WRINKLES AND FINE LINES

What Is the Treatment?

The active substance used in this treatment has been utilised in the medical field since the 1980s to manage certain muscle-related conditions. From the 1990s onwards, it has also been widely used in cosmetic and aesthetic medicine to reduce the appearance of visible lines and wrinkles. When administered in very low, controlled doses, it is considered a safe and well-established cosmetic treatment.

How Does It Work?

The laboratory-produced substance works by blocking nerve signals to the small facial muscles that normally cause lines and wrinkles when they contract. This prevents the muscles from tightening, allowing the skin to relax and appear smoother. Untreated muscles are not affected, and normal facial expressions are preserved.

How Is It Used?

Wrinkles best suited to this treatment are those caused by repeated muscle movement, often referred to as dynamic or expression lines. Commonly treated areas include lines between the eyebrows, horizontal forehead lines and wrinkles around the eyes. The injections usually take only a few minutes to administer and, as very fine needles are used, discomfort is generally minimal. It is essential that the practitioner has expert knowledge of facial anatomy, as treatment success depends on accurate placement in the correct muscles.

How Long Do the Effects Last?

Results vary from person to person, but the effects of the initial treatment typically last around four months. With continued treatments, the intervals between sessions often increase.

If you have never had this type of treatment before, and you would like to discuss your options with a Consultant Plastic Surgeon, please call 01 491 5738 or email info@aestheticinstitute.ie for more information on booking a non-invasive treatment consultation or an anti-wrinkle injection treatment.

If injectable treatment is not suitable for me, what other treatments are available? Wrinkles that are present even when the face is at rest, as well as those around the mouth and chin, are best treated with Restylane or another dermal filler. For further information, please see the Fillers section

Lines caused by ageing or sun damage do not respond well to injectable muscle-relaxing treatments and may be better treated with chemical peels or laser resurfacing.

If wrinkles are too advanced for injectable treatments to be effective without significantly restricting facial movement, surgical options such as a facelift or brow lift may be more appropriate.

Facial Fillers The wide range of facial filler options available today can be confusing, and the guidance of a Consultant Plastic Surgeon is invaluable when deciding on the treatment best suited to your individual case. Facial fillers may be temporary or long-lasting, natural or synthetic, and may be made from collagen, hyaluronic acid or other materials. They can also be available in different particle sizes and may be used as standalone treatments or combined with other cosmetic procedures, or performed as a complement to surgery. Additionally, there are many formats and brands available.

How do facial fillers work?

Fillers act as padding beneath the skin to fill out lines and hollows. Typically, fillers are used to reduce the depth of wrinkles rather than to eliminate them completely. They are injected using fine needles at strategic points on the face to plump and smooth the skin, and the results are immediate.

Where are facial fillers typically used?

• Lips

• Smoker’s lines (upper lip)

• Nose-to-lip lines

• Secondary smile lines on the cheeks

• Corners of the mouth that turn down

• Frown lines and forehead

• Crow’s feet

• Depressed scars

• Hollow cheeks

• Lost volume in cheeks

Fillers are also sometimes used to improve the appearance and contour of the nose or chin, for example. Beyond the face, similar products may be used to treat the back of the hands to restore volume.

Does it hurt?

It can be uncomfortable to have fillers injected, though it is not usually very painful. Some fillers contain a local anaesthetic, and in some cases a topical anaesthetic may be applied to numb the area. There may be some swelling or redness for a day or two after treatment.

How long will it last? This will depend on a number of factors, not least the type of filler used. Hyaluronic acid fillers can last up to a year or more but it varies from person to person and from one area of the face to another. It can also be affected by genetics, age, skin type, lifestyle, muscle activity and the injection technique used. It's important to follow the advice of your Consultant Plastic Surgeon in order to maximize the effects of your treatment. You may also like to read more about our unique SoftLift technique, which uses a combination of fillers and other non-invasive treatments to achieve non-surgical anti-aging effects. For a surgical alternative, please read more about fat grafting. For information on the use of fillers elsewhere in the body, please read more about body contouring. If you would like to discuss filler treatments with the Consultant Plastic Surgeon, please call 01 491 5738 to make an appointment for a non-invasive treatment consultation.

Developed by Akademikliniken, the Aesthetic Institute’s SoftLift and is a brand new aesthetic treatment method using hyaluronic acid. It rebuilds tissue in order to replace volume and induce a lift. Hyaluronic acid exists naturally in the body and is injected into different levels in order to rebuild the tissue.

Aesthetic Institute’s SoftLift recreates volume and elasticity in the whole or parts of the face, the throat and the neckline. It can also pad out an ageing hand or remove pigmentation. It can be used for minor corrections, for example of the nose.

Aesthetic Institute Softlift is a proven method that may be preferable to traditional plastic surgery since its advantages are many. The results are instantaneous and the effects more natural, with volume and lustre. Treatment time is short, around 45 minutes, and the recovery time minimal. Treatments are suitable for anybody whose ageing process has begun and offer a lasting result without scars. There is no pain after the treatment and the risk of side effects is very low.

Aesthetic Institute SoftLift can only be used by specially trained plastic surgeons and is implemented on a three-dimensional level. The treatment has been developed with the support of new types of fillers and needles, in combination with the most complete laser equipment in the industry and Akademikliniken’s own skin care products.

If you would like to discuss SoftLift treatment with the Consultant Plastic Surgeon, please call 01 491 5738 to make an appointment for a non-invasive treatment consultation.