What is botulinum toxin ? Many people think that Botox® is the name of the treatment when it is, in fact, a brand of Botulinum Toxin made by the Allergan company. There are other brands of Botulinum Toxin such as Dysport® and Azzalure® amongst others which are also used as anti-wrinkle treatments. These are cheaper to buy than Botox® but there is not any robust evidence that they are inferior. I happen to use the Botox® brand because it is the most researched Botulinum Toxin and I both trained and train other doctors with it, so I am very familiar with its effects. Fact of the day, all the Botox® in the world is made in Westport, Ireland. What is Botulinum Toxin? Botulinum Toxin is neurotoxin, that is to say, a toxin that effects nerve function. It is produced by the bacterium, Clostridium Botulinum. Wrinkles form through repetitive muscle contraction. Each person’s muscles are slightly different, which is why I tailor every treatment to the person in front of me. Our muscles pull on the skin as they contract, so over time we develop creases or wrinkles in the skin. By temporarily blocking the nerve signal, the muscles relax, and the overlying skin isn’t pulled on, thus reducing wrinkles. Botulinum Toxin is a muscle relaxant, it is used for other conditions such strabismus (an eye condition), migraine and excessive underarm sweating. Is it safe to get Botulinum Toxin injections? It is very safe and has been the subject of rigorous research. At the time of writing there have been 2258 peer-reviewed research papers on Botox (scientific name ‘onabotulinumtoxinA’). In the US alone, 7.7 million Botox procedures were done in 2019 [1] . Other Botulinum Toxin brands have also undergone extensive research, albeit on a much smaller scale. Botulinum Toxin has been used for 50 years for medical conditions and about 30 years in aesthetic medicine. There have been more than 100 million anti-wrinkle procedures done thus far, so it is very well tested! How long do the results last? The results are not permanent, typically the results last 3-4 months. This is true of the majority of people. Anecdotally I have noticed that clients with an underactive thyroid tend to get longer results, whilst those who come back earlier tend to be people who exercise a great deal, such as daily gym goers and long distance runners. Claims that results typically last six months are simply untrue and I can only assume this is for marketing purposes as it not the case typically. The time to come back is when significant movement comes back. Would you like more information or book an appointment? Click here to contact me Text or Call on 086-7225735 (086-SCALPEL) Email me at : DrLucey@TheBeautyDoc.ie You can make an appointment at my Dawson St Clinic or I can come to your home by appointment. I perform several different treatments including Anti-Wrinkle Injections , Lip, Cheek and Jaw Fillers, Profhilo and Fat Dissolving Injections. Feel free to make an inquiry or have a free consultation. Reference : https://www.plasticsurgery.org/documents/News/Statistics/2019/cosmetic-procedure-trends-2019.pdf

What are the different areas for Botulinum toxin injection? For first time candidates for Botulinum toxin, the number of areas to get injected can cause some confusion. For 'standard' upper face anti-wrinkle injections, there are typically between one and three areas injected. There are other advanced anti-wrinkle treatments which I will cover in a different blog post. However, let's begin with the commonest areas. 'One area' anti-wrinkle injections would typically be the crows feet, those little wrinkles beside your eyes that are visible when you smile or squint. It is marked with a '1' in the above diagram (because the lady in the picture has her head slightly tilted I have only marked one side, however, the price would include both sides). The forehead is broken up into two areas which pull in opposite directions. Almost without exception they are treated together as two areas. I will explain why below... Why is the forehead considered to be two areas? This is a diagram of the facial muscles. The main muscle of the forehead is called frontalis, it pulls the forehead upwards. So if we weaken its action with Botulinum Toxin injections, the forehead and eyebrows will have a tendency to go downwards (it is a common misconception that giving more dose to the forehead raises the eyebrows, it actually does the opposite). Below that, between the eyes and around the middle of the face over the brow, there are muscles called procerus and the corrugators. Their function is to pull downwards on the face. So weakening it with Botox causes a lift in the eyebrows and forehead. If you only treat procerus and the corrugators, it treats the frown lines or '11s' lines between the eyes, however, the action of the forehead muscles then becomes dominant. The result of this are so called 'Spock' eyebrows or a startled look. If you only treat the forehead muscle, frontalis, the eyebrows and forehead tend to move downwards as the muscles that have that function are unopposed. At worst that can give dropped eyebrows and a slightly angry look. This is particularly the case if you have low set eyebrows. So in order to have balance, it is generally advisable to have both the upper and lower forehead treated together. There are some uncommon exceptions to this, however, if you are such an exception I will advise you on that. There should be some movement in the eyebrows so you can express yourself and have a relaxed, natural looking enhancement. Would you like more information or book an appointment? Click here to contact me Text or Call on 086-7225735 (086-SCALPEL) Email me at : DrLucey@TheBeautyDoc.ie You can make an appointment at my Dawson St Clinic or I can come to your home by appointment. I perform several different treatments including Anti-Wrinkle Injections , Lip, Cheek and Jaw Fillers, Profhilo and Fat Dissolving Injections. Feel free to make an inquiry or have a free consultation.

What are Smoker's Lines? Smoker's lines are the vertical lines found around the mouth, particularly above the upper lip. They are also known as 'Barcode lines' and per-oral lines. The medical term is 'radial perioral rhytides'. They are typically found in smokers, however, they often occur in non-smokers too, particularly in those with a lot of sun exposure. With age, there is a decrease in bony support, hyaluronic acid and collagen are produced in smaller quantities and the fatty components in skin can be reabsorbed. The result are the unsightly vertical lines shown. What treatments are available? There are a number of treatments that can be employed depending on the severity of the lines. For lines that are reasonably shallow, anti-wrinkle injections alone can relax the muscle, which decreases the lines for 3-4 months. This procedure is straight forward and only takes 5 minutes with no down time. It takes 2 weeks for the full effect to be seen. Deeper lines need to be treated with a combination of filler and anti-wrinkle injections. In this scenario, a medical grade numbing cream is applied and the lines are then filled in with a fine needle. Sometimes the lines extend onto the lips. In these cases, a small amount of lip filler can restore the outline (vermillion border) of the lips. The results generally last 9-12 months, depending on the individual. If the lines are quite deep, it may require a second treatment depending on the amount of correction needed and client expectations. This is the exception and I can advise on the probability of this. If skin quality is an issue, treatment of the area with platelet-rich plasma (which thickens the skin) or Profhilo (increases collagen and hydration) can be of further benefit. Would you like more information or book an appointment? Click here to contact me Text or Call on 086-7225735 (086-SCALPEL) Email me at : DrLucey@TheBeautyDoc.ie You can make an appointment at my Dawson St Clinic or I can come to your home by appointment. I perform several different treatments including Anti-Wrinkle Injections , Lip, Cheek and Jaw Fillers, Profhilo and Fat Dissolving Injections. Feel free to make an inquiry or have a free consultation.

With increasing age, there is a loss of collagen (a scaffolding protein) and some of the fat under the skin. The result of this is dimpling of the chin. Sometimes called 'golf ball' chin or 'peau d'orange' (french for orange skin). Contraction of the underlying muscle (called mentalis) can result in this effect, particularly when speaking. It can be treated quickly and easily with anti-wrinkle injections. It only takes 5 minutes and costs 150 euro. Would you like more information or book an appointment? Click here to contact me Text or Call on 086-7225735 (086-SCALPEL) Email me at : DrLucey@TheBeautyDoc.ie You can make an appointment at my Dawson St Clinic or I can come to your home by appointment. I perform several different treatments including Anti-Wrinkle Injections , Lip, Cheek and Jaw Fillers, Profhilo and Fat Dissolving Injections. Feel free to make an inquiry or have a free consultation.

What is a 'Gummy Smile'? A gummy smile is one which has excess gum showing when you smile. A small amount of gum can be attractive, but too much can take from the look. Luckily, this is easily and quickly treated using anti-wrinkle injections. It only takes 5 minutes and costs 150 euro. The effect lasts about 3 months. Would you like more information or book an appointment? Click here to contact me Text or Call on 086-7225735 (086-SCALPEL) Email me at : DrLucey@TheBeautyDoc.ie You can make an appointment at my Dawson St Clinic. I perform several different treatments including Anti-Wrinkle Injections , Lip, Cheek and Jaw Fillers, Profhilo and Fat Dissolving Injections. Feel free to make an inquiry or have a free consultation.