Questions? How long does wrinkle relaxing injections last?
Successful therapy is signaled by muscle weakness that begins at 24 to 48 hours after injection with a peaking weakness at 7-14 days. Paralysis after the initial injection lasts between 4 and 7 months for most patients.
How often is re-injection needed?
Re-injection is suggested every 3 to 4 months to keep the muscles paralysed and allow the furrows to completely smooth out. Once the area is smooth, patients are instructed to return for therapy only when they notice a return of muscle movement that may not occur for four months to one year or even longer has been reported.
Who should not use wrinkle relaxing injections?
- Although there have been no reports of birth defects with this medicine, no pregnant patients will be treated. It is also our policy not to inject Wrinkle relaxing injections in nursing mothers.
- Patients with a history of neuromuscular disease (multiple sclerosis and myasthenia gravis) or other types of disease involving neurotransmission should avoid this medicine.
- Patient taking the following medicines may potentiate the effects of Wrinkle relaxing injections; aminoglycoside antibiotics (Streptomycin, Tobramcyin and Gentamycin injections), penicillamine, quinine and calcium channel blockers (Calan, Cardizem, Dilacor, Norvasc, Procardia, Verelan).
What are the alternatives to wrinkle relaxing injections?
Filling agents including fat, collagen, Restylane, resurfacing procedures with acids or lasers and lifting operations of the forehead, temporal, neck and mid-face regions.
What unexpected benefits have come from wrinkle relaxing injections?
Tension headaches for some patients have disappeared. These occurred in patients who were recruiting forehead and brow muscles during periods of stress and tension. When these muscles were relaxed, the headaches faded.
How exactly do wrinkle relaxing injections inactivate the muscle?
Wrinkle relaxing injections inhibits the release of acetylcholine at the joining site of the nerve to the muscle so that the muscle never gets the message to contract. Remember muscles only have the ability to contract; an opposing muscle contracts to produce movement in the opposite direction. To rejoin the nerve to the muscle, the nerve produces new motor endplates, which re-establishes the connection.
Wrinkle relaxing injections for frown lines?
Crease lines and wrinkles are a natural process of ageing due to a combination of sun damage, gravity, and the muscle action of laughing, talking, frowning, and crying. Filling agents including collagen and Restylane are the mainstay of non-surgical treatments. Surgical options include face, forehead, neck and eye lifting operations, dermabrasion, laser resurfacing, fat transfer and deep chemical peels.
Between the eyebrows, the vertical frown lines result from over-active muscles. These muscles are also used when concentrating. By drawing the eyebrows inward, one expresses anger, confusion or anxiety. Repeated often enough, permanent skin creases develop and even when relaxed, these frown lines remain. Relaxation of these overactive brow muscles helps to eliminate these negative appearances.
Wrinkle relaxing injections for crow's feet! smile lines around the eyes
Wrinkles, radiating from the corner of the eyes caused by smiling, laughing or squinting and are especially distressing to some individuals. Previously, no reasonable medical or surgical solution improved this problem due to the strong underlying muscles. Even with the deepest chemical peels or laser resurfacing techniques, rapid recurrence of these lines around the eyes is inevitable. Wrinkle relaxing injections is used to prevent the recurrence of wrinkles by inhibiting the underlying muscles. It is often used as a combination with peels and laser to give a longer lasting effect.
Horizontal forehead lines
Some individuals use different muscles for raising the brows; others "talk" with their forehead. A more dilute toxin is used when treating the horizontal forehead lines. A longer lasting alternative for this area is a forehead lift, which is now being increasingly performed endoscopically in order to leave minimal surgical scars.
Nasolabial folds and lips
The real advance in this area has been the development of a long lasting filling agent with the technique of fat transfer. This area is very mobile when talking, smiling and eating. Treatment of the areas involving the lips and around the mouth has to be approached very carefully, to avoid asymmetry of the smile and problems with drinking. A gradual treatment can avoid complications and lead to moderate improvement.
Neck banding
When asked to "flare one's neck" banding may be seen. At rest in older patients these hanging bands can be seen on the neck. They are produced by the platysma muscles of the neck. In the past, the only treatment of theses bands was surgical, with neck lifting to tighten these muscles. Wrinkle relaxing injections has found its place as a non-surgical treatment to the mild form of these bands.
Does the body make antibodies to the wrinkle relaxing injections protein?
When significant amounts of antibodies are formed, the therapeutic effects of Wrinkle relaxing injections are greatly reduced. A very small number of people have antibodies that inactivate the Wrinkle relaxing injections (probably from foods eaten previously). They will not get an effect from the Wrinkle relaxing injections injection.
Have there been any reported cases of allergic reactions to wrinkle relaxing injections?
No reported cases of a true allergic reaction in well over 40,000 treatments. People who are known to be allergic to Botulism toxin or albumin should avoid Wrinkle relaxing injections.
What happens if a female patient becomes pregnant shortly before or after treatment?
A number of neurological and ophthalmologic patients have delivered normal children after receiving their injections. For safety reasons no pregnant or nursing females will be treated.
How painful are the injections?
The smallest needles are used and the medicine itself does not sting as much as the usual local anaesthetic. Most patients feel it less than a dental injection. Pain can be minimised by the use of a local anaesthetic cream or ice cooling the skin just prior to injections. It is advised not to use aspirin as this can increase bruising risk.
What can be done for the drooping eyelid if this occurs?
Transient drooping of one eyelid or both is the most significant complication and occurs in well below 1% of all injections. This is a result of the local spread of the toxin in the injection site and can be minimised by accurate dosage, proper placement, as well as keeping the patient in an upright position for three to four hours after the injection. If drooping eyelids occur, it is usually minimal and is usually resolved by two weeks. Special eye drops may temporarily reduce eyelid droop. As a patient, after receiving my injections how can I help Wrinkle relaxing injections be more effective and avoid side effects?
- Do not massage the area of the injection.
- Do not lie down for a nap - keep upright for about six hours.
- Use the muscle - Intentionally making the muscle contract helps localise the protein to the selected muscle for ablation.
Will the effect of an injection at one site spread to other muscles?
Wrinkle relaxing injections spreads along does not spread distantly by way of the blood stream.
Can wrinkle relaxing injections be used to weaken rather than totally paralyse a muscle?
Yes, in fact this is done so that the face will not be left expressionless. It can be also used to balance a weak muscle on the opposite side. By injection of the medicine into the subcutaneous tissue not the muscle and by using smaller dosage, a weakening of the muscle Is more likely to occur.
For the deepest frown furrows what is the recommended best method to get this deep line to disappear?
In one study paralysis after the initial injection lasted four to seven months. Re-injection every three to four months is recommended rather than waiting for the muscle to recover. This keeps the muscle paralysed which takes approximately twelve months for the skin to completely smooth out, though this does not always occur. It is usually necessary for 4-12 months before a return of muscle movement occurs and additional treatments are necessary. Deep furrows can be expected to be improved by muscle inactivation. For further benefit the use of a filler such as Collagen or Restylane can correct the depth of the furrow. This is usually performed at 3-4 weeks after the Wrinkle relaxing injections injection.
Note
Wrinkle relaxing injections may not completely clear the lines. Some individual patients require two or more courses of injections of Wrinkle relaxing injections to see an effect. A very small percentage of people are resistant (non-responsive) to Wrinkle relaxing injections.
