To soften wrinkles around the eyes such as laughter lines and frown lines around the forehead, we
use a substance called Botulinum Toxin. This relaxes the muscles and smoothes the skin resulting in a natural appearance. Botulinum Toxin is established internationally
as a very safe and effective way to treat specific facial lines and has been used for this purpose for over 30 years without any known long-term problems.
An extremely fine needle is used to gently inject tiny amounts of Botulinum Toxin into the areas
where it is needed. It works by blocking the transmission of nerve impulses to the facial muscles that have been injected. This makes the muscles less active
and therefore softens and smoothes the appearance of persistent lines and wrinkles.
It usually takes about 7-10 days for the full effects to be visible and in most cases, patients
can see a real difference after one treatment. The effects usually last between 3-6 months.
As with all prescription medicines, your physician will advise when he/ she will need to review your treatment.
Dermal fillers are commonly used to ‘fill in’, soften and smooth fine lines and folds around the
lower half of the face. These include those lines between the nose and the corner of the mouth. Dermal fillers, such as Restylane®, are non-animal,
biodegradable gels of varying viscosities, or thicknesses, made from hyaluronic acid (HA). When these are injected into the skin using very fine needles, they
replenish the natural HA (part of the skin’s natural scaffolding that keeps our skin looking young and firm), which has been lost during the natural process of ageing. It boosts the skins own hydration system and restores volume to the skin structure. If this product is used under a line or wrinkle it will lift
and soften the area. This property can also be used to outline and enhance the shape of the lips in a natural way.
Results from the procedure can be seen immediately (sometimes it does take more than 1 session
to get the best results) and can last for 9-12 months. Treatment to the lips will last about 6 months but this does depends on the individual and how your
body breaks down the product. After this time your skin will gradually return to what it looked like before the treatment, unless you have a top-up
treatment. You can of course just have a one-off treatment specifically for a special event.
Although both Botulinum Toxin and dermal fillers reduce or soften wrinkles, they work in very
different ways – sometimes a combination of both treatments works well to reduce deeper lines.