The Bojin Journal · Brows & Forehead

Why frown lines can deepen faster around menopause

By Yu-Ting Lan · 4 min read

The short answer: it usually isn't that you suddenly started frowning more. Around this stage of life, skin between the brows gets thinner and drier, so the vertical lines that were always there simply show up more. On top of that, most of us hold quiet tension right there, and squint without noticing. A careful, well-placed few minutes can help that spot look softer and more relaxed. It won't erase the lines, and it isn't a fix for anything happening under the skin. But it can make a real, everyday difference in how rested you look back at yourself.

Why do my frown lines look deeper now?

Two things are happening at once. First, the skin here is changing. Around menopause it tends to get thinner and drier and loses some of its natural spring, so a crease that used to smooth out on its own now lingers a little longer. The line was often there for years; it's just more visible now, and that's completely normal.

Second, this is where so many of us carry stress. Think of how your brows pull together when you concentrate, worry, or read something small without your glasses. Held for hours, day after day, that little knit becomes a habit the muscle keeps repeating even when you feel calm.

So the deeper look between your brows is really two stories overlapping: skin that shows more, and a muscle that's holding on. Neither is your fault, and neither means you did anything wrong.

How the Bojin Method helps this spot

First, what bojin actually is. If you already know gua sha, you have a head start, because bojin grew from the same family of Chinese hands-on face care, so it will feel familiar. But it's its own, deliberate method. What makes it work isn't how hard or soft you press. It's three things: the order you work in, the angle you hold the tool, and the exact spot you're working.

The traditional tool is a bojin stick, a slim, polished stainless steel tool shaped to follow the face, and you use its rounded edge. You can start with clean fingertips, or a smooth-edged tool you already own, while you learn the moves, but the stick is what the method was built around. The pressure is not a barely-there touch, and it isn't forceful either. It's the right, comfortable pressure for you, firm enough to be felt, never enough to hurt or drag the skin.

For the brow area, the aim is simple and honest: help that knitted muscle let go and coax a little settled fluid to move on. Most of us were handed a tool with no method attached, no one showed us the order to follow, the angle to hold, or the exact place to work. Add that method, and the same few minutes feel completely different.

The 5-minute between-the-brows reset

Use the rounded edge of your bojin stick, or clean fingertips while you learn. Add a little oil or cream first so nothing drags or tugs. Work in order, follow the angle described, and use the right comfortable pressure, firm enough to feel but never enough to hurt. This is gentle self-care, not medical treatment, so keep it easy and stop if anything stings.

1. Warm and settle the area Rest two fingertips flat between your brows and take three slow breaths, letting your forehead go heavy. This softens the skin and tells the muscle it's safe to loosen before you begin.
2. Read your face first Notice where the knit feels tightest, usually one side pulls more than the other. Start on the tighter side so your order follows what your face actually needs, not a fixed routine.
3. Ease the knot open With the rounded edge held almost flat against the skin, glide slowly from the inner brow upward and outward, just above the crease. Keep the angle low and the pressure comfortable, repeating a few unhurried passes on each side.
4. Smooth up the center line Place the edge at the top of the vertical lines and draw gently upward toward the hairline, letting the angle lift rather than press in. This encourages the held tension and any puffiness to release instead of gathering in one spot.
5. Finish down the sides of your neck This is the step people skip. Sweep gently down the sides of your neck a few times so the fluid you just moved has a clear path to travel and settle. Skip it, and the area can feel stuck.

What can I honestly expect?

Done regularly, most women notice the area looks a little softer, calmer, and less pinched, especially first thing in the morning or after a tense day. The forehead can feel more relaxed, puffiness can look reduced, and many people say they simply look more rested and a touch more lifted. Those are the everyday wins, small, real, and worth a few minutes.

Be honest with yourself about the limits, too. This won't remove the lines between your brows or change the thinning of the skin, and it isn't a treatment or a substitute for anything a doctor offers. Results are gentle and everyday, not lasting changes to your face. If a line appears suddenly on one side, if the area is painful, or if anything looks or feels off, please see your doctor rather than waiting.

Give it a fair, gentle try for a couple of weeks and judge it by how the area feels, not by the mirror alone. A softer, more relaxed brow is a quiet, honest win, and it's yours to keep with a few calm minutes.

Yu-Ting Lan is a Taiwan-based international bojin instructor and the founder of Héhé Studio. She has taught her bojin method to close to a thousand students — from complete beginners to grandmothers — across Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Malaysia.