Botulinum Toxin (often referred to as Botox) is a neurotoxin produced by the bacterium Clostridium Botulinum which causes the disease botulism. It temporarily blocks the nerve signals which cause muscle contraction. When injected correctly into the selected muscle or muscle groups it causes temporary muscle paralysis.

Botulinum Toxin has an excellent safety profile. It has been used in many therapeutic areas within the medical field since 1989 and can even be given to children over 2 years of age (for non-cosmetic purposes).

It has been actively used for cosmetic procedures for many years in tens of thousands of patients worldwide and received U.S FDA and European approval as far back as 2002

Very low doses of the toxin are injected into specific targeted muscles. This relaxes the muscles and prevents contraction. It is the repeated contractions of these muscles that have caused the skin to crease and fine lines, or expression lines, to appear.

The nerve impulse is blocked from reaching these muscles and the nerve simply relaxes or goes to sleep. This relaxation enables the skin to repair and the lines to smooth.

Superficial bruising may occur in a few cases, this will disappear after a few days. There is a very small risk of eyelid or brow droop, which is reversible after a few weeks.

All this will be discussed and explained in depth at your consultation. Treatment can be subtly tailored to your desired outcome, so no need to fear looking “strange”

We instruct you to do some facial exercises for a while after treatment. This improves the uptake of the botulinum toxin into the muscle and helps maximize the effect.

You should see the effect beginning to work over the days following treatment and should be fully developed after 2- 3 weeks. A follow up 2-3 weeks after treatment can be arranged to review results.

For line and wrinkle treatments, the effect generally lasts 3-4 months, sometimes up to 6 months For excessive sweating treatment, effects can last up to 9 months.