One of the most common inquiries we receive is about preventative anti-wrinkle injections (botulinum toxin).

Preventative anti-wrinkle injections polled highly in an interest poll on our Instagram.

On our Instagram the other day 97% of people polled were interested in preventative anti-wrinkle injections – this is forward thinking with respect to the natural ageing processes our faces will go through. The truth is that anti-wrinkle injections will most definitely help prevent the formation of permanent lines and wrinkles in the future. If permanent furrows are a concern for you, then you’ll find this blog post very interesting and informative.

To address this topic properly a few questions need to be answered –

How do permanent lines and wrinkles form?

How do anti-wrinkle injections prevent lines from forming permanently?

Will preventative treatments stop wrinkles from forming at all?

What are the most common areas to receive preventative treatment?

When should I start getting anti-wrinkle injections preventatively?

What else could I be doing to keep my skin in good condition?

How do permanent lines and wrinkle form?

Think about a piece of A4 paper fresh from the pack. If you take it out and fold it in half, a permanent crease forms in the sheet. You can straighten the sheet out by unfolding it and pressing it, but evidence of the crease will still be there. Something permanent has changed in the structure of the sheet. Lines and wrinkles of the skin form because repeated movements change the structure of our skin.

When it comes to our faces, the formation of permanent lines and wrinkles in the skin doesn’t happen with a single fold or expression (thankfully!). This is because our skin has elastin for elasticity, collagen for structure and hyaluronic acid for volume. These components allow our skin to bounce back.

When we’re young elastin, collagen and hyaluronic acid are plentiful in our skin, and are replaced efficiently when they get worn down. As we get older, our ability to replace these components reduces. This means that as we age repeated expressive movements like smiles, frowns, raised eyebrows, and squinting at computer or phones screens puts our skin under mechanical stress that it’s not able to counteract as it once could. This is when permanent lines and wrinkles begin to form.

How do anti-wrinkle injections prevent lines from forming permanently?

The skin of our face is attached to a complex array of underlying muscles. When these muscles underneath move, the skin on top moves accordingly. Because it’s the muscles that are the cause of expressive movements, it’s the muscles we need to treat to prevent this excess movement.

Botulinum toxin type A injections (anti-wrinkle injections) temporarily relax muscles so they cannot move at full strength. If our muscles can’t move at full strength then a lot of the movement that causes expression creases to become permanent furrows is avoided.

By injecting conservative doses of anti-wrinkle product into your facial muscles, we can reduce the movement that will eventually lead to permanent wrinkles. We can do this in a way that doesn’t affect your overall look and doesn’t ‘freeze’ your face. All a preventative treatment should do is stop you over-expressing your facial muscles.

(HINT – If you can tell someone has had anti-wrinkle injections or dermal fillers, then they haven’t received a good treatment – it’s not meant to be like this)

Will preventative treatments stop wrinkles from forming at all?

Let us be very clear about this – No. You cannot defeat time and the natural ageing process.

Preventative anti-wrinkle treatments will definitely prolong the onset of permanent furrows and reduce how severely they form but there’s nothing you can do to stop them totally.

What are the most common areas to receive preventative treatment?

The areas most commonly treated preventatively are –

• The forehead – worry lines
• The frown – eleven lines in between your eyes
• Crows feet – laughter lines
• Fine lines around the lips

When should I start getting anti-wrinkle injections preventatively?

There is no time point for this. Lifestyle, genetics, stress factors and smoking all directly affect your skin. Each of these will have an impact on how quickly permanent lines form in the face. Some patients are candidates for preventative treatments in their mid-20’s while others are in their mid-30’s before it’s necessary.

If you have a highly expressive face, don’t wear a daily SPF or spend hours a day looking at a computer screen for work, then you could be a good candidate. When the idea of future wrinkles starts to bother you, that’s when you should seek some advice on whether or not preventative treatment might be a good course of action.

What else could I be doing to keep my skin in good condition?

As well as preventative injectable treatments there are many things you can be doing on a daily basis that are effective measures in the fight against wrinkles.

• Wear an SPF daily
• Stop smoking
• Regular exercise
• Wear an SPF daily
• A good, effective, daily skincare regime
• Wear and SPF daily (you get that this is important, right?)

Finishing up…

Preventative anti-wrinkle injections are a popular, safe and effective way of preventing the formation of permanent lines and wrinkles. If this is a concern for you come in for chat to discuss your options.