We all know that wrinkle relaxing treatments (AKA “Botox”) smooth foreheads and unfurl brows, but understanding what you might look like with/without a sprinkle of anti-wrinkle isn’t really possible in years to come. But this might be the next best thing!
The Tox Twins Study Reveals the Power of Botulinum Toxin
A groundbreaking study by Dr Binder has recently resurfaced, and for good reason - “Long-Term Effects of OnabotulinumtoxinA on Facial Lines: A 19-Year Experience of Identical Twins” was conducted on identical twins and provides compelling insights into the effects of long term wrinkle-relaxing injections.
Dr Binder followed up on the study 6 years after it was originally published. In this article, we'll delve into the key findings and implications of this intriguing research.
What’s the study about?
Dr Binder compared two identical twins. At the time of the follow up study, the twins were 44 years old - one who regularly had wrinkle relaxing treatments and one who didn't.
The treated twin lives in Los Angeles, California and had had regular wrinkle relaxing injections to the forehead and glabella (frown lines or 11’s) every 4-6 months for 19 years. In the last 8 years, she also had her crow’s feet treated. The dosages received were consistent across most years, with a decrease in dose over the last few years.
The untreated twin lived in Munich, Germany and had had anti-wrinkle injections to her forehead and glabella, twice, a few years apart - years 3 and 7 of the study.
What did he find?
As you can see, the treated twin has no static lines (lines visible at rest) across her forehead or glabellar lines, whereas the sporadically treated twin has obvious visible resting lines.
Differences in the number and depth of crow’s feet can also be seen between the treated and sporadically treated twins.
Perhaps most surprisingly, are the differences in skin texture and tone between the twins. The skin of the treated twin looks smoother, more even, with smaller pores.
These photos are from the original study, with the treated sporadically treated twin on the left and the consistently treated twin on the right.
These photos are from the follow up study, with the regularly treated twin on the left, with the sporadically treated twin on the right.
So, in essence, regular wrinkle relaxing treatments had three key effects on the treated twin:
- Reduced wrinkle formation: regular treatments resulted in fewer wrinkles forming.
- Improved skin quality: The twin who underwent regular wrinkle-relaxing treatments had smoother, more even skin with smaller pores compared to the twin who was sporadically treated.
- Longer term benefits: While the effect of toxin treatments are temporary, the benefits of treatment persisted for an extended period even months after the treated twins last treatment.
The twin study demonstrates that anti-wrinkle treatments can not only reduce the appearance of existing wrinkles but can also help prevent the formation of new ones, whilst also improving skin tone, texture and quality. The findings of this study offer a glimpse into the longer term effects of anti-wrinkle treatments AND the differences between choosing to treat or not.