Only when you move
Lines that move with you
Gone completely when your face is at rest. This is the easiest stage and the one where relaxing the muscle works best. Treating now also slows the progression toward lines that stay.
Line and wrinkle treatment at Cannelle Skin Clinic in Oxford is chosen by whether your lines still move. Dr Mattia Parducci uses anti-wrinkle injections, Profhilo, polynucleotides and Endolift, dosed so your face still moves and still looks like yours.
First they show only when you move. Then they linger a moment after you stop. Eventually they stay. Where yours sit on that sequence decides whether relaxing a muscle will help, or whether the skin itself needs rebuilding.
They begin as movement lines. Every expression folds the skin in the same place, thousands of times a year, but young skin has enough collagen and elastin to spring back flat the moment your face relaxes. At this stage the line only exists while you are making the expression. Then they start settling. Repeated folding gradually breaks down the collagen along the crease, so the line takes a little longer to disappear and eventually leaves a faint shadow at rest. Finally they become etched: the structural damage along the fold is established, and the line is there whether your face moves or not.
That progression matters because the treatments work at different points on it. Relaxing the muscle stops the folding, which is highly effective on movement lines and preventative against the ones not yet formed. It does considerably less for a line already etched, because the damage is in the skin rather than in the movement. Etched lines need the skin itself rebuilt.
Two other things are usually happening alongside. Skin quality declines, so the surface becomes crepey independently of any single line. And volume is lost underneath, which drops the whole structure and deepens folds that muscle relaxation never touches. Noticing the deflation beneath a line is usually what separates a result that lasts from one that fades.
Look in the mirror with your face completely still, then make the expression. The difference between the two tells you more than anything else.
Only when you move
Gone completely when your face is at rest. This is the easiest stage and the one where relaxing the muscle works best. Treating now also slows the progression toward lines that stay.
A faint shadow
Still there faintly when you stop moving, but softer than when you frown or smile. The crease has begun to break down. Relaxing the muscle plus rebuilding the skin along the line works better than either alone.
Quality, not creases
Fine crinkling across the cheeks, under the eyes or on the neck, rather than distinct lines. This is skin quality rather than muscle movement, so injections aimed at expression will do nothing for it.
There whatever you do
Present at complete rest and unchanged by expression. The collagen along the fold is genuinely damaged. Softening rather than erasing is the realistic aim, and it needs resurfacing rather than relaxation.
Two problems at once
Folds deepening around the mouth and cheeks as the face empties beneath them. Treating the line without restoring the support above it rarely satisfies. This usually needs volume first and lines second.
Starting early
Nothing settled yet, but you can see where it is heading. Small, conservative doses used early genuinely slow the progression. The aim is a face that still moves, not a frozen one, and we will say no if you do not need it.
These four work at different points in the sequence above. Which one suits you depends entirely on whether your lines still move.
| Compare | Anti-wrinkle injectionsFor movement lines | ProfhiloFor crepey skin | PolynucleotidesFor settling lines | EndoliftFor etched lines and laxity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |  |  |  | |
| Best for | Anti-wrinkle injections Lines that appear only on expression | Profhilo Fine crepey texture and dehydrated skin | Polynucleotides Lines beginning to settle, and thin skin | Endolift Etched lines with genuine skin laxity |
| Typical course | Anti-wrinkle injections Every three to four months | Profhilo Two sessions, four weeks apart | Polynucleotides Two to three sessions, fortnightly | Endolift Usually a single treatment |
| Downtime | Anti-wrinkle injections None, small marks settle within an hour | Profhilo Small bumps settling within hours | Polynucleotides Small bumps settling within hours | Endolift Swelling and bruising for several days |
| Performed by | Anti-wrinkle injections Dr Mattia Parducci | Profhilo Dr Mattia Parducci | Polynucleotides Dr Mattia Parducci | Endolift Dr Mattia Parducci |
| Price from | Anti-wrinkle injections £225 | Profhilo £350 | Polynucleotides £350 | Endolift £1,350 |
| See anti-wrinkle injections | See Profhilo | See polynucleotides | See Endolift |
Dr Mattia performs every injectable treatment here personally.
All four are performed by Dr Mattia Parducci. Most people over forty end up combining two, because movement and skin quality are usually both involved. Morpheus8 is a useful alternative where laxity is the dominant problem. UltraClear laser resurfacing is the option where lines are etched and the skin surface needs rebuilding rather than relaxing.
Muscle relaxation
Small doses placed into specific muscles so they stop folding the skin above them. Highly effective on forehead, frown and crow’s feet lines that still move, and the best preventative we have. Dosed to keep your expressions rather than remove them.
Bio remodelling
Slow release hyaluronic acid that spreads through the skin to hydrate and firm it. It does nothing to muscle movement, so it is the answer for crepey texture rather than for creases, and it works particularly well on the neck.
Regenerative
Purified DNA fragments that prompt the skin to repair itself, thickening thin skin and improving the quality along a settling line. Particularly useful around the eyes and mouth where the skin is thinnest.
Laser, doctor performed
A micro optical fibre passed under the skin, delivering laser energy that tightens and stimulates collagen without any surgical incision. This is our answer where lines are etched and the skin has genuinely slackened rather than simply creased.
The assessment is done with your face moving and at rest, because the difference between the two decides everything.
Dr Mattia Parducci watches how you actually express yourself, since a line pattern only makes sense in the context of the muscles making it. He checks whether the line persists at rest, how thin the skin around it is, and whether volume loss underneath is deepening folds that no muscle relaxation will reach. He is deliberately conservative on dose. The aim here is a face that still looks like yours and still moves, which matters more to most people than the last ten per cent of a line.
If your lines are etched, he will say plainly that softening rather than erasing is the realistic outcome, and that it will take a resurfacing or tightening treatment rather than an injection.
Avoid alcohol and anti-inflammatory painkillers for a couple of days to reduce bruising. Tell us about any neuromuscular condition, pregnancy or breastfeeding. Come prepared to move your face a great deal during the assessment.
Injections take ten to fifteen minutes and feel like brief pinpricks; no numbing is usually needed. Profhilo and polynucleotides are a small number of injections at set points. Endolift takes longer and is done under local anaesthetic.
Small raised marks settle within an hour after anti-wrinkle injections, with the effect appearing between days three and five and full at two weeks. Stay upright for four hours and skip the gym that day. Endolift involves swelling and bruising for several days.
Home care genuinely slows the sequence described above, and it is worth doing whether or not you ever have treatment.
Daily broad spectrum sunscreen is the single most effective anti-wrinkle product available, because ultraviolet exposure degrades collagen and elastin faster than time alone does. A retinoid used consistently over months thickens the skin, improves texture and softens fine lines; it is the only topical ingredient with a strong evidence base for that. A well formulated moisturiser makes fine lines look better immediately by plumping the surface, which is temporary but real. Sleeping on your back reduces the sleep creases that etch over decades, and not smoking matters more than any product.
Where home care stops is with muscle movement. No cream relaxes a muscle, so nothing topical prevents the folding that creates expression lines in the first place. Nor will anything applied to the surface rebuild collagen along a line that is already etched. Facial exercises are frequently recommended online and are not a good idea here: more movement means more folding, and they can accelerate the very lines they claim to prevent.
If deflation is the bigger part of your picture, our facial volume loss page is the better starting point.
Anti-wrinkle injections start at £225 for one area, £285 for two and £345 for three. Profhilo and polynucleotides start at £350. Endolift is £1,350. All are confirmed at your consultation.
Typically three to four months. It wears off gradually rather than suddenly. With regular treatment some people find the interval lengthens, because the muscle becomes less strong over time.
Not if the dose is right. Dr Mattia deliberately treats conservatively so your face still moves and still looks like yours. A frozen result is a dosing choice, not an inevitable outcome.
When lines begin to linger after the expression has finished. That is usually late twenties to mid thirties, though it varies enormously. Starting before there is anything to treat is not useful and we will tell you so.
Softened considerably, yes. Once the collagen along a fold is damaged the realistic aim is a significant reduction, achieved by rebuilding the skin rather than by relaxing the muscle.
They do unrelated jobs. Injections stop muscles folding the skin. Profhilo improves the quality of the skin itself. If your problem is crepey texture rather than creases, injections will not help at all.
Anti-wrinkle injections feel like brief pinpricks and need no numbing for most people. Profhilo and polynucleotides are similar. Endolift is performed under local anaesthetic and is a bigger undertaking.
Small raised marks and occasional bruising are common and brief. Rarely, a brow or eyelid can feel heavy for a few weeks if product spreads, which settles fully. Doctor led placement makes that considerably less likely.
No. We do not perform injectable treatment during pregnancy or breastfeeding. Good skincare and sun protection are perfectly safe in the meantime.
A micro optical fibre passed beneath the skin to deliver laser energy that tightens and stimulates collagen, without surgery. It suits etched lines with genuine laxity, where injections and skin boosters have reached their limit.
Yes, and a good number do. Men generally have stronger facial muscles and need higher doses to achieve the same effect, which is factored into the plan.
Yes. Whether your lines still move, how thin the skin is and whether volume loss is involved all change the recommendation, and none of it can be judged from a photograph.
Verified Google reviews from the clinic.
I visited Cannelle for a consultation with Dr Mattia about excessive sweating. He was incredibly thorough, took his time to understand exactly what I was looking for and explained everything clearly. The clinic is spotlessly clean and the whole team made me feel at ease. Really impressed and will definitely be returning.
Fantastic. Very welcoming, explained the process and kept me updated throughout. I can already see an improvement in my skin texture and tone. Would highly recommend and cannot wait to return.
I had a lovely facial here. Sajida took the time to listen to my skin concerns and recommend the appropriate treatment.
Our clinic is located in Summertown, Oxford, just north of the city centre in one of Oxford’s most sought-after neighbourhoods. Discreet and easy to reach, we offer a premium setting for bespoke skin, aesthetic and wellness care.
We welcome patients from across Oxford city and Oxfordshire, including Summertown, Headington, Kidlington, Abingdon, Bicester, Witney and the surrounding towns and villages. Whether you’re coming for routine skin-health treatments or specialist aesthetic consultations, our location is well connected and simple to access.
Our clinic, Cannelle Skin Clinic, is just minutes from Oxford city centre and easily reached by car, bus or rail. Oxford’s mainline stations Oxford Station and Oxford Parkway are a short taxi or bus ride away, and regular services link to London, Reading, Didcot, Banbury and beyond.
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