The neurotoxin botulinum toxin and dermal fillers such as the body’s own fat, collagen, and hyaluronic acid are substances commonly used in cosmetic injections. The administration of a cosmetic injection is one of the ways to reduce the prominence of wrinkles and facial lines as well as to prevent the occurrence of new lines and creases on the face.

Lines and folds on the skin can be made less prominent by adding volume to areas underlying wrinkled skin. This is because the main cause of facial lines and wrinkles is the reduced volume of lipid tissues underlying the skin as years pass by. A fat implant is often the cosmetic injection of choice because it involves taking fat from a part of one’s own body and depositing it as a dermal filler where it is needed, and thus does not entail the introduction of a foreign substance.

Two of the cosmetic surgery applications in which collagen is most often used are the reconstruction of bone and the construction of artificial skin in burn patients. Collagen makes up about 35 per cent of whole-body protein content and is the main protein of connective tissue. It gives elasticity and strength to the skin and is the most abundant protein found in mammals. The collagen content of skin decreases with advancing age because of waning production of the protein. The administration of collagen in a cosmetic injection can restore the youthful appearance of the skin by increasing its collagen content.

Hyaluronic acid, also known as hyaluronate or hyaluronan, is naturally found in body tissues. It is involved in tissue repair in the skin, stimulating the production of collagen. It also hydrates the skin by binding water to it. Hyaluronic acid is abundant in youthful skin but as years pass its distribution and functions change, leading to the appearance of facial lines and wrinkles. Through a cosmetic injection of hyaluronic acid, the skin’s hyaluronic acid content is replenished.

Botulinum toxin immobilizes the muscles underlying wrinkled skin so that the lines and folds become less prominent. It does so by blocking the release of acetylcholine, a chemical neurotransmitter that relays messages from the brain to various parts of the body, between the nerve endings and muscle fibres at the cosmetic injection site. Produced by the anaerobic, Gram positive, spore-forming bacteria Clostridium botulinum, botulinum toxin is actually a neurotoxic substance which causes botulism.

A cosmetic injection, regardless of the type of substance injected, must be administered by a qualified medical professional. One who has expertise in facial anatomy and experience in injecting substances such as the ones mentioned above will ensure that the injections are made at the correct spots so that optimal benefits will be obtained. The medical professional will also help determine which cosmetic injection substance is best for the individual. A qualified medical practitioner who has experience in cosmetic treatments and expert knowledge of facial anatomy must always administer a cosmetic injection. This is regardless of the type of cosmetic treatment to be injected. This will ensure that the injections will be made exactly where needed for maximum benefit. The same medical practitioner will also be the one best qualified to determine what substance should be used in an individual’s cosmetic injection treatment. A qualified medical practitioner who has experience in cosmetic treatments and expert knowledge of facial anatomy is the one best qualified to determine what substance should be used in an individual’s cosmetic injection treatment.

The same professional should also be the one to administer the cosmetic injection, regardless of the type of cosmetic treatment to be injected, to ensure maximum benefit and minimal risk from the treatment.

There are common side effects observed in cosmetic injection treatments. For botulinum toxin injections, these include headache, flu-like symptoms, temporary eyelid droop, nausea, squint/double vision, twitching of the eye, facial pain, redness at the injection site, and muscle weakness. In hyaluronic acid injections, these include pain, infection, allergic reactions, and scar formation. Allergic reactions may also be experienced as a result of a collagen cosmetic injection.

The cosmetic injection botulinum toxin is commercially available from the pharmaceutical company Allergan under the trade names Botox Cosmetic and Vistabel, while an injectable gel form of hyaluronic acid is available under the brand name Restylane, from the rapidly growing biotechnology/medical device company Q-Med AB in Sweden.