Muscle relaxants
Muscle relaxants
Action Mechanism
Muscle relaxants are the preferred treatment for eliminating wrinkles from the upper third of the face. These wrinkles are related to a stronger contraction of certain muscles that are involved in facial mimicry, which is why they are called “wrinkles of expression”.
It has been used in neuro-ophthalmology since 1980. It inhibits, impermanently, the conduction between the nerves and the muscles in order to weaken or block, according to the dose that is used, the muscular contraction that causes the wrinkles.
Areas, Indications and Contraindications
Areas:
Horizontal wrinkles of the forehead : causing a “worried” look;
Vertical wrinkles between the eyebrows known as “wrinkles of the lion” or “glabellar wrinkles”, giving a severe look.
The fan of wrinkles on the outside corner of the eye or “crow’s feet”.
Contraindications
Pregnancy and breast-feeding.
Myasthenia.
Some rare transitory side-effects are possible, such as: the stressing of the angle of the eyebrow (“Mephisto” effect ); excessive lowering of the eyelid for a few weeks and, very seldom, cephalgias of varying degrees of importance.
Immediately after the injection, little marks or swellings can appear on the skin but they will disappear after a few hours.
Objectives
These injections enables the wrinkles of expression to be lessened, the face to be smoothed and the eyes to be “opened”.
Session Procedure
After locating the injection points, the doctor injects the product into the muscle that is to be treated.
The product acts after about three days and can take up to a fortnight to achieve its full effect.
Number of Sessions and Effects
The contraction gradually returns during the six to eight months after the injections.
The injections should therefore be performed about every six months.