Mesotox
Vicky Eldridge visits Dr Raquel Amado at her Kent clinic to try out microtoxin also known as mesotox
I struggle with hormonal acne, and in my 40s, it has developed on my cheeks and forehead as well as on my chin, where it has predominantly been previously. I didn’t have acne as a teenager, so being 45 and working in aesthetics, having spotty skin for half of the month every month gets me down. Worst still, despite all my knowledge, I am a picker and have now created some scars on my cheeks as well as some hyperpigmentation.
In May, I had the Aesthetic Medicine London event and awards coming up, so I went to see Dr Raquel Amado at the Skin & Medical Cosmetics Clinic in West Malling, which is luckily within driving distance for me.
After a thorough consultation and skin analysis, Dr Amado discussed the options she recommended for me. With my event coming up in a few days, we decided to start with microtoxin, also known as mesotox, as I would be able to see results within a few days. Perfect when I had a big event coming up.
Microtoxin can help diminish pore size, reduce sebum, decrease redness, and improve fine lines, wrinkles and skin laxity. It involves using minute amounts of substances like botulinum toxin, which can be combined with a mesotherapy cocktail—in my case, Dr Amado used NCTF 135HA (Fillmed) and Nuceiva. I was excited to try this as I had heard it had a fast onset of action, exactly what I was looking for with this treatment.
“The reason I like NCTF 135HA is because it has all the ingredients the skin needs to thrive”, says Dr Amado. “It has 60 different essential ingredients, including hyaluronic acid, glutathione, and vitamin C. This is also a product that has 45 years of clinical studies and science behind it. It is the gold standard of mesotherapy cocktails and that’s why I love it. I combine that with Nuceiva. I started using it I really loved the results from it. So it’s a combination of treatment that’s going to help with the skin texture and sebum and to create glass skin.”
Unlike traditional methods, where toxin is injected directly into the muscle, microtoxin is administered just below the skin’s surface.
“Microtoxin improves skin quality, but unlike other anti-wrinkle treatments, it doesn’t affect the muscles, allowing for freedom of movement and the ability to make facial expressions naturally”, explains Dr Amado.
Dr Amado used the Wow device to administer my treatment. It took less than 30 minutes, and because I had local anaesthetic cream beforehand, I didn’t feel a thing.
“I use the WOW device for this treatment because I can control my depth amazingly, and it does multiple punctures at the same time, so it’s more comfortable for the patient,” explains Dr Amado. “
One of the key benefits of microtoxin is its ability to deliver very quick results. Unlike traditional injectables, where results may take days to become noticeable, microtoxin treatments yield visible improvements right after the procedure. Within a few days I noticed my skin was looking better. I had a glow; the redness had gone down, and my pores and acne had definitely reduced on my cheeks.
The procedure also has minimal downtime; I didn’t experience any other than a short-lived bit of redness from the injections.
The best thing was I was able to wear less makeup which was my goal. I would prefer not to wear any foundation, but because I am so spotty, I find myself desperately trying to cover it up, and then my skin feels cakey and clogged. I also know piling on the foundation is not going to help my skin in the long run, so it’s a double-edged sword. The pictures don’t really do it justice as I had slightly caught the sun in the month between these being taken, but I was really happy with the results. My skin was glowing and clear for the awards, and one of the best testaments is when people in the industry compliment your skin and ask what you have done, which happened to me on a couple of occasions.
I am now going to have some exosome and polynucleotide treatment with Dr Amado, and she’d put me on a skin regime with AlumierMD, so we are working together to improve my skin. But I would definitely have mesotox again, especially if I had an event coming up and wanted a quick improvement and a healthy glow.