New gel may work like Botox but without the needle

(Lucky Business/shutterstock.com)

Don't like needles or crow's feet? A new topical gel containing the same ingredient as Botox may soon be within reach to smooth away wrinkles without the pain.

On September 21, health website WebMD reported on the new topical gel containing botulinum toxin type A, the same as in injectable Botox, to reduce wrinkling around the eyes.

The product, created by Revance Therapeutics in California, has undergone two clinical studies showing promising results with few side effects. For the product to take effect, a patient needs to sit with the gel around the eye area for 30 minutes before it is wiped off. The gel works by penetrating the skin to "relax" the underlying muscles, similar to Allergan's Botox or other cosmetic injectables, including Dysport and Xeomin.

Researcher and New York City plastic surgeon Michael Kane will present the results of the studies on Saturday, September 24, at the annual meeting of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons in Denver, Colorado.

WebMD reported that no head-to-head comparisons have yet been made between the new gel and injectable products. Also the gel needs to undergo another round of trials before reaching approval from the US Food and Drug Administration.

Meanwhile, for those who want beauty with less pain, US-based company BellaNovus recently announced its new line of Ouchless Needle devices - small, disposable needles that numb the injection site while simultaneously cooling the surrounding skin. Traditional local anesthetic creams on the injection site can take more than half an hour to take effect, but BellaNovus may offer a way around this problem, by delivering a "precise stream of numbing vapocoolant to the skin just ahead of the tip of the needle just before the skin is pierced, and does not leave patients with post injection numbness."