Syn-Ake is an anti-wrinkle chemical based on a synthetic protein fragment that replicates part of the venom of the Malaysian Temple Viper, according to WrinkleDecrease.com. Pentapharm Ltd. of Switzerland markets Syn-Ake as an anti-aging product. This compound works in a manner similar to Botox to relax tight skin muscles that create wrinkles. Discuss all pharmaceutical choices, whether medical or cosmetic, with your doctor.

Facial wrinkles accumulate after years of activity by the 60 muscles you use to smile, frown and form all your other facial expressions. As the muscles grow stronger they pull your skin together into folds the way drapes gather along a curtain rod. Syn-Ake, and the better known Botox, reversibly relax those muscles by paralyzing them. While this allows your skin to lay smoother, it also takes away much of your ability to form facial expressions, according at research reported in a 2010 edition of the journal "Emotion." Users of these paralytic products sometimes develop a mask-like unexpressiveness which diminishes their emotional expressions as well as communication with others.

The snake venom compound which Syn-Ake is designed to mimic causes respiratory paralysis and death in mice, according to research published in the "Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics" in 1999. Newborn mice and adult rats are immune to the venom, showing variability in susceptibility. Temple Viper bites can be fatal to humans, and Syn-Ake paralyzes human skin muscles. Accidental leakage of Syn-Ake, applied topically to reduce facial wrinkles, into systemic blood, may cause generalized whole-body muscle weakness. This potential side effect has not been reported with application of facial creams containing Syn-Ake.

Results of clinical trials cited by WrinkleDecrease.com documented no higher than 52 percent reduction in facial wrinkle size achieved after 28 days of regular application, so you may not get satisfactory results from this product. In addition, the anti-wrinkle effect is not permanent.