The toxin which is a purified protein is injected into the skin to relax the muscles in your face to smooth out lines and wrinkles. It works by stopping the transmission of nerve impulses to the facial muscles that contract and cause wrinkles, such as frown lines between the eyebrows and crow’s feet (laughter lines) around the eyes. By using facial muscles repeatedly throughout a lifetime, the skin can become creased in areas of greatest use. By reducing the movement of the muscles, the skin in these areas is allowed to recover causing the lines to soften and fade away. The skin appears smoother and the wrinkle lines less prominent, giving you a younger-looking appearance.

At your initial consultation you will be asked to complete a medical questionnaire, and you will receive all of the relevant information you need to make an informed decision about whether to go ahead with treatment or not, as well as possible side-effects specific to your treatment. At Lucy Aesthetics you will have an initial consultation and then rebook treatment for a later date, giving you the opportunity to have a cooling off period to consider all the information provided. Before treatment, you will be given the opportunity to have any further questions answered and asked to sign a consent form. Photographs will be taken prior to you having the procedure to compare with the outcome at your follow up appointment. Any photographs taken will form part of your medical record and will not be used for any other purpose without your explicit permission. Treatment usually takes about 10-15 minutes to perform. The injections will be undertaken with you lying on a treatment couch. Firstly, the treatment areas will be cleaned and disinfected. You will be asked to pull some facial expressions in order to examine the muscles, plan the treatment and then inject the required dose into the target muscles. An extremely fine needle is used to inject the product into the muscle to minimise discomfort and ensure accuracy.

Millions of anti-wrinkle treatments have been performed worldwide and it has an excellent safety profile. However, as with any medical aesthetic procedure, there are certain risks and side-effects which will be discussed with you during your initial consultation.

Immediately after treatment, you may have small, raised bumps on the skin where the skin has been injected. These should resolve within less than an hour. You may also see bruising at the injection sites which subsides after a few days or so. All possible side effects will be discussed during your consultation. Occasionally you may need more than the average dose to help the muscle relax, or need a second injection to ‘top up’ the effect of the treatment. Top ups if required are provided free of charge and can be provided after 2 weeks.

The effects are not instant, and it can take up to 14 days to see the full results of the treatment. A free of charge follow up appointment is offered at 2 weeks post treatment when the effects of the treatment can be reviewed. Additional injections may be administered at this time if needed. Re-treatment is usually every 3 months, this varies from person to person ranging from 3 months to 5 months on average.

Anti-wrinkle injections cannot be given to pregnant women or breast feeding mothers. It is not recommended if you are actively trying to get pregnant. People who have previously experienced adverse reactions to any toxin treatment. Patients with certain conditions affecting the connections between nerves and muscles (such as Myaesthenia Gravis and Eaton-Lambert Syndrome). People taking aminoglycoside antibiotics (such as Chlarithromycin, Gentamicin etc). Anyone with a skin infection to the area being treated. Caution should be exerted in any patients taking blood thinning medication such as Warfrin, Rivaroxaban, Aspirin and Clopidogrel, due to the possibility of severe bruising.

The sooner the better as an anti-aging preventative. However whilst there is no particular age limit, those with deeper wrinkles may benefit more from dermal fillers. All full consultation with Lucy will help to ascertain what the most suitable treatment will be to suit your individual needs. Anti-wrinkle injections are generally only recommended to those aged between 25 to 65, although it may be used off-licence for people outside of this age range.