Non-Surgical Procedures

BOTOX® Cosmetic:

An effective and very popular way to treat the deep lines caused by muscle actions, such as the "frown lines" in the forehead, "crow's feet" lines around the eyes, and some of the lines around the lower mouth and chin. It is designed to temporarily weaken the muscles that cause these deep lines by injecting a very weak dose of toxin. Afterwards, facial muscle function still exists (you can still frown), but the skin does not wrinkle as deeply as before. BOTOX® lasts for about four to six months, and may be repeated when necessary.

Collagen:

This is an older injection treatment option designed to fill in deep lines in the face, particularly around the mouth. It's major drawback is that the collagen lasts only about six to eight weeks. There is also a small number of people who have allergic reactions to collagen.

Hyaluronic Acid:

Examples of this product type are Juvederm®, Restylane®, and Perlane®. These are newer products that will essentially replace collagen. These are injected into deep lines and "fill" the valleys. The injections last about nine months, perhaps longer if BOTOX® is used in the treated area at the same time. There are very few allergic reactions seen. These are good products, and quite useful in the forehead and glabellar areas, the upper lip, and around the mouth.