Anti-Wrinkle Injections

What are wrinkle relaxers/anti-wrinkle injections?

The wrinkle relaxer treatment involves injecting tiny doses of purified botulinum toxin into targeted muscles that are responsible for causing certain wrinkles during expression. It works by temporarily blocking the signal that tells the muscle to contract.

What are wrinkle relaxers/anti-wrinkle injections?

The wrinkle relaxer treatment involves injecting tiny doses of purified botulinum toxin into targeted muscles that are responsible for causing certain wrinkles during expression. It works by temporarily blocking the signal that tells the muscle to contract.

Will I look frozen after this treatment?

Although some patients prefer less movement than others, doses of botulinum toxin can be adjusted for the desired effect. Your injector will generally aim for a result that softens lines, while allowing for natural-looking movement and expression.

Will I notice results immediately?

Although some patients may notice results as early as the next day, usually it takes 4-5 days to start noticing the effect of wrinkle relaxers and 2-3 weeks for full effect. From here, results generally last 3-4 months.

Do I have to keep getting anti-wrinkle injections once I start?

Once the effect of the anti-wrinkle wears off, your muscles and facial movements return completely to normal. Although you may WANT to continue having them, you certainly do not have to.

Is it painful?

Although this treatment involves injections, your clinician will use very tiny needles and the process is surprisingly quick once started (generally a couple of minutes). Some patients are more sensitive than others, but most would describe it as minimally painful.

What is the downtime of this procedure?

Anti-wrinkle injections don’t have any downtime. This is a quick and easy procedure you could get done on your lunch break.

Is it safe?

Botulinum toxin injections have been used for both medical and cosmetic indications for many decades. There are now 4 different brands of botulinum toxin in use in Australia, all of which are approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA).

What are the possible side-effects:

If a patient experiences side-effects, these tend to be mild and temporary. For example, one might experience a bit of redness or swelling from the needle injection, or occasionally get a small bruise. A mild headache may be experienced by some patients, which generally lasts less than 24 hours.  It is possible for some asymmetry of muscle movement, which may require a touch up treatment. Uncommonly, a muscle may be treated a little too strongly (causing a heavy brow, for example) or a neighbouring muscle may be affected. In these cases it may take a couple of weeks for the effect to lessen, or up to 3 months to go away entirely.

What is the aftercare?

After anti-wrinkle injections we prefer you to avoid touching the area or wearing make-up for a few hours, and rubbing your face for 24 hours (gentle washing is fine). Avoid lying down or putting pressure on the face for 4 hours, and no strenuous exercise for 24 hours.