Using botulinum toxin type A injections for cosmetic purposes has become commonplace over the past couple of decades. According to the author of a new study from Italy, however, objectively measuring the procedure’s effectiveness poses something of a challenge. Study author Maurizio Cavallini, M.D., a plastic surgeon in Milan, Italy, acknowledges that methods employed to evaluate the treatment’s efficacy are validated and reliable, but notes that they are usually based on subjective factors. He says an objective, quantitative scale is still needed. Dr. Cavallini proposes an objective, fast and reproducible method to evaluate the severity of wrinkles with a three-dimensional imaging and texture analysis. In his study he used Digital Analysis of the Cutaneous Surface (DACS) to analyze cutaneous texture. Measures were taken in the glabellar area before and one month after injecting 15 units of Botox into each of eight female patients. DACS was able to detect improvement in all cases. On average, static lines decreased by 12.4% and dynamic lines by 41.2%. Read more at Cosmetic Surgery Times.