Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41441630›Full record

ArticleToxins2025

Ultrasound Evaluation of Upper Facial Muscles to Guide Botulinum Toxin Application.

Dominika Jaguś, Anna Pawłowska, Robert Krzysztof Mlosek

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Toxins, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Ultrasound of the Cheek: Examination Technique, Anatomy, and Abnormal Findings.Journal of ultrasound in medicine : official journal of the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine · 2026
    Review
  2. Article
  3. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Dominika JaguśDiagnostic Ultrasound Lab, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Medical University of Warsaw, Kondratowicza 8, 03-242 Warsaw, Poland.ORCID 0000-0002-3673-7130
Anna PawłowskaInstitute of Fundamental Technological Research, Polish Academy of Sciences, Pawińskiego 5B, 02-106 Warsaw, Poland.ORCID 0000-0001-5070-1786
Robert Krzysztof MlosekDiagnostic Ultrasound Lab, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Medical University of Warsaw, Kondratowicza 8, 03-242 Warsaw, Poland.ORCID 0000-0001-9295-3164

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundBotulinum toxin injection is one of the most common esthetic procedures, yet complications may occur due to anatomical variability or suboptimal injection technique. This study aimed to evaluate the upper facial muscles using ultrasound, focusing on inter- and intraindividual variability.

methodsThe study involved volunteers aged 21-40 years, excluding those with prior facial treatments, trauma, or muscle disorders. The muscles examined included the occipitofrontalis (frontal belly), procerus, corrugator supercilii, and orbicularis oculi. Muscle thickness and distance from the epidermis were measured using high-frequency ultrasound. Statistical analyses included descriptive statistics, correlation with age and BMI, sex comparisons, and symmetry assessment.

resultsA total of 127 participants (103 women and 24 men) were enrolled, with a mean age of 28.8 ± 4.4 years. Age showed no significant correlation with muscle thickness or depth, supporting the internal consistency of the studied age group. BMI showed moderate correlations with the depth of the selected forehead muscles. Males showed greater thickness in the frontal and procerus muscles. Relative side-to-side asymmetry coefficients reached 40% for both thickness and depth, indicating notable individual laterality.

conclusionsThe study provides normative ultrasound parameters for the upper facial muscle in healthy adults. The results demonstrate significant anatomical variability depending on sex, BMI, and facial laterality, supporting individualized ultrasound-guided approaches for botulinum toxin injection.

Indexed as

Botulinum ToxinsBotulinum Toxins, Type AFacial MusclesNeuromuscular AgentsAdultFemaleHumansInjections, IntramuscularMaleUltrasonographyYoung AdultBotulinum ToxinsBotulinum Toxins, Type ANeuromuscular Agentsbotulinum toxinintra- and interindividual variabilityultrasound imagingupper facial muscles

Identifiers

PMID41441630
PMCPMC12737698

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.