06/09/2026
The term ātop-upā when talking about wrinkle treatments is, misleading.
An ethical treatment should be appropriately planned and dosed from the outset.
The dose required is not something that should be guessed at and then gradually increased until the practitioner gets the desired result. It is based on anatomy, muscle strength and movement, the treatment area, the individual patient- alongside years of clinical experience and decades of research into these medications.
Occasionally, a small adjustment is appropriate.
Perhaps there is a slight asymmetry.
Perhaps one particularly persistent muscle remains a little more active than anticipated.
Or perhaps another muscle has become more noticeable after a neighbouring muscle has been treated.
That is a āreview and minor adjustmentā- not a āsecond partā of your treatment.
And importantly, a small adjustment does not reset the clock or extend the overall longevity of your treatment.
For too long, patients have been led to believe that treatment is supposed to involve an automatic ātop-upā a few weeks later.
It shouldnāt.
An experienced medical practitioner should aim to get the initial treatment right, rather than deliberately starting low simply to see how little they can use and then selling the subsequent correction as a ātop-upā.
So when choosing who to trust with your face, look beyond the price.
Look for experience, medical knowledge, appropriate prescribing, clinical governance and integrity.
Because sometimes paying more means you are paying for something much more important than a cheaper price per unit:
You are paying for someone who has a duty of care to you.
And that should never be considered an optional extra.
