In terms of which of the minimally-invasive procedures is most popular, the answer is a resounding “Botox!” Botulinum Toxin Type A reigns supreme at the top of the totem pole, boasting nearly 6 million treatments performed last year alone. That’s 4 million more than the runner up, Soft Tissue Fillers.
Regardless, some people are still left cold by the idea of toxin-based treatments. They hear toxin and think it’s, well, toxic. No matter how safe the treatment is, there will be some people who would rather live with the wrinkles than risk it.
Those people may be able to chill out, now that a new treatment called Cryoneuromodulation – nicknamed Frotox by the media – is in the final stages of human trials, and is due to hit the market later this year.
Cryoneuromodulation works by subjecting targeted nerves to an intense cold shock to put them into ‘hibernation.’
“If you get very cold, your hands might become numb and you could find it hard to move your fingers,” says Dr. Yannis Alexandrides, the London-based plastic surgeon behind Cryoneuromodulation. “This is the effect of cold on nerves. We are now using that effect in a highly targeted way on a specific nerve that controls the muscles that cause wrinkles on the forehead and between the brows. ”
‘Frotox’ works by using a pen-like device containing needle-like “smart tips” to penetrate the skin and subject the targeted nerve to two to eight 30 second blasts of intense cold. The procedure takes about ten minutes, but unlike Botox, where results can take a week or so to manifest, Cryoneuromodulation works instantly. You can see your results before you leave the doctor’s office.
The cost is likely to be about the same as Botox, as one needs to be a trained plastic surgeon to properly administer it, and it shares most of the same possible side-effects, such as injection site redness, headaches and discomfort.
Cryoneuromodulation is expected to hit the market sometime this winter – what better time for this cool new treatment to arrive?
