I’m not angry – it’s just my wrinkles. How anti-wrinkle injections can help you.

Article medically reviewed by Dr. Gavin Chan

Templestowe Lower, Berwick and Beaumaris Clinics

Dr. Gavin Chan, MBBS, General Registration (MED0001175745), founder of the Victorian Cosmetic Institute, began offering cosmetic medical treatments in 2004. Formerly a trainer for cosmetic pharmaceutical companies, Dr. Chan currently concentrates on offering ongoing training to cosmetic doctors at the Victorian Cosmetic Institute. He ensures that all doctors stay updated with the latest procedures and methods in the cosmetic industry. Read More

Have you ever been asked why you’re so angry, unapproachable, tired or worried when you feel happy, well rested and calm? And as you take a look at yourself in the mirror, you understand why you keep getting asked these questions. The face staring back at you has altered. You notice the vertical lines that have left a furrow between your brows – not just when you’re squinting, frowning or thinking. The laughter lines that fan out from the corners of your eyes aren’t just there when you laugh. They’re deeper and spread out further. Anti-wrinkle injections can be used to treat your wrinkles effectively.

Anti wrinkle treatment considerations

Since 2005 the Victorian Cosmetic Institute have focused on creating natural results. We never create the frozen face, motionless ‘Hollywood celebrity look’ that screams out, “I’ve had some wrinkle treatment done!”

Our highly trained practitioners go through months of extensive training with Dr Gavin Chan and our other senior doctors. With a diverse client base that includes media and entertainment professionals, parents, retirees, corporate workers and business owners, we’re trusted to get the right result every single time.

We focus on reducing your expression lines with cosmetic injections, never freezing your expressions. Consideration is also given to the overall balance of your face. Reducing wrinkling in your lower face without addressing your upper face may lead to sub-optimal results. Our detailed and delicate approach to your anti-wrinkle treatment requires higher skills and much more careful assessment.

The dosage amount of your treatment is also considered. For instance, over-treating forehead wrinkles with cosmetic injections can result in your brow appearing heavy and lower than you would like. Over-treating laughter lines around your eyes can result in compensatory muscle contractions under your eyes – leading to increased wrinkles.

You can read more here: anti-wrinkle injections in-depth information

Anti-wrinkle injections

Anti-wrinkle injections are based on an inhibitor that relaxes your muscles. In Australia, there are several brands to consider. Due to Therapeutic Goods Administration rules, we’re not able to name each product we use.

Over the last few years, the main developments have been in the injection techniques. This means cosmetic injections can treat much more than frown lines and crows feet. It is possible to improve your brow shape, treat forehead lines, reduce mouth down-turning, narrow a wide face, reduce chin dimpling, and even relax neck bands.

What to expect from treatments

Treatments involve having a number of small injections in the treated areas. This injection process only takes only a short time to perform. Each needle is extremely fine, and only a small volume is injected.

Victorian Cosmetic Institute prides itself on our minimal discomfort techniques that include:

• Ice: Because pain and temperature sensation travel along the same nerve pathway, using ice on your skin before your wrinkle injections ensures less pain will be felt.
• Vibration: When a vibrating device is used on your skin, nerve pathways that conduct pain become overloaded with vibrations and are unable to pass pain signals to the brain as easily.
• Local anaesthetic cream: Before your wrinkle injections, an application of local anaesthetic cream can be applied to your skin to help numb it.
• Inhaled anaesthetic gas: Nitrous oxide (laughing gas) is commonly used for dental procedures or during labour. The effect of the inhaled anaesthetic gases we use tends to wear of quickly without any lingering effects after the procedure is complete.

One of the key concerns of people considering wrinkle injections is bruising that can be embarrassing and hard to conceal. Bruising occurs when the needle disrupts a vein under the skin. Because facial veins aren’t usually visible to the naked eye, The Victorian Cosmetic Institute uses the Accuvein Vein Finder. The Accuvein visualise veins beneath the skin, allowing the practitioner to make adjustments to their injection points to avoid these veins and therefore reduce the risk of bruising.

The effects of wrinkle injections are generally seen only after one to two weeks. After you receive your treatment, you’ll start to notice a gradual relaxation of the muscles treated. This can start at 2-3 days, but may take up to two weeks to be very noticeable.

The duration of effectiveness of your treatment will be dependent on the dose administered. They can last up to 4 months, but generally on the first few sessions, the longevity is usually shorter – around 3 months. Studies have shown that wrinkle injections are more effective and last longer when given at regular intervals of 3-4 months due to progressive weakening of the muscles treated. If at any time, you want to cease wrinkle treatments, your muscles will return to normal. Wrinkling returns to its previous state, and will not become worse.

Treatments tailored for men

The Victorian Cosmetic Institute helps men achieve natural and masculine results. We tailor injection treatments that result in our male clients looking and feeling fresh and confident.

By minimising wrinkles around the eyes, forehead and mouth using a considered choice of placement and dosage, a subtle amount of expression is retained. This specifically tailored treatment ensures all our clients can still express their desired emotions.

After our non-surgical cosmetic injection treatment, our clients tell us that they feel like their enhance appearance helps them regain their competitive edge.

Suggested skin care to use after your treatment

You can turn back your ageing process with treatments. With younger skin a preventive ageing skin care routine with scientifically formulated products will be beneficial. The Aspect DR ABC kit has five products including Deep Clean exfoliating cleanser, Active C Serum, Exfol A Serum, Multi B Plus Serum and Resveratrol Moisturiser.

Head here to find out more: Aspect Dr ABC Essential Kit

If you have mature skin, it’s also important to use a scientifically formulated skin care range. The Aspect Dr Age Management Kit has four products that are essential to treat mature skin. Your skin will feel and look great when you use the Deep Clean Cleanser, Active C Serum, Exfol A Serum and the Resveratrol Moisturising Cream.

Head here to find out more: Aspect Dr Age Management Kit

A consultation with one of our skin therapists will ensure your personalised skin care regime achieves the best results. Contact us on 1300 863 824.

Safety of wrinkle treatments

Wrinkle treatments have been used for over 20 years to treat many medical conditions as a medicine. With over two decades of safety data, large doses of injectable muscle relaxants are commonly into cerebral palsy children and adults to relax tight muscles. High doses of wrinkle treatments are also used to treat eyelid spasms, facial nerve disorders and even incontinence. Wrinkle treatments are also used to alleviate symptoms of excessive sweating. By injecting under the skin to target the sweat glands, the treatment blocks the nerve messages responsible for stimulating sweat.

You can stop appearing angry and tired just because of your wrinkles

Victorian Cosmetic Institute uses a range of techniques and products. Led by Dr Gavin Chan, our highly trained doctors are experts in creating natural-looking, subtle changes to your face. You can look younger, rested and refreshed without looking like your face is frozen. Picture yourself without the visible signs of stress, heartache, long hours of work and play. Fresh faced, rested and happy. Arrange your consultation to find out how using the right anti-wrinkle treatment can make you look and feel amazing.