What You Should Know About Cosmetic Injection Treatment

The neurotoxin botulinum toxin and dermal fillers such as the body's own fat, collagen, and hyaluronic acid are substances commonly used in cosmetic injections. The administration of a cosmetic injection is one of the ways to reduce the prominence of wrinkles and facial lines as well as to prevent the occurrence of new lines and creases on the face.

Lines and folds on the skin can be made less prominent by adding volume to areas underlying wrinkled skin. This is because the main cause of facial lines and wrinkles is the reduced volume of lipid tissues underlying the skin as years pass by. A fat implant is often the cosmetic injection of choice because it involves taking fat from a part of one's own body and depositing it as a dermal filler where it is needed, and thus does not entail the introduction of a foreign substance.

Two of the cosmetic surgery applications in which collagen is most often used are the reconstruction of bone and the construction of artificial skin in burn patients. Collagen makes up about 35 per cent of whole-body protein content and is the main protein of connective tissue. It gives elasticity and strength to the skin and is the most abundant protein found in mammals. The collagen content of skin decreases with advancing age because of waning production of the protein. The administration of collagen in a cosmetic injection can restore the youthful appearance of the skin by increasing its collagen content.

Hyaluronic acid, also known as hyaluronate or hyaluronan, is naturally found in body tissues. It is involved in tissue repair in the skin, stimulating the production of collagen. It also hydrates the skin by binding water to it. Hyaluronic acid is abundant in youthful skin but as years pass its distribution and functions change, leading to the appearance of facial lines and wrinkles. Through a cosmetic injection of hyaluronic acid, the skin's hyaluronic acid content is replenished.

Unlike the first three, botulinum toxin is not a dermal filler. It is a neurotoxic substance produced by the anaerobic, Gram positive, spore-forming bacteria Clostridium botulinum and causes botulism. It works by blocking the release of acetylcholine, a chemical neurotransmitter that relays messages from the brain to various parts of the body, between the nerve endings and muscle fibres at the cosmetic injection site, thereby rendering the muscles of the targeted area unable to contract. The resulting immobility renders facial lines and folds less noticeable.

A qualified medical practitioner who has experience in cosmetic treatments and expert knowledge of facial anatomy must always administer a cosmetic injection. This is regardless of the type of cosmetic treatment to be injected. This will ensure that the injections will be made exactly where needed for maximum benefit. The same medical practitioner will also be the one best qualified to determine what substance should be used in an individual's cosmetic injection treatment.

There are side effects associated with any type of cosmetic injection. These include headache, flu-like symptoms, temporary eyelid droop, nausea, squint/double vision, twitching of the eye, facial pain, redness at the injection site, and muscle weakness in the case of botulinum toxin injections. For hyaluronic acid injections, there could be pain, infection, allergic reactions, and scar formation. Injections of collagen could also generate allergic reactions.

The cosmetic injection botulinum toxin is commercially available from the pharmaceutical company Allergan under the trade names Botox Cosmetic and Vistabel, while an injectable gel form of hyaluronic acid is available under the brand name Restylane, from the rapidly growing biotechnology/medical device company Q-Med AB in Sweden.