Freezing Wrinkles: An Alternative to Botox?

Cryotechnology (the use of cold) is a new technology that has shown promise in early clinical trials to temporarily banish forehead wrinkles by freezing the nerves.

If it receives FDA (US Food and Drug Administration) approval, the new technique could provide an alternative to Botox and Dysport – injectable forms of botulinum toxin type A. These injections work by temporarily paralyzing facial muscles, leading to a reduction in wrinkles. Researchers claim that the new technique appears to have the same clinical efficacy and safety compared to existing techniques. And, it offers the advantage of being toxin-free. In a study involving 31 people, all had fewer wrinkles after two to eight injections.

The procedure is performed using small needles – “cryoprobes”—to deliver cold to nerves running through the forehead, specifically the temporal branch of the frontal nerve. The cold freezes the nerve, which interrupts the nerve signal and relaxes the muscle that causes vertical and horizontal forehead lines. The nerve quickly returns to normal body temperature, but the cold temporarily “injures” the nerve, allowing the signal to remain interrupted for some period of time after the procedure is performed. There is no permanent nerve damage.

While the technique is still being refined, results appear to be comparable to Botox, lasting for about three to four months. A local anesthetic is used for the 15 minute treatment and while the technique has only been studied in forehead wrinkles, plans to study its effectiveness on other parts of the face are underway. Headaches and skin redness were the most common side effects, with the level of discomfort comparable to that from Botox or fillers.

The technology is not expected to be used as a replacement for Botox, but as an alternative for those individuals who don’t want to inject a neurotoxin.