Introduction
Botulinum anti-wrinkle is the name used to indicate the botulinum toxin used to smooth out the wrinkles that appear on the face.
The use of botulinum toxin in aesthetic medicine has been widespread for many years now and its safety is now proven, provided it is handled only by medical personnel specialized in this field. Otherwise, in fact, the injection of the anti-wrinkle botulinum might cause very serious side effects, which can seriously jeopardize the patient's health.
Did you know that ...
Botulinum toxin is also used outside of aesthetic medicine in the presence of various disorders and diseases, such as migraine, muscle spasms, excessive sweating and overactive bladder.
What is that
What is the Botulino Antirughe?
What is commonly defined as anti-wrinkle botulinum is nothing but botulinum toxin injected into specific areas of the face to relax and eliminate the hated signs of aging known as wrinkles .
Botulinum toxin is produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum (more simply known as botulinum), an anaerobic microorganism that is also responsible for the contamination of certain foods, whose ingestion can lead to real poisoning. The term botulinum, therefore, is commonly - even if improperly - used to indicate the toxin produced by the homonymous bacterium.
However, despite the ability to give rise to serious food poisoning (botulism), if properly isolated and purified, botulinum toxin can be administered parenterally in the field of aesthetic medicine . The anti-wrinkle botulinum used in this area is part of the composition of real drugs (Azzalure®, Vistabex®, Bocouture®) whose use is reserved to the specialist and with specific therapeutic indications for the treatment of some types of wrinkles. More precisely, these drugs contain botulinum toxin type A.
Deepening: Botulinum Toxins
The strains of C. botulinum produce different serotypes of botulinum toxin, named with letters of the alphabet ranging from A to G. In the medical field, botulinum toxin type A and type B are used. However, the latter does not it is used to smooth out wrinkles.
Indications
What types of wrinkles can be treated with wrinkle-based botulinum?
The intramuscular injection of the anti-wrinkle botulinum is useful for relaxing and smoothing out some types of wrinkles caused by the continuous contraction of the facial muscles, ie some types of expression lines, such as:
- Glabellar wrinkles (these are the vertical wrinkles that form between the eyebrows);
- Periorbital lateral wrinkles (sometimes also called fan-shaped wrinkles, but better known as crow's feet wrinkles);
- Frontal wrinkles .
The above are the indications of the anti-wrinkle botox officially approved by the bodies in charge. However, some doctors also use botulinum toxin to improve the appearance of nasolabial folds and bands that form on the neck at the platysma level (muscle in the lateral region of the neck). Clearly, this use - which can be defined in some sense as an "off-label" - is done under the direct responsibility of the specialist.
Did you know that ...
Although the use of anti-wrinkle Botox is also suitable for the treatment of frontal wrinkles, botulinum toxin type A appears to be more effective in the treatment of glabellar and crow's feet wrinkles.
Administration
Anti-wrinkle Botulinum administration
The anti-wrinkle botulinum should be administered to the patient only by doctors specialized in botulinum toxin type A treatments operating in qualified clinics or hospitals.
More in detail, anti-wrinkle botulinum is administered intramuscularly in the areas of the face that are to be treated. Generally, treatment is performed on an outpatient basis and lasts about 15 to 20 minutes.
Action mechanism
How does Botulinum Anti-wrinkle work?
Anti-wrinkle botulinum is, to all intents and purposes, a muscle relaxant able to relax the facial muscles by interrupting the communication between the latter and the nerve endings that innervate them.
More in detail, botulinum toxin type A acts at the level of presynaptic cholinergic nerve endings, hindering and blocking the neuromuscular transmission performed by acetylcholine (ACh). The exact mechanism of action can be simplified and divided into the following phases:
- Immediately after the injection, the anti-wrinkle botulinum binds with high affinity to specific receptors present on the external surface of the presynaptic termination.
- After that, the toxin is transferred into the nerve cell by receptor-mediated endocytosis.
- The toxin is then released into the cytosol where - through the interaction with the SNAP25 protein responsible for ACh release - it induces a progressive inhibition of acetylcholine release .
The clinical signs appear within two or three days and the maximum effect is obtained within 5-6 weeks.
After a period that can vary from 12 to about 24 weeks, the nerve endings regenerate and the muscles return to contract. This is why the effects of wrinkle botox are temporary.
Results and Effectiveness
What results are obtained with Botulino Antirughe?
As mentioned, the results of the anti-wrinkle botulinum injection are not appreciable immediately, but only after two or three days from the treatment. However, the final result - if the injection is well done - usually meets the patient's satisfaction, since the wrinkles appear effectively smoothed and relaxed. However, we must not forget that the effect obtained with the use of botulinum toxin is temporary and tends to regress within 3-6 months.
Effectiveness of Botulinum Anti-wrinkle
Although the results obtained with the injection of the anti-wrinkle botulinum are generally satisfactory, it should be pointed out that the use of this substance is effective in fixing wrinkles that are not too deep . It is therefore not surprising that the treatment with the toxin in question is usually recommended only for patients under the age of 65.
In addition to what has just been said, it should be pointed out that, given the muscle relaxant action induced by it, the anti-wrinkle botulinum is effective in counteracting only the wrinkles caused by the hyper-contraction of the mimic facial muscles . On the contrary, it is not effective in treating wrinkles caused by other factors, such as, for example, excessive exposure to UV rays (natural and artificial - photoaging).
Side effects
Possible Side Effects Induced by Anti-Wrinkle Botulinum
Although the use of anti-wrinkle Botox is considered safe, it can still give rise to some side effects. Some of these are mild / moderate and considered normal, or rather common. Others, however, may be more serious.
Among the most common side effects that can occur immediately after the injection of wrinkle botulinum, we find:
- Pain and / or burning at the injection site;
- Tingling sensation;
- Swelling and redness ;
- Formation of small bruises .
In addition to those listed above, the injection of anti-wrinkle botulinum can cause more severe side effects, such as:
- Headache;
- Falling of sight;
- Tearing;
- Eye dryness;
- Swelling of the eyelid;
- Ptosis of eyelids and eyebrows;
- Facial paresis;
- Nausea and vomit;
- Insomnia;
- Malaise;
- pyrexia;
- Tinnitus;
- Dizziness;
- Syncope;
- Muscular atrophy.
Finally, the possible onset of allergic reactions in sensitive individuals should not be forgotten. These reactions usually occur with difficulty breathing and swelling of the face, or with the appearance of a nodular erythema accompanied by itching.
Contraindications
Contraindications to the use of Botulino Antirughe
Being a drug to all effects, which is also potentially dangerous if not used correctly by expert hands, the use of anti-wrinkle Botox has some contraindications that should not be underestimated. More in detail, the use of botulinum toxin to counteract the imperfections of time is contraindicated:
- In case of known allergy to the same botulinum toxin and / or to any of the excipients present in the drug used by the specialist;
- In patients with myasthenia gravis ;
- In patients with Eaton Lambert syndrome ;
- In the presence of infections and / or inflammations located in the area where the injection of anti-wrinkle botulinum should be performed (for example, skin infections);
- In pregnancy and during breastfeeding .
Furthermore, we recall that the use of injections of botulinum anti-wrinkle should be avoided in patients on antibiotic therapy (in particular, based on aminoglycosides ) and in patients on therapy with drugs that could increase the muscle relaxant action induced by botulinum toxin (as, for example, other muscle relaxants ).
Finally, botulinum toxin must be administered with extreme caution in ethyl patients (or alcoholics, if you prefer), as they may be more sensitive to the action exerted by it.
Cost
How much does an injection of Botulino Antirughe cost?
The treatment with anti-wrinkle botulinum certainly cannot be defined as economic. Only the drugs that contain it, in fact, have a price that can range from 150 to around 400 euros.
Of course, the cost of a session depends on the amount of anti-wrinkle botox used, the extent of the area to be treated and the doctor performing the treatment. The prices, therefore, can also vary a lot, but generally they are comprised between the 150 and 500 euros around .
Alternatives
Anti-wrinkle Botulinum Alternative Treatments
For those who do not want or cannot use anti-wrinkle botulinum injections, aesthetic medicine offers a wide range of alternative treatments, more or less invasive. Among these, we recall:
- Fillers (such as hyaluronic acid fillers);
- Lipofilling ;
- Dermabrasion and microdermabrasion ;
- Radio frequency .
In the case of particularly pronounced wrinkles it is possible to resort to laser therapy or real plastic surgery .
Cosmetic Alternatives
If you do not want to resort to aesthetic medicine treatments, you can use specific cosmetics.
The cosmetics that are proposed as alternatives to anti-wrinkle Botox injections contain special substances that can mimic the action ( Botox-like substances ).
For more information, read the dedicated article: Botulinum - Botulinum Cosmetic Alternatives.
However, to obtain appreciable results, the aforementioned products must be used regularly and consistently, even if, in any case, they cannot in any way guarantee the same results obtained with the injection of anti-wrinkle botulinum.
