Five interesting facts about facial aesthetics

What is facial aesthetic treatment?

Facial aesthetics is a group of treatments that aim to reduce wrinkles, smooth your skin, or change the shape of your face — without surgery. They’re also called cosmetic procedures, anti-wrinkle treatments, or non-surgical cosmetics.

Some of the most popular facial aesthetic treatments include the following.

• Anti-wrinkle injections. This is when a small amount of something called botulinum toxin is injected into your skin using a fine needle. It works by relaxing certain muscles in your face to prevent them from contracting. This can reduce the appearance of creases and wrinkles, particularly around your forehead, eyes or mouth.


• Dermal fillers. This is usually done with an injection using a fine needle. But sometimes a flexible tube with a rounded tip called a cannula is used instead. Dermal fillers most commonly use a substance known as hyaluronic acid. This help to hydrate your skin and add volume, making it look fuller. Dermal fillers might be used to enhance your lips or plump up your skin. They can also smooth wrinkles or define areas like your cheeks and jawline.


• Chemical peels. A chemical peel is when a special chemical solution is applied to your skin. It removes the outer layers of skin and encourages new skin to form. This can help reduce fine lines and wrinkles, improve scars and uneven pigmentation, and make your skin look brighter.


• Microneedling. This uses tiny, fine needles to create small punctures in your skin. It triggers your body’s natural healing process and stimulates the production of collagen and elastin. It can help reduce fine lines, acne scars, and uneven skin tone.


• Laser resurfacing. This is a type of aesthetic laser treatment that uses a focused light (laser) to remove the upper layers of your skin. It helps improve fine lines, scars, sun damage, and uneven skin tone. The laser also stimulates collagen, which can make your skin look firmer and smoother as it heals.

Here are five interesting facts about these cosmetic procedures.

Fact 1: Your dentist can perform some facial aesthetic treatments

Many dental professionals are now qualified to carry out aesthetic beauty treatments.

Dentists are especially well-suited to provide facial aesthetic procedures because they:

• have a deep understanding of facial anatomy
• have extensive experience of giving injections to your face and gums
• are registered with the General Dental Council
• work in safe and clean clinical environments
• are legally authorised to prescribe and administer botoxulinum toxin

Fact 2: Facial aesthetics can treat some medical conditions

Botulinum toxin injections are most commonly known for smoothing out wrinkles. But they can also help treat certain medical conditions, such as:

• migraines
• excessive sweating (hyperhidrosis)
• teeth grinding (bruxism)
• temporomandibular jaw (TMJ) dysfunction

For example, if you have headaches or jaw pain from clenching or grinding your teeth, your dentist can inject botulinum toxin into your jaw muscles. This helps them to relax. Or if you experience excessive sweating, botulinum toxin can be injected into your armpits. This blocks the nerve signals that activate your sweat glands, helping reduce sweating.

Fact 3: Botox is a brand name

You’ve probably heard of Botox^®, but that’s just one brand name for a substance called botulinum toxin. It’s a medicine made from a type of bacteria called Clostridium botulinum, and it’s used to relax muscles and reduce wrinkles. Because of this, botulinum toxin can only be prescribed by a licenced healthcare professional such as a doctor or dentist.

Dysport^®is another brand of botulinum toxin that you might hear about. So if you’re getting ‘Botox,’ it might actually be one of these other brands.

Fact 4: The results are usually temporary

If you have facial aesthetic treatments like dermal fillers or botulinum toxin injections, you can usually expect the results to last for a couple of months. Over time, most of the substances used will break down in your body and your skin will return to how it was before. Botulinum injections can last three to six months, while fillers can last between six months and two years.

But if you’d like to maintain your results, you’ll need to have top-up appointments every few months.

Fact 5: It’s against the law for anyone under 18 to have treatment

On October 1 2021, it became illegal for anyone under the age of 18 in England to have botulinum toxin injections or dermal fillers for cosmetic purposes.

It’s also an offence for:

• a parent or guardian to give permission for the procedure to go ahead
• anyone to book an appointment on behalf of someone who is under 18
• a practitioner to perform the procedure on anyone younger than 18

The only exception is if there is a medical need for treatment, approved by a registered doctor.