Liposuction and Plastic Surgery Information - Botox alternative GFX criticized for permanence of effects

Botox alternative GFX criticized for permanence of effects

Thursday, 15 November 2007

The recently FDA approved anti wrinkle treatment called glabellar furrow relaxation, known more commonly as GFX, has been promoted as a longer lasting, needle-free alternative to Botox. But some cosmetic surgeons have urged patients to exercise caution, saying that the effects, if not successful, will take a long time to wear off.

Glabellar furrow relaxation (GFX) promises the same effects as Botox, relaxing the wrinkles on a patient's brows and forehead. Surgeons who have worked with the new technology say that although they cannot promise permanent results, so far the treatment has allowed patients to stay wrinkle free for a year and a half.

GFX works by using a probe to identify the motor nerves that a patient uses to frown. The small probe is inserted through a single puncture site in the forehead, and only local anaesthesia is required. Once these nerves have been identified, pulses of radio frequency energy are focused on them in a process that numbs the nerves. After treatment, the wrinkles disappear, because even if a patient tried to frown, the motor nerves won't allow the relevant muscles in the forehead to contract, thereby removing the wrinkles and frown lines.

As well as the permanence of its effects, it is also being marketed as a toxin-free alternative to Botox, which is actually a highly poisonous toxin.

However, some cosmetic specialists have pointed out the danger to a patient of undergoing what may be an irreversible treatment. They stress that, with Botox, the treatment will last for a specific period of time, normally 3 to 4 months, and if the patient is not happy with the results of a treatment, she knows that it will eventually fade away. However, with GFX, the patient may be left to live with the outcome of the treatment for 18 months or more.

In addition, whereas a course of treatment of Botox will cost approximately $1,350 for an 18 month session (3 treatments), a treatment with GFX which may last 18 months, will normally cost between $1,800 and $3,000.

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