Zapping "The 11's"
Seems like only yesterday we were having an online shoot-out, asking readers which they liked better: Botox or Dysport. (Read more about our Dysport & Botox showdown.)
Now, there’s a new kid in town – Xeomin – aiming to gun down even more wrinkles.
Driven by demand from rejuvenation patients who have clearly shown they are wild about nonsurgical cosmetic rejuvenation procedures, pharmaceutical companies are bringing more fast guns to town.
Botox, with 5.4 million cosmetic surgery patients in 2010, is obviously the fastest on the draw.
Other, popular nonsurgical cosmetic surgical procedures and the numbers of people using them include:
- Soft tissue fillers like Juvederm, Restylane and Radiesse: 1.8 million
- Chemical peel: 1.1 million
- Laser hair removal: 938,000
- Microdermabrasion: 825,000
Earlier this year, the second wrinkle remover, Dysport, joined the fray, causing a which-is-better?-Coke-or-Pepsi type competition between the two.
Pronounced “ZEO-min”, Xeomin is FDA-cleared for flattening frown line wrinkles on the brow just between your eyes, an area technically known as the glabellar lines or, to many plastic surgeons, “The 11’s”.
(It’s true! Make an angry face and notice two vertical lines, like a number 11, show on your brow just between your eyes.)
Xeomin could probably also be used for crow’s feet, forehead wrinkles and “smoker’s lines,” the small vertical lines above the normally aging lip.
How is Xeomin different from Botox and Dysport? The substance claims it:
- Needs no refrigeration; that helps in transportation and makes a longer shelf life
- Has no other additives, risking less chance of antibody formation in patients and later resistance to Xeomin
- Has been used by 84,000 people globally without complaints
- Wears off in three to six months
- Shows results about a week after injection
Here’s something even more important than the brand of wrinkle killer you choose: the provider who injects it and where the substance is injected.
Injection rejuvenation procedures are known in medicine as “provider dependent”. That means results depend on the skill of the person working with the needle. Best choice: a board-certified plastic surgeon or dermatologist.
Experts recommend avoiding injections at:
- Beauty salons
- Malls
- Home injection parties
- Medi-spas with no physician supervision
Wisest move: the offices of board certified plastic surgeons or dermatologists.
Known, but rare, risks of Xeomin include:
- Bleeding and bruising at the injection site
- Itching, swelling or shortness of breath
- Spreading under the skin, away from the treatment area