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Everything You Need to Know About Botox and Dysport5 min read

Middle-aged woman calmly receiving BOTOX injections from two skilled professionals. The practitioners, wearing medical gloves, are carefully administering the treatment into her nasolabial folds, targeting fine lines and wrinkles. The environment appears clean and professional.
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Wrinkles can come from many sources, and only some of them can be prevented. Smoking and excessive sun exposure without sunscreen, for example, can be mitigated against with the formation of health-conscious habits. However, there are other factors that we simply can’t avoid through lifestyle choices. The physical actions of frowning, smiling, and laughing, for example, can also lead to the formation of facial wrinkles. No one would recommend removing these activities from your life! But if you’d like to cover up the wrinkles that result, injectables could be the treatment for you. How can you tell which one is the best?

What is Botulinum Toxin?

Botulinum toxin, though it might sounf scary as a result of what we associate with the word “toxin,” is a perfectly safe neurotoxic protein that is used in small doses to create the products Botox and Dysport. They work to treat a range of medical conditions, but their most popular use, by far, is the diminishing of wrinkles. This is made possible by botulinum toxin’s ability to block certain nerves from triggering the muscle that wrinkles the skin.


Where these nerves and muscles would, unhindered, typically cause the skin to wrinkle so frequently that permanent wrinkles eventually form, the injection of botulinum toxin can cut off communication between the nerve and muscle by temporarily shutting down the nerve. Botulinum toxin’s ability to prevent facial wrinkles in this way has earned it a place in both Botox and Dysport products, which is a significant quality they have in common.

Botox vs. Dysport: Are They Different?

While both Botox and Dysport use botulinum toxin, they have several significant differences that you should be aware of if you are considering treatment for facial wrinkles. A very practical consideration for many is cost. These products are made of the same substance; shouldn’t they be the same price? Unfortunately, it’s not that simple. Dysport averages about $400 per session, and Botox can range from $300 to $600 per session.

Why the variation in price? It can depend on the specialist one sees, of course, but the difference can also be explained by the fact that Botox and Dysport are used to treat different things. All facial wrinkles are not created equal, and while both products can treat glabellar lines, only Botox can address forehead lines and crow’s feet as well. The exact kind of facial wrinkling you’re trying to minimize will, therefore, play a role in which option is right for you.

Beyond questions of price and facial areas treated, the most important difference between Botox and Dysport is who should avoid treatment. For example, people who have milk allergies should steer clear of Dysport. Milk allergies do not cause any complications, on the other hand, with Botox. If you are pregnant or taking particular medications to treat muscle spasms, you should hold off on both Botox and Dysport and explore other wrinkle treatment options for the time being. If you’re not in either of those categories, great! Let’s cover some more of the details of Botox and Dysport treatment for facial wrinkles.

How Much Botox Would I Need?

The first thing we need to note is that the effects of both Botox and Dysport wear off after a few months, meaning neither one is a permanent solution. Botox typically lasts between three and four months, but it also varies from individual to individual. Some people find that it lasts closer to six months, and for others the effects wear off in about two months. The truth is that each individual will have to discover for themselves how long the effects are visible on their body.

When it comes to the question of the number of units needed, this figure also varies. Standard procedure is for a dermatologist to give a new patient one to two units at each injection site. The body’s response to this test amount will help you and your dermatologist determine how many units of Botox or Dysport will be warranted to treat the areas of facial wrinkles you’d most like to address.In the case of Dysport, the muscle contractions that cause wrinkles are treated with injection in five areas around the foreheadAfter that initial testing period, the most typical number of units patients recieve depends on the area of the face being treated. In the case of Botox, the manufacturers recommend injections in five spots between the eyebrows. For crow’s feet, the wrinkles that appear on the sides of your eyes, there are three manufacturer-recommended injection sites around each eye. For the forehead the number increases to five, but, again, the exact figure will vary based on your dermatologist’s recommendations and your body’s responses.

What Can I Expect From Botox and Dysport?

When it comes to making a decision between Botox and Dysport to treat facial wrinkles, the nuts and bolts of the treatment will be important to understand. Both options are nonsurgical, with little to no recovery time needed after a round of injections. The procedure itself will take approximately 20 minutes for your dermatologist to conduct, and the most extreme physical consequences are a chance of slight numbness or pain. While this discomfort is not a guaranteed result of either treatment option, keep in mind that it has been reported by both Botox and Dysport patients.

After the treatment is conducted, when should you expect to see results? This depends on the product you chose. The effects of Dysport are typically visible within a couple of days, and then last for three to four months at a time. The physical effects of Botox, on the other hand, can take slightly longer to appear. The timespan here can range from one week to one month, with the wrinkle-fighting effect also lasting a handful of months before an additional treatment is warranted.

Whether it’s Botox or Dysport that’s right for you, schedule an appointment today to take your first step closer to smoother, radiant skin!

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