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Wrinkle relaxing injections are a safe and effective way to erase facial lines and wrinkles without surgery and no real recovery time.

Ophthalmologists and neurologists have used neurotoxin anti-wrinkle injections for years, for the treatment of eye squint and nervous twitching. It acts by temporarily putting muscles to sleep.

There are a number of different options available today for the treatment of wrinkles and facial lines. They can be softened, or erased by anti-wrinkle filler injection, chemical peels, laser resurfacing, and even face/brow lifting. These procedures treat the effect of repeated use of facial muscles, i.e. the wrinkling, skin creases and lines but not the cause.

A wrinkle relaxing injection uses a purified protein toxin produced by the clostridium botulinum bacteria. Although a toxin, there have been no serious side effects in more than 20 years of use in medicine. This is because, for the treatment described, it is used in extremely small amounts and does not spread throughout the body.

Wrinkle relaxers work by temporarily immobilising the facial muscles, and hence suspending the cause. These facial muscles are easily identified and their movements can be minimised with the treatment of anti-wrinkle relaxer injections. The facial lines will soften or simply disappear following the wrinkles treatment.

There are several areas of the face where wrinkle-relaxing injections are commonly used. The forehead consists of 3 main muscles (the powerful corrugator, the frontalis, and the procerus). These muscles give forehead lines, wrinkles, frowns and the anxious look. The orbicularis oculi muscles create crow’s feet at the corners of the eyes.

At the angle of the mouth, the depressor muscles are more active than the elevator muscles giving a “jowl” or downturned appearance. The chin may display a “cobblestone” appearance that can only be treated by neurotoxin injections.

Ant-wrinkle injections can also be used in the treatment of other medical problems such as excessive sweating and migraines.
How Anti-wrinkle injection treatments are done

During initial consultations, your needs are assessed including the areas that you may want treated. You will be asked to express your concerns about your appearance and to discuss your goals & expectations. Your medical history will be reviewed and a physical examination will be conducted.

The areas to be treated are identified by observing the patient making different facial expressions. These are marked with a special marking pen. The anti-wrinkle neurotoxin, diluted into a small syringe, is injected using a very fine needle into the belly of the muscle. The skin may be numbed with a local anaesthetic cream, or ice packs. However as the pain of the fine anti-wrinkle injection is very mild, most people find that use of ice packs a few minutes prior to injection satisfactory. The effect of the anti-wrinkle injection takes about 4-5 days to become noticeable and becomes most marked by about a week.

You can carry on your normal activities, however we recommend that you avoid massaging the area and not to lie down for four hours immediately following anti-wrinkle treatment. We also recommend that you do not have a facial, for 2-3 days to prevent migration of the product to other areas.

The effects of the wrinkle relaxing injection usually last three months, at which time another anti-wrinkle injection is required. The obvious benefit is that you can decide if you like the result, then repeat the anti-wrinkle treatment regularly as you wish, increasing the number of facial areas you want to treat. After several treatments, the effects may begin to last longer, sometimes up to six months. We recommend anti-wrinkle treatment every three months for the first year, and then repeat treatment as needed.

It is important that you do not touch the area for at least 24-48 hours. Avoid anything that is too hot i.e. hot showers, sauna, and sun exposure.
Risks with Anti-Wrinkle Injections

The anti-wrinkle neurotoxin or muscle relaxer works only locally and does not spread to any other part of the body. It is rare that no beneficial effect occurs, but can happen if a patient develops antibodies to the anti-wrinkle injectable being used.

Some people, because of loss of muscle tone, may notice “Heaviness” in the forehead. This can last for a few hours, and in exceptional cases, it may last for a few days. On rare occasions, the anti-wrinkle neurotoxin could spread locally causing the eyebrow to drop and may take up to 2 weeks to recover.

Very rarely, the eyelid may drop (ptosis) and recovery may take up to two months. However, this is a completely avoidable and infrequent complication where good technique and appropriate dosages are used.

In extremely rare cases, the most serious side effects include issues with speaking, swallowing, or breathing this is due to the weakening of the muscles due to the toxins moving away from the injected area.