There’s a new drug in town! Reloxin, developed by a French pharmaceutical firm, has emerged as a safe and effective alternative to Botox, and may possibly offer longer lasting results for the reduction of forehead wrinkles.
Botox has long been the main source for reducing forehead wrinkles and frown lines among the patients of those who practice cosmetic medicine. The drug prevents the contraction of facial muscles, which gives the face a more smooth appearance that lasts for several months. Now, the French drug maker Ipsen may have created a possible rival with their anti-wrinkle treatment, Reloxin, according to recent research. The report can been found in the Archives of Facial Plastic Surgery.
Lead researcher Dr. Ronald Moy from the Moy-Fincher Medical Group in Los Angeles said, “Reloxin is as safe and it works as well as Botox,” He went on to say, “I think this will be as popular as Botox, which is the most common cosmetic procedure in the United States.” Moy also added, “Many of our patients are happier and got a more natural look with the use of Reloxin.” Although Reloxin has not yet been approved in the U.S., it has been approved in 23 countries to smooth wrinkles, and has been in used for over 15 years outside the U.S. to treat neurological disorders.
Reloxin differs from Botox in that it contains fewer antigens, allowing the drug to break down more quickly, while it also has less protein in its formula, possibly causing the body to break it down at a slower rate and making it last longer than Botox. In the phase III trials, the effects of Reloxin lasted 13 months.
Another difference between the two anti-wrinkle medications is that Reloxin spreads out more in the tissue than does Botox, which can be more effective in areas such as the forehead. But, according to one expert, the drug’s wider spread into the tissue creates a more tedious task for accuracy in the treatment of areas such as crow’s feet near the eyes. Unless an experienced injector delivers the drug, it may spread to surrounding muscles and cause a droopy eyelid or eyebrow.
During the study, 1,200 patients were treated with Reloxin injections in five different areas of the forehead. Study participants were asked to keep diaries of the effects of their treatments and were given post-treatment assessments after one week to 10 days. Participants reported that Reloxin began to work within one day after treatment. After one week, 95 percent of the patients reported a noticeable response to the treatment. Participants were also assessed after two weeks and one month, with additional assessments following each month after treatment. One month after treatment, about 91 percent of the patients showed a response. Participants in the study received up to five sets of five injections over the 13-month analysis.
A total of 1,052 patients completed the study with 880 of them experiencing a total of 2,838 adverse events. Of these, only about 28 percent were likely related to the treatment and included problems at the injection site, nervous system disorders such as headache, and eye problems including a drooping of the eyelid or brow known as ptosis. The researchers reported that only one patient withdrew from study due to the side effects of the drug.
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Tags: Botox, Botox Injections, Chemical Peel, CO2 treatment, Collagen, Collagen Injections, facial fillers, fat injections, fillers, Juvederm, Lip Injections, permanenet fillers, Skin Tightening, Wrinkle Fillers, wrinkle removal, wrinkle treatment