ANTI WRINKLE ADVICE LEAFLET
This leaflet is to answer any questions you may have and to help you obtain the very best
results from your treatment.
WHAT SHOULD I DO BEFORE I HAVE ANTI WRINKLE TREATMENT?
You should not have the treatment repeated within 12 weeks of your previous treatment,
touch up appointments are not included in this time frame, as this risks you developing
neutralizing antibodies to anti wrinkle treatment.
You should be realistic about what improvements you will achieve personally and over time
as every face is different and every person will get different responses. Be guided by your
practitioner who will tell you at the appointment what to expect.
Try to avoid drinking alcohol within 48 hours of your appointment as this increases the risk
of bruising.
Ideally make up should be removed immediately before your appointment as this prevents
you accidentally rubbing treatment areas while removing your make up later on in the day.
If you have been advised to take zinc supplements, Zytase, to improve Botox results start
taking these 5 days before your treatment appointment.
WHAT HAPPENS AT MY APPOINTMENT?
At your first appointment you will complete a medical questionnaire to make sure you are
suitable to have this treatment, it is very important to complete this truthfully and
comprehensively to ensure your safety and to obtain the best results. This information is
held confidentially in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1990. At follow up
appointments you must inform Andrea if any of your medical history or medication has
changed. If you are pregnant or breast feeding you will not be able to have this treatment.
You will also have pictures taken of the treatment areas, which helps to assess your response
to the treatment. Pictures are taken at maximum muscle contraction, which shows Andrea
how strong the muscles are and how deep the wrinkles, or lines are. Andrea will advise you if
you are on a preventative plan, maintenance plan or repair plan.
Depending on which plan you are put on informs you of expected results and likely gap
between treatments required to get the results you require. If Botox will not give you the
results you require on its own Andrea will inform you of this during the consultation and
advise on other complementary treatments to get you to your goal. Andrea does not “hard
sell” treatments, giving you only honest advice.
There are only 3 brands of Botox available in the UK, which all come in a large vial and small
vial they are:
Botox/Vistabel (2.5ml/1.25ml)
Azzalure/Dysport (0.63ml/2.5ml)
Xeomin/Bocouture (2.5ml/1.25ml)
Andrea may discuss changing your brand if its deemed necessary to get you better results. No
one brand works for everyone. Andrea uses all brands available to give you best results.
The products all come in a dry powder vial and need to be reconstituted with a special diluent
to be able to inject. Except Xeomin/Bocouture, they all need to be stored in a pharmacy
refrigerator. How the product is stored and mixed can affect treatment results. Andrea stores
all products in accordance with manufacturer advice, will mix your vial correctly at your
appointment and use only this vial on your treatment.
Andrea uses tiny needles to inject you 33g which are the smallest on the market at this time,
and hardly leave a mark. However the risk of getting a bruise cannot be completely
eliminated, you will also be offered an ice pack to help at the appointment. You can take
arnica to help minimize bruising. The treatment is actually not painful only tiny stinging at
some points.
You will be offered to book a complimentary follow up appointment 10-21 days after your
treatment. Andrea recommends you take this offer so your response can be assessed and
response pictures taken.
WHAT SHOULD I DO AFTER MY APPOINTMENT?
This is extremely important that you follow this advice to get the best results. No results can
be guaranteed as every face in the world is different, but follow these guidelines to get the
best results.
You will have small bumps which reduce within 30 minutes which is the solution just settling
into the muscles.
Do not rub, massage, waxing, rub creams, have facials, into the treated areas while the Botox
is settling in. This can take up to 2 weeks. Be aware if you are a persistent facial
rubber/picker that you will wear the Botox out.
Do not exercise within 6 hours of your treatment.
Do not wear tight caps, hats or helmets within 6 hours of your treatment.
Do not have saunas, sunbeds, and hair treatments, avoid activities that cause facial flushing,
bend down excessively and do not lie down within 6 hours of your treatment.
Avoid making extreme facial expressions, CACI and facials, as these wear the Botox out.
Washing and makeup application must be done very gently during the following 2 weeks so as
not to rub the Botox out.
Avoid alcohol for 24 hours as it causes bruising as it thins the blood and facial flushing which
works the Botox out.
Address your lifestyle issues that work against Botox, smoking, UVA/UVB exposure both
damage the skin at cellular level so Botox has difficulty working.
Wearing SPF 50 every day helps protect your skin and assists the Botox as does improving
collagen in your skin. Andrea will advise you on this if you require it.
If you are a blood donor you will need to inform them you have this treatment. AB Medical UK
is fully compliant with infection control measures so having any treatment at AB Medical will
not prevent you from giving blood.
ARE THERE ANY SIDE EFFECTS TO BOTOX?
There are no permanent side effects however there are several well known minor side effects
that are temporary and do not require any intervention.
Bruising, avoiding fish oils, vitamin E supplements, alcohol, sunbeds, NSAIDS painkillers will
all reduce this risk.
Headaches, usually very mild and transient, relieved with simple analgesia however Botox is
known to improve migraines.
Asymmetry/Twitching usually noticed within the first 10 days and settles spontaneously or is
corrected at your follow up appointment.
Eyebrow/eyelid ptosis/dry eyes, is seen in 1-2% clients and is temporary lasting 2-4 weeks
and improves itself without treatment and is usually not noticeable to others.
Also for reasons not understood some people are resistant to the effects of Botox. In these
people treatment will not work as well or for as long as expected. Current research suggests a
lack of Zinc in the body can affect results. If you think you may be one of these people a
product called Zytase is available to purchase and commence 5 days before treatment.
Andrea may change brands on you and alter injection points and unit dosing or suggest other
treatments to get you to your goal.
HOW LONG WILL MY TREATMENT LAST?
The average response is 3-4 months however some get 6-8 months others only 2-3 months.
Depending on which treatment plan you are on can affect the duration of your results,
preventative, maintenance, repair.
How strong your muscles are and how fast your body repairs the effects of Botox is also very
individual and affects duration or treatment.
If you follow the aftercare advice you will get longer results, and if you avoid smoking and
UVA/UVB your results will last longer.
Results are best in hypokinetic clients, those who are not overly expressive, compared to
hyperkinetic clients, please ask which you are and Andrea will happily inform you.
If you are very slim or lose/gain more than 7lbs in weight this can affect your facial features
and ultimately your results in a positive/negative way. Andrea will tailor your treatment to
try and work with your individual needs.
WHEN WILL I SEE MY RESULTS?
Again everyone is different but usually at day 3-5 you will notice a gradual reduction of facial
muscle movement and therefore improvement of lines and wrinkles. This process is usually
complete at day 10-14 when your follow up appointment will be to assess the results.
Andrea always advises that when you leave after your treatment you are careful driving,
looking in the mirror. It is very exciting and you want to see your results but be patient it will
be a gradual process.
WHEN WILL I BOOK IN FOR MY NEXT TREATMENT?
The soonest you can have the next treatment is 12 weeks, to avoid developing neutralizing
antibodies. Clients on the repair programme should ideally keep to this treatment interval to
get the best results. Maintenance clients usually need further treatments at 3-5 months and
preventative clients only 1-2 times per year.
HOW WILL I LOOK WHEN IT WEARS OFF?
This is a common query; you will gradually notice a return of muscle movement over a period
of weeks. If you have had this treatment for a number of years and decide to stop for a while,
you will not excessively age and will not develop all those years of wrinkles that have been
prevented.
Stubborn lines that were removed do not usually come back as deep.
HOW MANY AREAS SHOULD I HAVE TREATED?
This is a very individual preference on how you view your lines and wrinkles. Some clients
prefer a frozen, ultra smooth and shiny effect, others a more natural, subtle effect. Some
clients do not want a single line, others want to keep some character lines and others only
want them diminished.
Andrea will advise you at your appointment what areas to have treated to get the look you
require, being mindful the more movement you have the less duration it will last.
IVE HEARD BOTOX CAN BE USED IN OTHER AREAS IS THIS TRUE?
Yes it is being used in the NHS on children with cerebral palsy, migraines, bladder irritation,
oesophageal strictures, Parkinson’s disease, torticollis and every year they are finding more
and more uses of it.
In the private industry we use it for migraine treatment, excessive sweating, neck and facial
muscle treatments, they are even using it to reduce the size of calf muscles!
So despite historic media safety frenzy, Botox is actually very safe.
HOW MUCH DOES BOTOX COST?
This varies country to country and practitioner to practitioner. Andrea’s prices are displayed
on the free app on Google play and the Apple App store, searching for AB MEDICAL UK.
Be very wary of cheap, too good to be true deals. It is professional law to be insured to carry
out these treatments. Only dentists, doctors and prescribing nurses should administer Botox
as it is a prescription medicine and ensure your practitioner has clinical waste contracts, and
trained in advanced treatments.
Reputable businesses all have this in place and only obtain the product from reputable UK
suppliers and adhere to the manufacturers guidelines on storage and mixing, administering
and disposal.
Andrea offers a range of payment methods to consider spreading the cost pre –payment direct
debit schemes are in place.
You can pay with a valid debit/credit card, cash and BACS transfer too.
DO YOU GUARANTEE MY RESULTS?
As every person on the planet has a different face, no results can be guaranteed unfortunately,
however Andrea will endevour to achieve realistic results using the treatments available, the
type of skin, muscles, and face you have.
Andrea will advise you honestly and professionally on future treatments.
IF YOU HAVE ANY FURTHER QUERIES PLEASE CONTACT ANDREA DURING CLINIC HOURS ON
07930973445