Anti-Wrinkle Injections

A prescription-only medicine is placed, with a very fine needle, into the specific muscles responsible for a line. It temporarily reduces the signal between the nerve and that muscle, so the muscle contracts less. The skin above it, which has been creased in the same place thousands of times a day, has a chance to soften.

The effect develops gradually over around two weeks and does not appear straight away. It then wears off over the following months as the nerve endings recover, and movement returns to normal.

New clients always start with an initial consultation rather than a treatment slot. Helena takes a thorough medical history, watches how your face moves and maps the points she would treat. Because this is a prescription-only medicine, UK law requires a face-to-face consultation and a prescription before it can be provided, so treatment follows at a separate visit once that is in place.

The treatment itself takes around 20 to 30 minutes. You may feel a small pinch at each point. You can go back to your day straight afterwards, following the simple aftercare Helena gives you.

Helena treats frown lines, forehead lines, crow's feet, bunny lines on the nose, a downturned mouth, smoker's lines around the lips and a dimpled chin. She also uses the same medicine for a brow lift, which relaxes the muscles pulling the brow down, and a lip flip, which relaxes the muscle at the lip border so the upper lip rolls slightly outward without adding volume. For people who clench or grind, the masseter muscles at the angle of the jaw can also be treated; this is discussed at consultation, as is any medical indication.

Which areas belong in your plan, and in what order, is decided with you at consultation. Suitability varies and is assessed individually.

Most people see the full effect at around two weeks, which is when Helena reviews you. Results typically last 3 to 4 months, though this varies between individuals and depends on the area, your muscle strength and how your body processes the medicine. When movement returns you can decide whether to repeat treatment; there is no obligation to, and Helena will only recommend what is clinically appropriate.

Helena describes treatments as a journey. Anti-wrinkle injections often sit alongside skin-quality treatments such as Profhilo or polynucleotides in a plan, so that texture and hydration improve alongside the lines.