       |
Wrinkle Injections
Wrinkles on the forehead, frown areas and around the eyes are caused by contraction of the underlying facial muscles. Muscle relaxing injections i.e. botulinum toxin (botox and vistrabel) can be used to improve the appearance of these areas.
Botulinum Toxin eg Botox
Frequently asked questions
What is botox?
How long has botox been used?
How is botox used for lines and wrinkles?
What happens during treatment?
Is the result immediate?
How long will the result last?
Are there any side effects?
Above illustrates how much the patient could frown before and after botox.
What is botox?
Botox is the brand name for Botulinum toxin which is a chemical produced by the Clostridium botulinum bacteria.
Botox is a protein derivative of the toxin, which, when injected into a muscle causes it to become relaxed and inactive.
It stops the muscle from functioning by blocking the chemical messages from the nerve to the muscle.
How long has botox been used?
Botox has been used safely for over 20 years for the treatment of Blepharospasm (continuous squinting of the eye).
The product has been used in a variety of other therapeutic applications such as Spasmodic Neck, Writers Cramp and Cerebral Palsy, to name but a few.
How is botox used for lines and wrinkles?
By using facial muscles repeatedly throughout our lifetime, the skin is creased in areas of greatest use.
The aging process causes the slow down of collagen and elastin production in the skin so that as we get older these areas of over use become damaged and the lines become permanent.
By reducing movement of muscles in these areas, the skin stops being creased and is allowed to recover causing the lines to soften or even fade away.
Particularly useful to treat crow’s feet, frown lines and forehead lines.
What happens during treatment?
The process takes about 10-15 minutes.
The Practitioner will ask you to use certain muscles of the face to observe how they work.
An extremely fine needle is used to inject the Botox into the appropriate area.
The injections may case some swelling and redness, which resolve itself in 2-4 hours.
Is the result immediate?
The treatment will take effect after 3-14 days.
How long will the result last?
The treatment usually lasts for approximately 3-4 months, occasionally longer.
Are there any side effects?
Side effects of this treatment are rare.
Occasionally there may be some temporary bruising at the injection site, particularly if taking Aspirin.
Very rarely, patients have reported a minor temporary drooping of the eyelid. This result is very rare and resolves itself within a few weeks.
