Atelier Clinic, 10-16 Grange Street, KA1 2AR admin@willowtreeaesthetics.co.uk

Botulinum Toxin Information

also known as Botox©, Azzalure©, Bocouture©, Xeomin© and Dysport©

Tolerance

Minimal discomfort

Results

Within 14 days

Downtime

None

Procedure Time

20 minutes

Many practitioners refer to procedures involving the injection of botulinum toxin as ‘anti-wrinkle injections’. Botulinum toxin is injected, using a fine needle, into the target muscle to temporarily block the nerve signal, resulting in weakening of the muscle action which can result in an improvement in the appearance of lines of facial expression. Botulinum toxin can only treat lines of expression (dynamic lines) and lines that are present when the muscle is not contracted, and the face is relaxed (static lines) generally do not improve with anti-wrinkle injections. Your practitioner may discuss other treatments to deal with these.

Botulinum toxin is a naturally occurring protein produced by the bacterium Clostridium Botulinum. There are many brands available in the UK which include Botox©, Azzalure©, Bocouture©, Xeomin© and Dysport©. All brands are Prescription Only Medications (POMs) and can only be prescribed by a doctor, dentist, nurse, midwife, or pharmacist with a prescribing qualification appropriate to the country of practice. If you are considering treatment, you must have a face to face consultation with a practitioner who is qualified to prescribe botulinum toxin before the procedure. The actual treatment, however, may be performed by a non-prescribing nurse or midwife according to the assessment conducted by the prescriber, providing you agree to this.

As well as being used to treat facial expression lines, botulinum toxin is also licensed for the treatment of focal spasticity, chronic migraine, bladder disorders and excessive sweating.