Pleaseupgrade your browser to improve your experience.
It's the same as fillers? Will it freeze my face? Can I have it in my lips? Here are just a few questions we hear regularly. So, to clear up any confusion, here are 14 common Botox myths debunked...
Find a trusted and verified practitioner for your aesthetic treatments, simply click here and let us show you who is good near you!
What's true and what’s false when it comes to wrinkle relaxing injections? Let's take a look!
This is the big one that people worry most about. That botulinum toxin brands such as Botox (there are others) will leave you with a face that looks frozen. And to be fair there have been a fair few cases of this is the media - especially in the early 2000s. But a good practitioner will always carry out a thorough consultation first and will likely suggest going for the more natural look rather than having so much that you look like your face will be referred to by the same name as a popular Disney film.
Wrinkle relaxing carried out by medical professional Kate Mullane at Heidi Rose Aesthetics proving results can be subtle and natural and won't freeze your expressions.
Just like with the frozen look, a lot of people believe that wrinkle relaxing injections result in an expressionless face that you can’t move. But, fortunately, this is not true. A medically qualified, experienced practitioner will know how much botulinum toxin to use, and should tailor the amount to your needs, muscle size and suitability. Sure, if you go to just anyone who claims to be able to offer anti-wrinle injections, this is a possibility, but that’s why it’s so important to go with someone who knows how much is too much and what’s right for you.
It’s easy to see why people get upset about this one, because technically botulinum toxin is produced by Clostridium botulinum - a bacterium that can lead to botulism (a severe condition that can be life-threatening). But the amount of botulinum toxin used in anti-wrinkle injections is so small that it can’t have the same effects as botulism. It’s also worth noting that the brands of anti-wrinkle medicines that your practitioner uses should be MHRA approved. And...the same product has many other uses.
"She's had Botox in her lips!!!" A lot of people make this mistake when they're actually referring to lip fillers, but that’s not actually true. In reality, if you go to get your lips plumped, your practitioner will use dermal fillers, such as those by Juvederm or Restylane. Same goes for plumping cheeks. There is a treatment called the lip flip but this one doesn't add volume or hydration, or change the contours of the lips like lip filler would. The anti-wrinkle treatment is injected into the muscle that purses the lips, to weaken and roll it out.
Yup, this is another big mistake people make when they think about anti-wrinkle treatments. While Botox and other brands of botulinum toxin work on expression lines (dynamic lines), such as crow’s feet, 11s and forehead lines, they don’t work on static lines - those than remain when we are not moving our face. Instead, these are treated with dermal fillers.
So, not only can wrinkle relaxing treat lines that are already there, but many professionals say that it can also help prolong the onset of lines and wrinkles. However, one thing to take into account is the financial side. If you start getting treatments in your twenties, you’ll be getting it for a long, long time to maintain the results. Weighing up whether you can afford to get it done every 3-6 months for the rest of your life is an important consideration. So, how much does it cost? Well, that depend on a number of factors - such as who you go to, their experience, the products they're using and where in the country you are. But you can expect a treatment to cost between £175 to £300 per area. Some clinics will offer a discount for multiple areas. But be wary of cheap anti-wrinkle treatments. Cheap is cheap for a reason - dodgy products or the practitioner might not be appropriately qualified or trained.If it seems too good to be true - well, you know the rest.
It's not just for your face you know; it can be used for a range of reasons, not simply reducing wrinkles. For example, it can help with migraines, cervical dystonia and other spasms, it can slim jawlines, sort TMJ, reduce sweating - hyperhidrosis - and tons more. Pretty impressive!
With some cosmetic treatments, you see the results straight away, but with with wrinkle relaxing it can take between 3 and 14 days to notice a difference. And this varies from person to person, so don’t be surprised if you don’t see those lines disappearing right after your appointment. A good practitioner will invite you back in for a post-treatment consultation to see how well the treatment has taken effect and whether you need an adjustment dose.
Ok, so don’t go booking any major events for straight after your appointment - in fact, maybe wait a day to let any pin prick marks go, but there’s no downtime, so you can go about your day as normal if you choose to. But you might want to wait for your treatment to kick in before booking any big events that require you to look fabulous.
Technically you can travel straight away, but you might want to wait a few days, depending on where you’re going and what you’re doing. If it’s just a case of needing to get on a plane, that’s absolutely fine and your wrinkle relaxing shouldn't cause you any problems. There are reports that sun exposure speeds up the metabolism anti-wrinkle treatments, so it may be a good idea to get your treatment done a few days prior to your holiday. This will mean that you will have had your check up appointment 2 weeks after your treatment, where your practitioner may give you a ‘top up’ to treat any unwanted movement. Oh, and you won’t be able to drink for up to 24 hours after your treatment, so no cheeky holiday tipples until then.
Botulinum toxin only stays in the system for around 3-6 months (though this can vary from one person to the next). It’s then metabolised by the body, through the liver and kidneys, and you’ll start to see the effects wear off and lines start to reappear. Obviously, it would be great if it did last forever - so long as it's done well!
Sorry, all you gym bunnies but you’ll have to hold off for up to 24 hours after your anti-wrinkle injection. The reason for this? Well, when we exercise, we encourage circulation. And while that’s generally a great thing, it really isn’t after Botox, because the circulation can lead the botulinum toxin to spread to other areas, making it less effective where we actually intended it to be.
Any type of treatment that requires a solution being administered by needle should be done by a medically qualified professional. There’s been a huge increase in the number of places offering wrinkle relaxing injections and other aesthetic treatments recently, like salons and spas, but if there’s only one thing you take away from this, please let it be this one: Choose a medically qualified practitioner. They will go through a full consultation with you and will have the training and experience that’s necessary for this type of treatment. Plus, take a look at their before and after pictures first to make sure you like the results you see. Don’t be tempted to go for someone who isn’t medically qualified just because they are cheaper. If it goes wrong, you’ll end up paying more in the long run and it could have a huge impact on your confidence.
They’re both injectables, sure. But there are lots of differences when it comes to injectables. The first is that in a cosmetic sense, Botox and other brands of botulinum toxin are simply used to reduce the appearance of dynamic lines; they don’t reduce static lines, plump or augment. For that type of treatment, it’s fillers you’ll need. Another major difference is the solution - anti-wrinkle injections contain botulinum toxin, whereas fillers generally use hyaluronic acid (and, less commonly, collagen).
So, hopefully that’s a few questions answered about wrinkle relaxing treatments. Just remember, book a consultation with a medically qualified practitioner, take it easy, and if it feels like the right treatment, go for it - but never feel pressured into it. It’s got to be right for you. For loads more information on the anti-wrinkle treatment, check out our super comprehensive treatment guide.
Botox, Juvederm or Restylane are registered trademarks
