IT'S a mild form of rat poison that's guaranteed to reduce facial wrinkles and it's the secret behind Cliff Richard's enduring youthfulness.

Botox - a muscle relaxant refined from the highly toxic botulism bacteria - is a wonder drug that's taking the world of cosmetic treatments by storm.

It works by paralysing the muscles that cause us to frown, thereby smoothing away the wrinkles and stopping them becoming any deeper.

Southampton businessman Mario Errigo decided to have the Botox treatment after his girlfriend Jemma told him about it.

Jemma, 24, works at the Transform Medical Group's Southampton clinic in Cappella House, Kingsway, which offers Botox as a cosmetic surgery treatment.

Mario had become concerned that his frown lines were becoming too deep. He decided to try it.

He said: "I like to dress well, I always like to look smart when I can. I'm a bit of a labels man: I would rather buy one decent suit than three cheap ones.

"I've also probably got

more cosmetic products than my girlfriend, but I just like

to make the most of my

appearance.

"I had my first treatment six months ago. When I frown, my forehead doesn't crease up.

"It felt a little bit strange for the first couple of days, but then you get used to the fact that when you smile or frown your face doesn't work like it

used to."

Mario, of Ocean Village, works as a chef/partner of a business called Snackattack Catering, based in Winchester. The job entails a lot of late hours and a fair amount of stress.

"I'm not sure if I'm going to have six treatments to make it permanent. But it does work, it does smooth things out and the results are quite impressive.

"Cliff Richard looks good for his age. There must be a lot of guys out there who would like to look that good at his age. And if Botox is helping that, then great. He's a good advert for it."

Jemma said: "I thought he was in his early 30s when I met him, I couldn't believe he was in

his 40s.

"But he had quite deep frown lines and that was starting to bother him, so I mentioned the Botox treatment and he decided to give it a go.

"With Mario it took about four days to have any affect. He looked like he had had a really good rest. He doesn't really look 44, people don't notice a big age difference between us."

Consultant plastic surgeon, Azhar Aslam said personality plays an important role in where we develop our wrinkles.

"Very expressive people tend to have deeper frown lines and crow's feet round the eyes through laughter.

"It's a combination of genetics and habits, nutrition, sunlight exposure and smoking.

"Botox prevents the neurotransmitter from working in a particular area of the face, effectively inactivating the muscle. So when the person tries to frown - he can't.

Botox takes effect three or four days after being injected into the muscle and lasts for up to six months.

For a permanent effect, the treatment has to be repeated between four and six times. For more information call the clinic on 023 8022 4447.