How do botox alternatives work?

Hyping a topical product as a botox alternative or botox cream is some claim for any anti aging skin care manufacturer to make.

Around twenty years after the anti aging potential of botox injections was first spotted more and more topical products claim to deliver the same results without the needle.

A better than botox cream or serum is essentially a ‘line relaxer’ – just like real botox – they aim to reduce or eliminate your natural expression lines or “motion wrinkles” as derms call them. But do they work and should you buy one?

Peptide products

The active ingredients in many botox like products are peptides or neuropeptides.

Peptides are similar to amino acids that exist naturally in the body and target the tiny muscles that cause subtle (and some not so subtle!) expression lines.

One of the most well known in recent years is Argireline which is found in the Avon botox equivalent product line and also in DDF Wrinkle Release – among others.

There are a large number of products that use peptides and more recently advanced hexapeptide complexes like the new amazing product from Peter Thomas Roth –  FIRMx Growth Factor Extreme Neuropeptide Serum and the cheaper (but less effective) Dermaquest Skin Therapy Peptide Mobilizer.

GABA – botox like action

There are also some botox alternatives that use another emerging ingredient – GABA – the body’s natural muscle relaxant.

Freeze 24/7 is one of the most well known of these products and there are others that are equally successful like LiftFusion. Both these product lines claim that they produce instant line relaxing effects – just like botox.

The Dr Brandt skin care line is a real pioneer for GABA – especially Dr Brandt Crease Release which is a market leader in the area (see detailed comments later)

Although GABA on it’s own applied topically would not have any effect at all on the underlying muscles, skin care formulators claim that it works because it is combined with a range of other highly active anti aging ingredients. For instance in the LiftFusion product GABA is combined with a cocktail of peptides which the makers call M-tox – probably to get us to think it is just like botox.

Do botox creams work?

The question still remains – can any of these products really deliver results that are better than botox?

In a choice between applying an over the counter cream that works or costly botox injections – what woman would pick the injections? Surely it follows that if a true alternative existed botox just wouldn’t be so popular?

If you look at what many plastic surgeons and dermatologists tell us – a topically applied cream cannot possibly give you the same results as injecting a toxin in saline solution to stop muscle movements.

In the first place – such a product would not be sold over the counter as it would be too dangerous. In the second place – if skin care manufacturers had developed creams that did what botox does only better we would all know about it by now.

Whilst these arguments have some force – you may want to reflect that the people putting them forward are hardly neutral.

Cosmetic surgeons want to sell cosmetic procedures and facial treatments like botox – most doctors don’t have a skin care line but they do have expensive equipment and staff in their offices. In short it’s in their interests that you keep going for the injections.

Botox cream is holy grail for skin care companies

On the other hand – skin care technology is moving on and new anti aging creams are being developed all the time with effects that were pure fantasy only a few years early.  The new Peter Thomas Roth Serum is evidence of that.  

The holy grail for many skin care companies is probably still a botox like product and a lot of money is being spent to find the best botox alternative. We may not be all the way there yet – but many of these products are very good.

Botox alternative creams get good reviews

Even if you’re still not convinced take a look at some of the customer reviews of topical botox products on reputable online skin care sites like SkincareRX. There are a lot of highly positive reviews for many botox creams.

Despite doubts about how effective an instant wrinkle relaxer could be – Freeze 24/7 reviews are frequently ecstatic in the skin care forums. Similarly – although most of us might not accept that Lift Fusion really is botox in a bottle as the makers claim – there are plenty of happy users who say that it works. If these products weren’t working surely dissatisfied customers would be everywhere.

The truth is probably somewhere in the middle. Botox creams do have a place in anti aging skin care. Many top celebrities use them instead of or in between botox injections to prolong the anti wrinkle effect and celebrities have the power and money to use what works

Two botox alternatives to try

If you want to try a botox alternative here are two products that have great reviews and are leading edge in this market

Peter Thoma Roth FIRMx Growth Factor Extreme Neuropeptide Serum – is it just me or are skin care names getting longer nowadays?

FIRMx serum (for short) is an innovative new product that has already received a Good Housekeeping anti aging award and has earned rave reviews in most skin care sites.

Based on a “youth serum” containing a very high level (52%) of growth factor neurocomplex.  Claims to get your skin to act younger and customer reviews bear out significant improvements in skin tone, firmness and radiance.

There are no claims that FIRMx Serum is a botox alternative but it’s the hexapeptides that have the effect on lines and wrinkles – stopping those expression lines that lead to wrinkles.

This advanced product certainly appears to be better than botox since it improves suppleness and skin volume which is often lost with aging.  Definitely a serious contender as a botox alternative and way ahead of creams like Freeze24/7 that claim sensational results instantly.

Dr Brandt Crease Release – based on the GABA technology already has a huge celebrity following and rave reviews from satisfied customers on many beauty sites and forums.

The fact that Dr Brandt has produced a successful botox cream is interesting in itself. Dr Brandt is a world renowned cosmetic surgeon and a consultant to Allergan, the makers of botox

Dr Brandt was part of the team that worked on the trials of botox prior to FDA approval in 2002. You could say he was one of the most important pioneers for botox and is still a world expert in its use.

His cosmetic surgery practices in New York and Florida are the biggest users of botox in the world. If anyone knows what topical ingredient is likely to work as well as botox – it must be Dr Brandt.

Interestingly – he does not claim that Crease Release is better than botox. The GABA based product simply claims to mimic the action of botox and give you a botox like result.

Be realistic in your expectations

Providing you’re clear about what to expect, botox alternatives are probably a good buy.

Relaxing creams and serums will impact the tiny surface muscles near the skin’s surface so you will definitely see improvement in many lines and wrinkles.

You’ll also probably see improvement in overall skin tone, brightness and radiance with many of the products due to the combined effect of many of the highly active anti aging ingredients.

What you shouldn’t expect is that topical botox will totally remove or eliminate the look of your deeper lines and wrinkles. No cream or serum can do this. In fact not even botox itself could do this since it depends on repeated injections to work.

Using a quality botox product should firm skin and reduce expression lines without discomfort and you you won’t get frozen face, droopy eyelids or bunny wrinkles.

What’s more if you buy a quality product like Dr Brandt Crease Release or Peter Thomas Roth FIRMx Serum – you are going to be improving your skin and looks over the long term – not just for time it takes for the Botox to wear off!