Every facial retouching has its own particular indication. Here we would like to analyse two cornerstones of facial youthfulness: botulinum toxin and the surgical facelift, what they consist of, what the differences in results are, which are advisable and under what circumstances.

Botulinum to xin is universally recognised as an effective and safe product for smoothing facial wrinkles. it is the treatment par excellence for expression lines that often take over, giving the face a different, often angry or sad look. Botox is injected into the muscle, where it causes a transient paralysis. Basically, it blocks those mimic muscles that cause the appearance of unsightly expression lines such as crow's feet, frowns, forehead wrinkles, etc. The areas to be treated are therefore those of the forehead: forehead wrinkles, inter-brow furrows, furrows between the eyebrows, wrinkles around the eyes and expression lines.

Perfect for patients under 40 years of age, the treatment takes only a few minutes and is carried out in the doctor's office. Results can already be seen after a few days, while maximum effectiveness is achieved after about a week. The treatment generally lasts 4-5 months, after which there will be a slow recovery of muscle function and thus a progressive reappearance of wrinkles. For optimal and continuous results it is therefore a good idea to repeat the treatment a couple of times a year.

A facelift, on the other hand, is quite a different matter, as it is an actual surgical procedure. Lifting comes from the English verb 'to lift', which means 'to lift'. The operation restores freshness and radiance to the face byremoving excess skin and lifting skin and subcutaneous tissue.

The lifting is generally performed on people aged 40 to 70 years with excessive wrinkles and sagging of the face, premature ageing, the appearance of wrinkles, or loss of jaw profile due to prolapse of the overlying tissues.

As we said, this is a real surgical procedure involving extensive but well-hidden incisions in the scalp, in front of and behind the ear. The incisions allow the skin and subcutaneous tissue to be detached and 'lifted' upwards, allowing excess subcutaneous tissue to be removed. The result of the facelift is not definitive because ageing will proceed anyway, but it has a very good duration of about 5-7 years.

Basically, the main advantage of Botox treatment, compared to facelift surgery, is that it takes only a few minutes, is performed on an outpatient basis, is practically painless, and allows the patient to resume normal activities immediately. Facelift surgery, on the other hand, lasts much longer and allows the tissues to be lifted even in cases of severe laxity, where botulinum would not guarantee the same result. The choice therefore depends on several factors: the patient's age, the state of the tissues, and the willingness to undergo surgery or not. Only through a careful analysis of the patient and his or her real expectations will it be possible, together with the doctor, to identify the most appropriate procedure.