Medicine and the cosmetics industry have never been as advanced as they are today to enable us to look healthy and youthful for as long as possible. While in the past methods that were too extensive and not without risk, such as facelifts, were used to keep a firm face, small, minimally invasive interventions in particular are enjoying increasing popularity today. Wrinkle injections with hyaluronic acid or botulinum toxin (Botox®) are comparatively inexpensive, low-risk and are no longer reserved for Hollywood stars.
What is wrinkle injection?
Under Wrinkle injections one understands injections with wrinkle-smoothing or filling agents, mostly these are given in the face of the customer or patient.
The aim of these injections is to reduce expression lines through targeted paralysis of the muscles (botulinum toxin) or to fill in parts of the face such as lips, nasolabial folds, cheekbones, etc. with the help of autologous fat injections, hyaluronic acid or other agents in order to restore a youthful, firm appearance.
Doctors primarily perform these measures as a cosmetic treatment that is subject to a fee. Only a trained practitioner can guarantee an aesthetic result with as few side effects as possible.
Function, effect & goals
The nerve toxin botulinum toxin, which most people should be familiar with by its trade name Botox (R), has been used for therapeutic purposes for several decades, for example to relieve spasticity or to control excessive sweating.
This agent has only been used for cosmetic treatments for about 25 years, it has been widely known for about ten years and is offered almost all over the world for anti-wrinkle injections. Filling agents for wrinkle injections have been used around the same time, and over the years the range of corresponding active ingredients and preparations has grown steadily.
Botulinum toxin paralyzes the muscle it is injected into for several months. In this way it is no longer possible to frown, for example. The face is given a smoother, wrinkle-free look.
Botulinum toxin only works on expression lines, so it does not work on lips or cheekbones. So-called "fillers" can be used here. Autologous fat that is taken from the customer or patient can plump up such body regions.
Hyaluronic acid is also used in this way. In the meantime there are also other preparations that can, for example, reconstruct cheekbones (Radiesse®) and lie on the respective bones and also harden accordingly.
This remedy can work for a few years and then degrades. Fillers of all kinds, as well as botulinum toxin, usually only work for a few months. The aim of such applications is usually a wrinkle-free, youthful, flawless appearance to appear a few years younger. Therefore, health insurances do not cover the costs for such an intervention.
Risks, side effects & dangers
The risks and side effects of Wrinkle injections are manageable, but not to be underestimated. Since botulinum toxin is a nerve poison that paralyzes the muscle for a few months, undesirable paralysis symptoms can occur that no longer present an aesthetic appearance.
Overdosing can also occur in follow-up sessions, usually at the request of the patient, as they perceive the effect to be too weak, although the wrinkles have already been visibly reduced. Swelling, bruising, and inflammation can occur with each injection. There are also so-called therapy failures in which botulinum toxin does not work at all. Hyaluronic acid, autologous fat and other fillers can also be used excessively.
Both "rubber dinghy lips" and the mask-like faces of some celebrities certainly serve as daunting examples. Although the prices are relatively low compared to previous, more extensive treatments, at a few hundred euros they are by no means affordable for everyone, especially since the treatment has to be repeated every few months or every six months in order to achieve a permanent effect.
In principle, however, wrinkle injections are a fairly low-risk and effective method of treating wrinkles, especially since successes are achieved here that no anti-wrinkle cream, no facial gymnastics and no facial massage can ever achieve. Whether and for whom these methods are suitable and for which the individual is suitable will always be decided in a personal consultation.
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