Facial Lines and Wrinkle Reduction

• Crows Feet
• Frown Lines
• Forehead Lines
• Nasolabial Folds
  (Creases from the side of the nose to the corner of the lip)
• Drooping Mouth corners
• Lines around the mouth (often called lipstick lines)

Facial wrinkles, creases and lines can be treated by either relaxing the muscles which cause the creasing of the skin or by using skin fillers to pad out the wrinkles. The treatment of choice varies and depends upon where the crease is and what has caused it.

By using muscle relaxing injections, the overlying skin is no longer made to crease and the wrinkles caused by this action gradually relax and fade. The wrinkles for which we tend to use this treatment are in the upper third of the face.

There are many reasons for the rise in popularity of muscle relaxing injections and fillers. Until relatively recently the only way to reduce wrinkles was to have a face lift, necessitating a general anaesthetic, substantial cost and significant recovery time. These alternative treatments produce minimal disruption to your daily routine and are  much more affordable. This enables many more people to consider having these procedures, once the benefits and techniques have been fully explained to them.

Crows Feet

The lady below, who is in her forties, has had muscle relaxing injections. The before and after photographs show the reduction in the severity of the lines in the ‘crows feet’ area.

Frown Lines

The two pictures below, show a man before and after he has had muscle relaxing injections to treat his ‘frown lines’. Many men have particularly strong frown lines.

Forehead Lines

The lady below, has had muscle relaxing injections placed in the muscles of her forehead. This has relaxed the overlying skin and has reduced the horizontal forehead creases.

Some wrinkles cannot be reduced easily with muscle relaxing injections in this way and it may be better to plump out the crease with a Dermal Filler. These fillers give volume to the skin and fill out the creases. Dermal fillers tend to be used more in the lower part of the face.

Nasolabial Creases

This lady below, has had dermal filler treatment using a dermal filler, called Restylane, in her ‘nasolabial folds’(The creases from the side of the nose to the corner of the lip)

Lines around the mouth (Often called ‘Lipstick Lines’)

These photographs show the results of Restylane treatment which has improved the lines around this patient’s mouth, often known as ‘lipstick lines’. If you look carefully you can see that the corners of her mouth no longer droop but appear to have lifted slightly.

Using a Combination of Treatments

A combination of both muscle relaxing injections and dermal fillers is often used in some areas. The photographs below, are before and after treatment of ‘frown lines’ (the vertical creases between the eyebrows) with Restylane. This area is often treated with muscle relaxing injections first. Any residual lines still left, can then be treated with a filler later. This combination is particularly effective in this area of the face.

Each technique has its own merits and we are able to advise you on which technique should be best for you. Some people may require a combination of both treatments, using skin fillers and also relaxing the muscles to achieve the maximum possible effect. Such a combination may produce a better result which can often last for longer.

All the muscle relaxing injections and Dermal Fillers we use, have a medium term effect. The fact that the effects are not permanent is a huge advantage. Our faces change as we age. We can alter and adapt the treatments we carry out to allow for these changes. If the effects were permanent we would not look right as we get older.