range, two units per side, with a structured two week review where additional dose can be added if response has been insufficient.

The opposite approach, four units per side as a default first dose, is sometimes used in higher throughput practices and is not necessarily wrong. The conservative version errs in favour of preserving expression at the cost of an occasional second visit for top up. The aggressive version errs in favour of single session result at the cost of occasional over correction. Each has trade offs and the patient choice between them is part of the consultation.

What treatment involves practically

The treatment itself is brief. After confirming the assessment and obtaining consent, the practitioner identifies the lateral aspect of the nasalis at the side of the nose and places a small volume of prescription neuromodulator superficially on each side. Two injections per side is typical, sometimes one. Discomfort is minimal because the volumes are small and the technique is precise. There is no practical downtime. Patients return to normal activity immediately, with the conventional advice to avoid heavy exercise or extended head down positions for the same evening.

Onset is gradual. Most patients begin noticing softer animation in the bunny line region within five to seven days, with full effect around two weeks. Duration is similar to other neuromodulator indications in the upper face: typically three to four months at first treatment, sometimes longer with repeated treatment.

Side effects and what we monitor

Local side effects (a small bruise at an injection point, brief tenderness, occasional small lump that resolves over days) are the most common reported issues. Headache is occasionally reported in the first day or two. Specific to this region, over dosing can produce a subtle change in the position of the upper lip during smiling, and if the dose extends inferiorly towards the levator labii superioris alaeque nasi muscle, can affect smile dynamics in a way the patient may not want. Conservative dosing and precise placement substantially reduce this risk.

Patients are given written aftercare and a direct contact for the practitioner if any concerns arise after the appointment.

When this treatment is not the right answer

Patients sometimes ask about treatment of bunny lines that turn out, on closer assessment, to be skin lines rather than dynamic muscle lines. Static lines etched into the skin overlying the nasalis are not addressed by neuromodulator treatment of the muscle. They may benefit from skin care interventions outside our scope. Naming this distinction at consultation is part of an honest plan.

Patients with very thin skin overlying the nasalis may not be appropriate candidates because the small volume of product can produce visible distension at the injection point. Patients with previous adverse reaction to the same class of product are not candidates. Patients seeking treatment of nasal shape rather than nasal animation are looking for a different category of treatment that this clinic does not provide.

AHPRA September 2025 considerations

The AHPRA guidelines for nonsurgical cosmetic procedures that came into force in September 2025 require an in person or video consultation with the prescribing practitioner each time a cosmetic injectable is prescribed. For bunny line treatment, this typically forms part of a broader upper face consultation rather than a stand alone visit, but the prescription consultation requirement applies to every treatment cycle.

Suitability assessment must explicitly address motivations and expectations. For bunny lines specifically, this includes confirming that the patient understands the limit of the treatment (it softens dynamic animation; it does not address static skin lines or change nasal shape) before proceeding.

Why we do not name the prescription product

Australian regulation prohibits the advertising of Schedule 4 prescription medicines to the public. That includes the brand names, abbreviations and hashtags associated with cosmetic injectable products. The TGA has been increasingly active in enforcing this provision in the cosmetic injectables sector. We can talk in clinical detail about the mechanism, dose ranges, response profile and safety considerations. We do not name brands or otherwise identify products to the public, because the law explicitly prohibits us from doing so.

Working with Corey

Corey Anderson is the only practitioner at Core Aesthetics. Registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia since January 1996 (AHPRA NMW0001047575), Corey runs a one practitioner, low volume clinic in Oakleigh. For small, precise indications like bunny line treatment, the consistency of practitioner technique across years of repeated visits supports the kind of incremental refinement that produces stable, predictable results without over correction.

Patients see Corey at every visit. Treatment notes carry the dose, the placement detail and the response duration forward across years.

How this fits into a broader upper face plan

Bunny lines are rarely treated in isolation. The clinical reality is that they sit anatomically and functionally adjacent to the glabellar complex above and the levator labii muscles below, and the treatment plan for one region informs the others. A patient who is treated for glabellar lines often warrants assessment of nasalis activity at the same visit. A patient who is treated for nasalis without assessment of the surrounding regions may end up with a partial result.

This is part of why the consultation tends to be longer than the treatment. The conversation works through how the patient face is moving, where treatment would soften without flattening, and where the relative balance of muscle activity needs to be respected. The treatment itself, when planning is done, is brief.

What we do not claim

Three claims sometimes made about bunny line treatment do not survive clinical scrutiny and we do not make them. The first is that a single treatment will permanently eliminate bunny lines. The treatment is reversible and lasts three to four months at first treatment, with maintenance required. The second is that treatment of the nasalis will improve nasal shape. It will not. The shape of the nose is determined by the underlying cartilage and bone, not by the small overlying muscle. The third is that nasalis treatment is without risk. It is low risk in conservative hands but not without risk; over dosing or imprecise placement can affect smile dynamics in ways the patient may not want.

The conversation with younger patients

Patients in their twenties and early thirties sometimes present specifically about bunny lines. The clinical question is whether dynamic creases that disappear immediately when the face relaxes warrant intervention. Often they do not, particularly in the absence of any persistent crease at rest. The conservative answer in younger patients is sometimes to defer treatment, monitor over twelve to eighteen months, and reconsider if the lines begin to persist between expressions.

This is part of the consultation based model and it is not a sales failure to recommend deferral. It is a clinical decision that respects the difference between expression that is alive and expression that is creating a problem.

Booking a consultation

Bunny line treatment is most often discussed as part of a broader upper face consultation. The consultation is a clinical assessment in its own right, with no obligation to proceed in the same session. If treatment is appropriate, it can be performed in the same visit. Results vary between individuals and the plan is built around the specific anatomy and goals of the person in front of us.

Core Aesthetics operates from 12A Atherton Road, Oakleigh, in Melbourne south east. Booking is direct online or by contacting the clinic.

A note on patient experience over time

Patients who incorporate bunny line treatment into a broader upper face plan typically describe the result as one element of a face that moves naturally without the small distractions that draw attention to repeated muscular patterns. The bunny lines themselves are not a feature people generally point to in the mirror as their primary concern. They are usually noticed as the surrounding context for other concerns, and treated as part of an overall plan rather than as a standalone goal. This is partly why the consultation tends to be longer than the treatment.

Across multiple treatment cycles, the dose required to maintain the same softening effect typically remains stable or decreases slightly, as the muscle adapts to repeated dampening. Patients who have been treated consistently for several years often describe the maintenance rhythm as low key and unobtrusive, which is the goal of conservative dosing in this region.

Why we discuss this region as part of upper face planning

The clinical anatomy of the upper face is interconnected. The procerus, corrugator and frontalis above the brow, the orbicularis oculi at the lateral orbit, the nasalis at the side of the nose and the levator labii muscles below all contribute to the patterns of expression that produce dynamic creases. Treating one region without considering the others sometimes produces an unintended shift in the relative balance of expression, of which bunny line emergence after glabellar treatment is the most familiar example.

The structured planning of the upper face is one of the central commitments of the C.O.R.E. Method approach. Consult the anatomy as a whole. Organise the plan with the relative balance of muscles in mind. Refine in stages with conservative first dosing. Evaluate at the next visit and adjust against actual response. Bunny line treatment fits neatly within that framework rather than being added on as an afterthought.

A note on the term and its origins

The colloquial bunny lines name comes from the way the creases fan out across the upper nose during a scrunched nose expression that visually resembles the way a rabbit moves its nose. The clinical term varies (nasalis lines, transverse nasal lines, upper nose dynamic rhytides) but the underlying anatomy is the same. Most patients use the colloquial term, and we follow that here for clarity. The clinical record uses anatomical language. The two are interchangeable for the purposes of describing the indication.

Why this matters: patients who search for information about bunny lines may find content that mixes the colloquial term with imprecise clinical descriptions. The anatomy is well defined, the treatment is well described in clinical literature, and the dose ranges are conservative and predictable. Naming the underlying clinical reality clearly is part of patient facing health communication done well.

Cost framing

Pricing is straightforward. Bunny line treatment is priced on the actual product and time involved, quoted in writing as part of the consultation. There is no surge pricing, no time limited promotional pricing, and no loyalty discounting. Patients receive a written treatment plan that includes the realistic cost of the next twelve months of treatment if maintenance is part of the plan.

A note on language

The term bunny lines is widely used informally and is the term most patients use in consultation. The clinical literature also describes nasalis lines, transverse nasal lines or upper nose dynamic creases. They all refer to the same anatomical phenomenon. We use bunny lines on this page because that is the term patients searching for information are most likely to use.