Anti-wrinkle treatment

A therapy has been developed over the last twenty years to treat facial wrinkles. This usually involves injecting botilinum toxin into certain areas: forehead lines, lines around the top of the nose and lines around the corners of the eyes ("crows' feet").

Injections block nerve impulses and effectively paralyse facial muscles that have caused these lines to develop in preceding years. The treatment takes effect after two to five days and can last for between two and four months. The effects are not permanent, but when repeated they may last even longer. The fact that the treatment is not permanent is actually an advantage, as one of the common complications is the weakening of adjacent muscles which were not targeted, which can sometimes cause a weakness of an eyebrow or eyelid. This condition is not permanent and will wear off in the unlikely event of it occurring in the first place. The treatment is carried out in an outpatient setting and does not require any time off work. It is not recommended in people who are pregnant or who have an egg allergy.