What it is
Botulinum toxin, the active ingredient in anti-wrinkle injections, blocks the nerve signal that tells specific muscles to contract. The effect is temporary, fading over three to four months as the nerve signal returns. Several branded versions are available. In skilled hands they are largely interchangeable.
What it does well
Expression lines that show with movement, between the brows (the frown line), across the forehead, and at the outer corners of the eyes. Also masseter slimming along the jaw, which can soften a square jawline and ease the clenching and grinding that some people do at night.
What it does not do
Anti-wrinkle injections do not fill volume. They will not improve a line that sits there at rest with no movement, and they will not lift skin that has descended. Those are different problems with different answers, and asking botulinum to solve them is asking the wrong tool.
Our view
The frozen look that gets associated with this treatment is a function of too much product, or product placed in the wrong site. The treatment itself does not cause it. A measured dose, mapped to how your face actually moves, softens the line while leaving expression intact. Restraint is most of the skill, and the brand on the vial matters far less than the marketing suggests.
Practical notes
The procedure takes about fifteen to twenty minutes. There is no downtime, though we ask patients to avoid heavy exercise and lying flat for a few hours afterwards. The effect begins to show in three to five days, and is fully developed by two weeks.
