Wrinkle-relaxing injections

Wrinkle-relaxing injections use a purified protein that temporarily reduces the activity of specific muscles in the face. When a muscle contracts less, the skin above it creases less during expression. Irene maps the muscles she plans to treat by watching you frown, raise your brows, and smile, then places a small number of units into each site with a fine needle. The areas asked about most often are the horizontal lines across the forehead, the vertical lines between the brows, and the fan of lines at the outer corners of the eyes.

Dosing is decided per person and per muscle rather than from a standard chart, because faces are not symmetrical and people use their muscles differently. The injections themselves take a few minutes once the plan is set, and most of the appointment is the conversation before it. The effect comes on gradually over about two weeks rather than immediately, so Irene books a check at that point for a first course. She can then see how your muscles responded and adjust the plan next time. Pricing is per unit, so the total depends on how many areas are treated.

• Expression lines that show when you frown or raise your brows
• Wanting to start with something measured and adjustable
• Maintenance on a schedule that already works for you
• Curious about the treatment and wanting it explained before deciding

Irene asks what bothers you and watches your face move through a set of expressions.

She marks the muscles she plans to treat and talks through the plan and the number of units.

The skin is cleaned, and the injections are placed with a fine needle over a few minutes.

You may feel a quick pinch at each site, and numbing is usually not needed.

Small raised marks settle within an hour or so, and you leave with aftercare in writing.

Minimal; small marks fade within hours.

• Stay upright for about four hours and skip the gym for the rest of the day.
• Small marks and slight redness at the injection sites usually settle within a few hours.
• Leave the area alone today, and makeup is fine again tomorrow.
• Give it about two weeks before you judge anything, and call the office with any question in between.

• You are pregnant or nursing
• There is an active skin infection or a cold sore in the area to be treated
• You have a bleeding condition or take medication that affects clotting
• You have a neuromuscular condition affecting the muscles of the face
• What you are hoping for is more than an injection can do

Irene decides candidacy at your consultation.