Xeomin is the newest product to fight unsightly lines and creases that show our age, or worse, make us look older than we really are. One of the simplest and most instant ways to combat wrinkles in the world of cosmetic dermatology is to inject an innocuous strain of the botulinum toxin. Substances similar to Xeomin are products like Botox and Dysport.
What makes Xeomin different than Botox and Dysport, however, is that it is an uncomplexed toxin. Both Botox and Dysport have a form of the botulinum toxin that is chemically bound to a protein which stabilizes it. This however, increases the chances that the body will recognize it as a foreign substance and may rarely develop an immune or allergic response to the injected material. Xeomin is formulated so that it is a pure, uncomplexed version of the botulinum toxin, without the “chaperone” protein that is found in Botox and Dysport. This decreases the chances of adverse reactions by the body to the injected material, enhancing the results that can be obtained by the procedure and minimizing discomfort to the patient post-procedure.
Xeomin works in the same way as other versions of the botulinum toxin, which means it acts on the neural pathways that coordinate muscle movement. When the brain sends a signal to a muscle, the signal travels through a nerve and triggers the corresponding action in the muscle tissue. Xeomin blocks this last step, and prevents the signal from reaching the muscle. Since the muscle is not being contracted and relaxed, lines will not form, and the skin will not wrinkle from the repeated creasing action. This is also why products like Xeomin can not only address moderate wrinkles that have formed but can also be pro-active in preventing creases from forming in the first place.
What makes something like Xeomin revolutionary in the quest for youthful looking skin is that it can help patients avoid involuntarily triggering the micro-movements of their facial tissue that over time, cause wrinkles to develop. Even if patients actively try to control their facial expressions, the brain activates muscles patients do not realize they are using. Xeomin cuts off that line of communication between the brain and those problematic muscles, leaving them in a relaxed state even while patients move the broader muscles of the face.
