Wrinkles
By law in Australia ,cosmetic clinics and doctors aren't allowed to advertise the brand names of any medicines, including the brand of any injectable products used. Therefore you'll usually see this type of treatment generically referred to as 'consultations for wrinkles' or wrinkle-reducing treatments.
Dr Jake is an international trainer and lecturer in these treatments. Despite the name implying that these consultations are specifically for wrinkles, we can also improve a wide range of other concerns including:
- Reducing tension and the down pulling effect of muscles in the chin and lower face
- Improving the symptoms of teeth grinding/clenching (bruxism)
- Slimming the lower face shape
- Slimming overly developed or bulky calves
What wrinkles can be improved?
Patients are most commonly concerned with wrinkles in:
- the frown area (the lines between the eyebrows when we look angry)
- the forehead area (the horizontal lines seen when we raise our eyebrows)
- the 'crow's feet' areas (the lines around the eyes when we smile)
But we can also improve other areas of the face including:
- 'bunny' lines (lines of the bridge of the nose when you frown or laugh)
- downturned corners of the mouth (the pulling action of the muscles that create a 'grumpy' look)
- dimply chin (the chin muscle is often hyperactive and creates an 'orange peel effect' on the skin here)
We all have different facial expression patterns and wrinkles - these depend on a multitude of factors including your sex, muscle strength, skin quality, smoking status and your degree of exposure to UV light over your lifetime. A consultation for wrinkles will assess your own features to achieve safe and natural-looking results.
These treatments are also incredibly versatile and the same wrinkle-relaxing product can also be used to improve several medical conditions including:
Key features
Consultations
New patient consultations = 60 mins
Existing patient consultations = 30 mins
Full face indications
Most commonly the wrinkles of the frown, forehead and 'crow's feet' areas are treated. But several other areas of the face including the chin, corners of the mouth, 'lip flip' & neck bands can be treated to improve symptoms of dimpling, lip shape or sagging.
Outstanding satisfaction
Wrinkle treatments are the world's number one non-surgical treatment. Clinical studies consistently report outstanding patient satisfaction when wrinkles are reduced.
Excellent longevity
Dr Jake Sloane will suggest treatments that last on average 3-4 months. Therefore most patients will benefit from 3 or 4 consultations per year to achieve their goals.
Downtime & aftercare
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After your first consultation has been performed, consultations are quick and with minimal downtime.
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You'll experience some mild redness and 'swellings' that look like mini-bee stings where you were treated! This is temporary and will disappear after 15 minutes.
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As with any treatments that utilise needles, bruising is a possible temporary outcome. In Dr Jake's hands this is fairly uncommon but bruises are most common around the eyes. They can hidden with makeup there follow day if necessary but for very rare or larger bruises, you also have the option of booking in for a laser treatment at either of his clinics to help break up the bruise pigment and speed up recovery.
Wrinkle treatment price guide
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How do wrinkle treatments work?Wrinkle treatments are performed using tiny injections. They work by temporarily and reversibly blocking nerve signals to specific areas of the facial muscles, allowing the muscles to relax. As a result, the skin overlying the muscles also relaxes, smoothing out the visible lines. Over a period of on average 4 months, the treatment wears off and wrinkles slowly return.
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How should I prepare for my wrinkle treatment?As for all injectable treatments, please come with no make up, foundation or similar on your skin. This will reduce the risk of an infection. To reduce the risk of bruising: - avoid alcohol for 24 hours prior - stop any fish oil supplements at least 5 days prior - stop any garlic, ginger, gingko biloba or ginseng in high doses - avoid any anti-inflammatory medicines (neurofen, ibuprofen, naproxen, etc) for 5 days before your treatment if possible. Prescription medicines that can make bruising much more common include warfarin or other anti-coagulants. If these are prescribed by your GP, it's not recommended to stop them. You can still have injectables but you should expect bruising to be much more common and obvious.
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What can't I do after a wrinkle treatment?You can go back to your normal daily activities after a treatment except for two simple rules: 1) Don't massage, rub or wash the areas injected until the next day after your treatment. This also includes not doing things like having a massage, facial or similar straight after an anti-wrinkle treatment. (for at least 12 hours afterwards) 2) Avoid sports, exercise or vigorous activity for 12 hours afterwards. These rules help prevent the anti-wrinkle product spreading and affecting other muscles of the face that we don't want to treat. Failure to follow these increases the chance of complications, most importantly eyelid or eyebrow drooping. These are both avoidable and reversible side effects but can take several weeks or even months to settle. Avoiding alcohol after any injectable treatment until the following day also reduces your risk of worsened bruising.
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What are the potential side effects?The most common side effects include: - Mild discomfort during the procedure - very temporary swellings and redness (that disappear within minutes) - bruising (always a risk when a needle is used) Rarer side effects include: - In less than 1% of cases, patients can very rarely experience eyebrow or eyelid heaviness (called a 'ptosis'). This is very rare, temporary and often resolves in three or four weeks on it's own. This might be caused by a failure to follow the after care rules described above. In this scenario, some special eyedrops might be prescribed to you to help lift the heavy eyelid but you'll need to be reviewed in person first.
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Do wrinkle treatments hurt?The injections only take minutes to perform and no special measures are needed. Dr Jake uses the smallest needles available and most patients are pleasantly surprised at how easy the process is.
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Are there any people who shouldn't have a wrinkle treatment?There are just a few but important conditions that are contraindications to wrinkle treatments: - Pregnancy or breastfeeding. (Patients trying for a baby, undergoing IVF or who are unsure if they are pregnant will also be refused treatments) - Rare neurological diseases such as Myasthenia Gravis Those taking the following medicines should also not have these treatments: - Aminoglycoside antibiotics (Gentamycin, Neomycin, Streptomycin, etc) - Penicillamine (used to treat Rheumatoid Arthritis) - A known allergy to human albumin A detailed medical history will be taken prior to your treatment but it is your responsibility to declare any medical problems to us in good time.
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How often should I have treatments?If the recommended dose is done on the day of your treatment, the results will last 2-4 months on average. Most people therefore come every 3-4 months to help maintain a consistent appearance.