Botox Has a Competitor!

Pretty bold, considering there are about 4 million Botox injections given yearly! The stuff is used to treat everything from wrinkles to damp palms to writer’s cramp to urgent bladders. Read more about Botox.

Zap “The 11s”



The new kid on the block is not another drug, but a machine that zaps the nerve allowing you to scrunch up the area between your eyes. (Plastic surgeons call that area “The 11s” because it looks like, well, a big number 11 on your forehead.) The treatment is known as GFX, or glabellar furrow relaxation. Read more.

Approved by the FDA, here’s how GFX works: the doc asks you to frown real hard so he can locate your frown muscles. (I don’t know about you, but I automatically go into a massive frown at the mere mention of doctor bills!)

No More Frowning

Then, the doctor numbs up your forehead and uses a small needle to find the nerve that triggers a frown. Next, a little RF (radio frequency) energy is aimed at the nerve to zap its activity. Presto! No more frowning, even if you wanted to. Even over doctor bills! The nerve isn’t destroyed; it’s just in total shock for a while.


Showing “The 11s”.

The upside: while it requires Botox a couple of days to show results that only last for three to five months, GFX is said to last anywhere from eight to 18 months.

Downside: Botox costs anywhere from $250 to $450 per treatment depending on where you live. But because only two U.S. physicians are currently delivering GFX, a treatment is running anywhere from $1800 to $3000.

Read more about plastic surgery costs.