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Comparison of Effectiveness and Safety of a Botulinum Toxin Monotherapy and a Combination Therapy with Hyaluronic Acid Filler for Improving Glabellar Frown

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  • Non-Surgical Aesthetic
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Abstract

Background

Among numerous cosmetic procedures for face rejuvenation performed all over the world, botulinum toxin type A (BoNT-A) for wrinkles is one of the most widely practiced procedures. However, for severe frowns, the application of botulinum toxin is often insufficient. In this study, the effects of hyaluronic acid filler combination therapy and the BoNT-A alone were evaluated.

Methods

Forty subjects with 2 or higher points (moderate to severe) of a facial wrinkle scale (FWS) when frowning in the glabellar area were assigned to 2 group: Botulinum toxin type A monotherapy group and a combination regimen of the toxin and hyaluronic acid filler group. Subjects visited outpatient department every 4 weeks until 28 weeks after the injection, and the assessment of the efficacy using FWS, subject satisfaction at both resting and maximum frowning and safety analysis were performed.

Results

Subjects of both group was administered 18U of BoNT-A and the subjects of the combination group received additional 0.45mL of hyaluronic acid filler regimen. Both at rest and maximum frown, the combination group scored lower FWS than the toxin and showed significance in the week-20 and week-28. And at final visit, subject satisfaction score of the combination was higher than that of toxin group.

Conclusion

For patients with moderate to severe glabellar frown, the combined administration of BoNT-A and hyaluronic acid filler could be a considerable treatment for improving wrinkles.

Level of Evidence III

This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266.

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Funding

This work was supported by the Soonchunhyang University Research Fund.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, College of Medicine, Soonchunhyang University, Soonchunhyang University Bucheon Hospital, 1174, Jung-dong, Wonmi-gu, Bucheon-si, Gyeonggi-do, 420-767, Republic of Korea

    Jun Hyun Kim, Eun Soo Park, Seung Min Nam & Chang Yong Choi

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  1. Jun Hyun Kim
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  2. Eun Soo Park
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  3. Seung Min Nam
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  4. Chang Yong Choi
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Correspondence to Eun Soo Park.

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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional research board (IRB) and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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All participants in this study had written well-informed consent.

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Kim, J.H., Park, E.S., Nam, S.M. et al. Comparison of Effectiveness and Safety of a Botulinum Toxin Monotherapy and a Combination Therapy with Hyaluronic Acid Filler for Improving Glabellar Frown. Aesth Plast Surg 46, 1872–1880 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00266-022-02895-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00266-022-02895-7

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