McKeown Medical
167 Bath Street, Glasgow, G2 4SQ
When a new wrinkle-relaxing treatment comes to market, it often generates a lot of buzz but at McKeown Medical, we prefer evidence over hype.
Date posted — 23.10.25
Although all of these new drugs come to market with clinical trial evidence to support the manufacturing claims, we know that pharmaceutical companies often have a way of getting trials to say what they want them to say. What we are really interested in is what happens in the real world, and that’s what we wanted to find out.
Around six months ago, we began offering Relfydess, a next-generation botulinum toxin that promised faster onset, longer duration, and a smoother aesthetic finish compared to traditional products like Botox® and Azzalure®. To understand whether these claims translate into real-world results, we conducted a structured patient satisfaction survey: first shortly after we introduced the product to assess the short term impact, and again nearly six months later. The goal was to find out whether patients genuinely noticed a difference in how Relfydess works and lasts compared to their usual toxin treatment.
When we first introduced Relfydess earlier this year, initial feedback from our patients was promising. Many reported that their results appeared to take effect slightly sooner than they were used to and described a particularly “crisp” or “polished” look to the final result.
The main drawback at that early stage? The injections themselves were more uncomfortable than those from conventional toxin formulations. This is consistent with what we expected based on the product’s formulation, which has a different pH and lacks certain buffering ingredients used in traditional toxins.
Encouraged by these early impressions, we wanted to assess whether these perceived benefits held true over time. You can read the full early results here.
We have now approached the same patients who were treated in the first month of us offering Relfydess and 62 patients responded, all of whom had previously used other botulinum toxins before switching to Relfydess. We asked three simple questions:
Here’s what our patients said.
This result confirms what many patients reported early on: a noticeably quicker onset. For busy patients who like to see results promptly before a special event, this may be a meaningful advantage.
More than half of patients preferred the aesthetic finish achieved with Relfydess. The most common description was a “refined” or “cleaner” look, suggesting subtle qualitative differences in how the product diffuses in facial muscles and how movement settles over time.
Durability is one of the key areas where Relfydess claims superiority, and our data seems to support that — at least modestly. Over half of patients felt their results lasted longer, with only a small minority perceiving shorter duration.
These findings build on our earlier short-term impressions and suggest that Relfydess delivers tangible advantages for a majority of patients, particularly in terms of faster onset and potentially improved longevity. This is not in manufacturer sponsored clinical trials but in a real world setting.
However, as with all aesthetic treatments, results vary between individuals. Those who already achieved excellent outcomes with their previous toxin may find the differences subtle. For others, especially those who had started to feel their results weren’t lasting as long as they once did, Relfydess appears to offer a welcome improvement.
We also continue to monitor the issue of injection discomfort. While most patients find it tolerable, we’ve adapted our injection technique by adding in a small amount of local anaesthetic to help reduce stinging and will continue refining this as experience grows.
The takeaway is clear: Relfydess is not simply a marketing gimmick – it appears to offer real, patient-perceived benefits. That said, it’s not necessarily the right choice for everyone. Our team will continue to offer a range of botulinum toxin options, tailoring each treatment to your goals, comfort level, and previous experiences.
If you’re curious about whether Relfydess might be a good option for you, we’d encourage you to book a consultation with one of our clinicians to discuss your aesthetic goals in more detail.
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Relfydess is one of the most talked-about and exciting new arrivals in the world of aesthetic medicine — a next-generation...
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Relfydess is one of the most talked-about and exciting new arrivals in the world of aesthetic medicine — a next-generation...
We’ve been in our new home for a year now and I thought this would be a good time to remind you just how special it is with a little video tour.
It’s been a remarkable year for us in our new home; we’ve introduced new doctors, new treatments, new services and our team continues to grow from strength to strength - always striving to provide more and better for our wonderful patients.
Enjoy the tour!
About last night… It was time once again for our annual Christmas celebration with this absolute bunch of legends. We were a little earlier than usual this year so we could have has many people available as possible, and the evening did not disappoint.
A few sore heads this morning, but absolutely worth it to celebrate the hard work this team dedicate to our patients day in, day out all year round. I am very proud to have the undisputed best team on the planet. Merry Christmas everyone! 🎄
Fine lines etched into the skin around the mouth - this is a common problem and in this patient`s case she had what we call ‘actinic elastosis’, whereby abnormal bands of elastin build up in the skin as a result of years of previous sun exposure.
When patients have this condition, the gold standard way of dealing with it is fully ablative laser resurfacing. It’s an intense treatment with two weeks of downtime afterwards, but the results are spectacular - just like in this lovely patient.
The after photo is three weeks after the treatment and you can see that the skin is still a little pink, which will continue to fade over the next few months.
The patient is already delighted with the result - what do you think?
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas!
At least according to Michael Buble, who’s been on repeat in the clinic this week. The decorations are up and we are officially in ‘our season’. The clinic has been packed with everyone having their skin polished in time to make it on the nice list. If you’ve still to make a pre-Christmas appointment, we’ve still got some spaces left for your festive glow up.
Ho ho ho everyone… It’s time for Santa!!!! 🎅🏻
Ok, so this is the one we’ve all been waiting for. Sofwave : the results, in our hands!!!
This is the first patient we treated with @sofwave.uk when we were assessing the machine and deciding whether or not to buy it. These are the patient`s own photos that she kept throughout the healing journey.
Now do you see why we are so excited?! 🤩
#sofwave
#sofwavemed
#SUPERB
#sofwavemedical
#sofwavejourney
#sofwaveexperience
We are now well up and running with @sofwave.uk , much to the excitement of the whole team in the clinic (we are all queuing up to get a shot!)
This is a little video of the treatment being performed, so you can see what the process is like and there is even a little early preview of the results at the end.
One of the best parts is that there is no downtime, so we can still fit it in before Christmas without worrying about redness in the party season!
What do you think?
#sofwave
#sofwavemed
#SUPERB
#sofwavemedical
#sofwavejourney
#sofwaveexperience
We`re absolutely delighted to introduce you to our lovely new doctor, Dr Sharon.
With over 30 years’ experience as a medical doctor and a decade specialising in aesthetic medicine, Dr Sharon brings exceptional skill, warmth and a deeply patient-centred approach to every treatment.
She joins us with extensive expertise in injectables, including advanced toxin and filler techniques, and will also be leading our regenerative aesthetics offering with Ameela polynucleotides and Ameela Exosomes - two of the most exciting developments in skin rejuvenation. She will also be offering Profhilo and Profhilo Structura!
We have a super exciting new addition to the clinic this week, with the launch of @sofwavemed.
Sofwave is an incredible skin tightening technology that has been around for five years now. I am never first to the queue with new devices because so many don’t deliver and disappear within a couple of years of launch. Sofwave however has continued to grow in popularity over the years and earlier this year I decided I had to find out what all the fuss was about.
I asked the reps to bring it round for us to play with and we treated a few of our patients to see what the results were like and, three months later not only was I signing the purchase order I was asking how quickly I could get one of the reps round to treat me 😊
Sofwave works using ultrasound waves to create a thermal injury to the deeper layers of the skin, initiating a healing response which over a period of several months results in a skin tightening effect.
I have trialled a number of ultrasound devices in the past and have never bought any of them because I was always disappointed in the results. There are a couple of things that I think makes Sofwave different.
First, it only goes to 1.5mm which means all of the energy is being delivered to the skin. Most other devices go down to 3 or 4mm, by which point you are past the skin and into the fat which can, if anything, have a worsening effect on volume loss. The second difference that I think is important is that it treats a bigger proportion of the surface area of the skin.
We have a new page on our website where you can read all about Sofwave and how it works, but for now, enjoy some of these before and afters that the manufacture supplied.
Let me know what you think!
Lower eyelid surgery is one of the more challenging operations in aesthetic practice. If we can avoid it, we normally try to help our patients chose non-surgical paths using laser or fillers.
However, there are some situations where it can’t be avoided, especially when there is excess fat under the eye causing puffiness. This is exactly what this patient had and so the very talented @bramhallplasticsurgery performed an upper and lower blepharoplasty for him. Whilst we often do the upper eyelids without doing the lower eyelids, usually when we do the lower eyelids we always need to do the uppers too.
This patient is now a couple of months out from surgery and loving his result. What do you think?