Step 1Consultation
A qualified prescribing clinician discusses your concerns, goals and medical history, and examines the area.
What is Relfydess?
Relfydess contains relabotulinumtoxinA, a botulinum toxin type A. It is a prescription-only medicine supplied as a ready-to-use solution for injection. The licence holder is Ipsen and it is distributed in the UK by Galderma.
Its dosing units are specific to Relfydess and are not interchangeable with the units of other botulinum toxin products.
How does it work?
RelabotulinumtoxinA temporarily blocks the nerve signals that cause the injected muscle to contract, reducing the muscle movement that creates certain lines. The product information reports a median onset of 2 to 3 days. Effects are temporary and vary between people; in clinical studies, effects were seen for up to 6 months in some patients.
Licensed Uses in the UK
- Temporary improvement in the appearance of moderate to severe frown lines between the eyebrows (glabellar lines), seen at maximum frown
- Temporary improvement in the appearance of moderate to severe crow's feet (lateral canthal lines), seen at maximum smile
- These areas may be treated alone or together
- Adults under 65, when the severity of the lines has an important psychological impact
What to Expect During Your Visit?
Step 2Prescribing assessment
Your clinician explains the potential benefits, risks, limitations and alternatives, and decides whether any prescription treatment is appropriate for you. You are under no obligation to proceed.
Step 3Review and aftercare
If treatment goes ahead, you receive written aftercare advice and a review is arranged. Contact the clinic, or seek urgent medical help, if you have any of the symptoms listed under risks.
Limitations and Risks
Limitations. Relfydess is licensed only for frown lines and crow’s feet. Effects are temporary, and treatments should not be given more often than every 12 weeks. Repeated treatment has not been studied beyond 52 weeks, and information for people aged 65 and over is limited. It is not recommended for anyone under 18.
Common side effects (up to 1 in 10 people) include headache, injection-site reactions such as bruising, swelling, redness, itching or pain, and, for frown lines, drooping of the eyelid. Less common effects include dizziness, blurred or impaired vision, dry or tired eyes, eyebrow drooping, eyelid swelling, hives and muscle weakness.
The effect of the toxin can spread beyond the injection site. This can cause double or blurred vision, drooping eyelids, muscle weakness, or difficulty swallowing or breathing, which can be life-threatening. Seek medical help straight away if these occur. Serious allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis, have been reported very rarely.
Information based on the UK Summary of Product Characteristics for Relfydess 100 units/mL solution for injection (Ipsen Biopharm Ltd; Galderma (U.K.) Ltd), text revised 19 December 2025. Read the SmPC on the electronic medicines compendium. This page does not replace the patient information leaflet or advice from your prescriber.
Frequently Asked Questions
Relfydess must not be used if you are allergic to any botulinum toxin product or any ingredient, if you have an infection at the injection site, or if you have myasthenia gravis, Lambert-Eaton syndrome or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (a form of motor neurone disease). It is not recommended if you have difficulty swallowing, lung problems or significant muscle weakness. Tell your clinician about all medicines you take.
No. Relfydess should not be used during pregnancy, by women who could become pregnant and are not using contraception, or while breastfeeding.
Seek medical help straight away if you have difficulty swallowing, speaking or breathing, double or blurred vision, generalised muscle weakness, or signs of a severe allergic reaction such as swelling of the face or throat, wheezing or a rash. Contact the clinic about any other side effect that worries you.
No. Each botulinum toxin product is a separate medicine with its own licence, dosing units and product information. Doses cannot be converted directly between products.
