Neurotoxins / Wrinkle Relaxers
Neurotoxins, are the most commonly performed aesthetic procedure in the world.
There’s virtually no downtime and the results are fast-acting.
The repetitive movement of certain facial muscles of expression can contribute towards the development of wrinkles and fine lines over time. Although the development of these animation lines is ‘natural’, they can impact how we feel about ourselves and how others see us. Neurotoxin injections provide us with an indispensable tool to selectively block the activity of these overused muscles of facial expression. In this way, they offer a precise, safe and effective way to prevent, and soften lines of expression to leave us looking rested and refreshed.
Dr vanVliet is an expert in facial aesthetics and she understands the ways in which fine lines and wrinkles develop and how they may detract from our looking our best. She offers a range of anti-wrinkle treatments, including neurotoxin injections to give you a more youthful and refreshed appearance. She is precise and has a gentle touch. A strong proponent of a ‘natural’ look, she is able to leave you looking rested and refreshed.
Common treatment areas
Upper Face:
Neurotoxin injections are ideally suited to mitigate a number of signs of aging and stress in the upper face. Precise placement of toxin can lift and relax the brow while beautifying the eyes.
Dynamic lines of expression can be targeted, including:
- the forehead horizontal lines and brow ‘wifi’ lines
- frown lines between the brows
- crows feet
- Nasal bunny or snarl lines.
Mid-Face:
- Nose: correction of angry looking snarl or bunny lines, and nostril flaring
- Lips: correction of:
- a gummy smile
- Lip Flip to evert the lips
- lift the corner of a down-turned mouth
- reduce vertical Barr code lines of the lips
Lower Face:
Injecting the muscles around the chin and jawline can enable us to relieve tension and dimpling within the chin, lift the corner of a down-turned mouth, improve the appearance of jowls and help create a sharper jawline contour.
Masseter injections: Overdeveloped masseter muscles can also be targeted to reduce many of the painful symptoms associated with Bruxism. These muscles when overdeveloped can masculinize a jawline, making it more heavy set. Masseter injections, not only relieve pain but can help to contour a slim, more tapered jawline to enhance facial features.
Neckline:
- Neurotoxin injection of our neck platysma muscle helps reduce its downward pull on our lower face, improving the appearance of the jawline, with reduction of jowling, and the downward pull on the corners of the mouth and the cheeks. The contractile platysmal bands within the neck soften and the neckline skin becomes smoother.
- Necklace lines (aka tech lines) , can be successfully targeted with neurotoxin, often in combination with HA skin Boosters such as Profhilo to profoundly rejuvenate the neckline.
If you have fine lines or wrinkles, it takes just a tiny amount of neurotoxin to help correct for these imperfections. Dr vanVliet does all of her own injectables and her favourite Neurotoxins are Botox and Dysport. These neurotoxins have long track records for safety and efficacy; Botox, in fact was approved for cosmetic use in Canada as early as 2001 and it remains the most popular of all nonsurgical aesthetic procedures conducted world-wide.
How do Neurotoxin injectables work?
Neurotoxins allow us to selectively block neuromuscular activity to the tissue that has been targeted:
• When injected into a muscle: they block muscle contraction and help to smooth out the overlying skin wrinkles and fine lines within days of the injection.
• When injected into skin: these neurotoxins reduce the activity of oil glands which helps to decongest skin, making it smoother and pore-less.
Why are wrinkle relaxers so popular?
- Minimally invasive
- Short and comfortable treatment sessions
- No down-time
- Long lasting results: 3-4 months
- Safe, effective and FDA approved
- Provide youthful, refreshed appearance without surgery
What to expect during treatment
- Short treatment session: from 15 minutes
- Comfortable: Dr vanVliet uses ultra-fine needles to reduce discomfort and your risk of bruising.
- No anesthesia is required
- The number of injections correlates to the areas being treated; Dr vanVliet uses conservative, minimal doses to have you looking naturally refreshed.
Perfect Treatment Pairings
- Other injectables:
- HA dermal fillers
- Micro-Infusion Gold
- Surgery
- Light and energy based treatments
- Clinical Peels and HydraFacial MD
Recovery and Results:
- You can resume most normal daily activities after your treatment session
- It is uncommon to bruise or swell at the injection sites.
- The only restrictions immediately after your treatment session are as follows:
- No exercise or getting overheated
- No massage / touch of injection sites for 4 hours
- No lying down or inversions for 4 hours
- Within a week you will see your results and they last for 3 to 4 months.
Are there any risks?
Neurotoxin injections are one of the safest non-surgical treatments available. It is rare, but occasionally a brow will transiently descend or an eyelid will look temporarily droopy. Bruising is uncommon.
Other indications for Neurotoxins:
Injections into Skin: When neurotoxin is injected micro-droplet style, into the superficial skin it can modulate the activity of the skin’s eccrine (sweat glands) or oil glands. In this way, neurotoxin is also very effective at reducing excessive sweating (of the underarms) as well as combatting oily, acne prone skin. We often add toxin to our customized skin Boosting cocktails, during Micro-needling and Micro-Infusion Gold treatments to significantly reduce pore size, congestion and redness, leaving your skin pore-less and porcelain smooth.
Underarms: excessive sweating of the underarms can be successfully treated with neurotoxin injections
Cost of Neurotoxins
Dr vanVliet is an expert injector and her approach is gentle and nuanced. She uses only small doses of neurotoxins – this is often referred to as micro-toxing to get natural looking and harmonized results. Her goal is to relax and modulate wrinkles and lines -not to obliterate them and have you looking frozen. Costing of injections with neurotoxins is therefore based on Dr vanVliet expertise and time versus cost per unit. She will inform you of your associated costs upon consultation.
What’s the difference between wrinkle relaxers and dermal fillers?
While they are both injectable, and they are both offered as a means of fixing
wrinkles, Neurotoxins target the wrinkles that are caused by the repetitive
movement of facial muscles. Dermal fillers, in contrast, replace lost volume underneath the skin to smooth out wrinkles from below the skin’s surface, effectively “sculpting and filling” wrinkles from the inside out.
