Botulinum toxin

What exactly is botox?
Purified protein. It’s marketed by the Allergan lab and Vistabel owns the rights to it.

And what does it do?
It de-fatigues your features! Botox smoothens your forehead, without freezing it. You retain facial movement and expression but lose the wrinkles. The best example: crow’s feet. After botox treatments, when you smile your face is still animated and retains all it’s expression, but when your face relaxes the area around your eyes is smooth. Botox is all about injecting the right amout into a very precise area. Contrary to popular myths, it doesn’t paralyse your features! The saying about ‘you’ll stick like that if the wind starts blowing?’  Rubbish: you choose the exact effect you want. It doesn’t take effect immediately; you'll notice the difference between 1 and 5 days after treatment and expect a perfect finish within 15 days. You might need to go back to your dermatologist for a touch-up if necessary.

If you have a big furrow on your brow, for the best results a combination of botox and lifting is advised.

The pros
A natural and even result that makes you look refreshed.

The cons
Red spots a bit like mosquito bites around the area injected. They take around an hour to disappear.

The risks
Drooping eyelids! If the injection isn’t done properly, it can affect the frontal muscle, which controls the upper face. When the frontal muscle contracts and you raise your eyebrows, your eyelid lifts, so if you’re injected too far low on your forehead it can relax the frontal and cause your eyelids to droop. This is often due to poor analysis prior to treatment.  

How long does it last?
4 – 6 months, but if you have it regularly the effects will last longer and longer because your skin won’t 'furrow' and you won’t use your face muscles as much.

How much does it cost?
Around £300 per session, including re-touches.