Could it be?  Do we have a potential alternative to Botox wrinkle relaxing injections on the horizon any time soon?  Well, as with most other cosmetic fads, Botox is bound to sooner or later be outdone by a competitor or even itself, as many companies tend to improve and/or evolve their own existing product lines as new technology and research becomes available.

However, it looks like this latest potential Botox competitor is not made by the same company, and comes out of Europe, where it is already approved and getting high marks for relaxing forehead wrinkles and frown lines, which is one of the most common uses for Botox.  It’s another European invasion story of better, more advanced cosmetic products for wrinkles and anti aging coming over to the US.

Don’t expect it to be approved any time soon over here in the US though.  We have a longer and more stringent approval process for cosmetic improvement products and anything that involves surgery or new invasive techniques or medications, so there’s no telling how long it might be, if at all, this Reloxin product becomes available here in the US.  The benefits of Reloxin are said to be that it may take longer to break down completely in the muscles, which means it may last months longer before needing to be done again, unlike Botox, which typically wears off in a few months and needs to be refreshed.

It also disseminates more widely into surrounding tissues.  Err, wait, is that a good thing or a bad thing you say? At least that’s what I thought when I read it, and so it’s true.  It’s not the best option for those who get Botox injections to treat any areas around the eye, as it have become more popular to use as a treatment for crows feet and around the eye wrinkles.  The problem with Reloxin is that it takes a highly skilled technician to do the injection correctly, because if not, it can easily leak to areas around the eyelid, causing a temporary droop to the eyelid.

Not so attractive, and very scary that it can do anything to your eyes at all.  Not worth it if you ask me.  It begs the question also, if it can disseminate this efficiently, what’s to stop it from migrating beyond it’s intended site of treatment?  I mean, we are still talking about a muscle paralyzing concoction here, and we don’t really want that to go where it’s not supposed to.

Reloxin may also compare to Botox favorably in one other way (besides being a better treatment for forehead wrinkles – NOT around the eyes), in that it may cost about 15% less than Botox if it were introduced in to the US for use.  Botox costs just over five hundred bucks for a vial currently, and depending on how much you need per injection, this could last you a whole year if you get minimal injections.