Needle Points or “Wrinkle Freeze”?


botox injections for the wrinkle free look

There comes a point in every woman’s life when all the creams, peels and lasers together aren’t enough to plump up lines, creases and canyons and what she really wants is to be wrinkle free. That’s the time to look to wrinkle fillers to hide that wrinkle. Freeze treatment using fillers doesn’t mean you should stop all your other treatments. Fillers are just another method to add to your maintenance programme. All  minimally invasive treatments can compliment each other. Think of wrinkle remedies like a menu in a Chinese restaurant. Take a bit from each column to put together your perfect rejuvenation menu, and add to it as the lines get deeper. The best method is an integrated approach that may begin with one or a combination of para-surgical treatments. It’s never too early to start formulating a plan for your wrinkle future.

Botulinum Toxin has become the cornerstone of any anti-ageing programme for the face. No other single product has revolutionized cosmetic medicine so much in such a relatively short time. According to The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, in the year 2000, 1.6 million BOTOX® injections were performed. It is rare to find any BOTOX® candidate who hasn’t been positively thrilled with the results. It also gives the best value for money for wrinkle freeze treatment.


Freezing Your Wrinkles

BOTOX® has proven to be a little poison with unlimited health and beauty potential. A few precious drops can manage everything from frown lines, worry lines, upper lip creases and neck cords, to excessive sweating and migraines. “Wrinkle freeze” treatment is a lifesaver to many.


There are various strains of Botulinum Toxin. Type A is the most potent.


BOTOX® Type A

Botulinum Toxin Type A purified neurotoxin complex has been used since 1980 to treat muscle disorders, such as lazy eye, eye ticks and uncontrolled blinking. Pioneered by an ophthalmologist in 1987, its wide range of cosmetic uses have made it a mainstay in the cosmetic surgeon’s arsenal of weapons for mass destruction of facial wrinkles. It had been considered an ‘off-label’ use of an FDA-approved drug until it received approval for cosmetic use in Canada and most recently, from the last frontier, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In 2001, Botulinum Toxin Type A was approved in the UK for use in controlling excessive sweating in the underarm, called ‘hyperhydrosis’. With small injections of toxin directly into the underarm skin, or on the palms of the hand or soles of the foot, the sweat glands become paralysed.


BOTOX® Type B

Botulinum Toxin Type B has been introduced more recently, marketed under the name MYOBLOCTM in the US and NEUROBLOCTM in the EC. It is approved for use in the treatment of cervical dystonia, a neurological disorder, and not yet approved for cosmetic uses. This form comes as a pre-made liquid that does not require a diluting agent, and is typically preserved in normal saline. Compared with Type A, it has a longer shelf life of up to 2 years and works slightly faster but is also slightly more painful when injected. Clinical studies are under way to determine the most effective dosages for this latest form.

Botulinum Toxin Type A is available under the trade name BOTOX ®, which is manufactured by Allergan Inc, and Dysport®, manufactured by Ipsen Ltd. Type B can be found under the name MYOBLOCTM or NEUROBLOCTM. They are made by Elan Pharmaceuticals and Elan Corp, respectively.


Beauty of BOTOX®

After getting over the idea of having poison injected into their faces, most women get hooked. Just one treatment brings a noticeable improvement and softening of facial lines or “wrinkle freeze”.

There is literally no age that is too soon to start, and women in their late 20s and 30s are into Botulinum Toxin in a big way, as the foundation of an early battle against ageing. Unlike fillers that temporarily plump up creases but don’t really prevent them from getting deeper or stop new ones from forming, it slows down the formation of new facial lines. Combining Botulinum Toxin to stop new lines from forming, with treatments for the lines already there, is the best way to maintain a wrinkle free look.

New uses are discovered frequently, as doctors are becoming more experimental with its potent effects.


Where BOTOX® Works

  • vertical lines between the brows
  • lines at the bridge of the nose
  • crow’s-feet or squint lines
  • horizontal forehead lines
  • muscle bands on the neck
  • under eyelid creases
  • décolletée lines
  • chin crease
  • drooping corners of the mouth
  • upper lip lines


How BOTOX® works

The BOTOX® toxin acts on the junctions between nerves and muscles, preventing the release of a chemical messenger called acetylcholine from the nerve endings. Tiny amounts are injected into a specific facial muscle so only the targeted impulse of that muscle will be blocked, causing a local relaxation. It acts as a muscle blockade to immobilize the underlying cause of the unwanted lines – muscle contractions – and prevent ‘wrinkly’ expressions. Since the muscle can no longer make the offending facial expression, the lines gradually smooth out from disuse and new creases are prevented from forming. Other muscles that are not treated are not affected, so a natural look and expressions are maintained. It may not be as effective on lines that are not entirely caused by the action of a muscle, e.g. the nasal labial folds that are formed by a combination of muscle action and the weight of sagging skin. Some areas are less suited to this procedure because the muscles are needed for expression and important functions like eating, kissing and opening the eyes. The goal is not to knock out every muscle twinge (literal wrinkle freeze) – but it is more a softening of dynamic facial lines that won’t necessarily betray your wrinkle reducing secret but one that does create a wrinkle free look.