Botox vs Dysport – How To Choose Your Wrinkle Treatment

If you’re looking for the best wrinkle treatment you’ve probably heard of the most popular options: Botox and Dysport.

 

“Botulinum toxin injections, are medical treatments that are used to help relax facial muscles.” – explains Dr. Tahini from Skin Works Medical Spa in Torrance.

 

Botox is the original one and has become a generic term, but these two brands work by very similar mechanisms.  Simply put, when you inject them, they block the signal going between the nerves going to the muscle, so the muscle can’t cause wrinkles.

 

Dr. Tahsini shares with you the differences between these two wrinkle treatments.

 

Botox vs Dysport: Which treatment?

 

There’s definitely no denying, the B-word, the miraculous treatment for wrinkles and fine lines, has been a talking point of late.

 

Botox injections are one of the most popular cosmetic treatments in the world and there are a plethora of celebs who are rumored as swearing by youth-keeping injections. And this is not just in the media, it is also a talking point within the close circle of friends too.

 

Would you? Wouldn’t you? Have you?

 

So, what is Botox? 

Botox is a drug made from a toxin produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. It’s the same toxin that causes a life-threatening type of food poisoning called botulism. However, while it has been described as “the most poisonous substance known”, it all comes down to purity and dose when used safely for cosmetic purposes.

 

Botox® injections are easy with minimal discomfort if administered by a skillful medical professional. Botox smoothes or eliminates fine lines and wrinkles in the following areas: in between the eyebrows, forehead, and around the eyes as well as additional areas. It can also be used to treat overactive sweat glands (axillary hyperhidrosis).

 

Prior to having the procedure done, the patient should realize that Botox does not actually erase lines, but relaxes them. What this means is that deeper lines will become somewhat less deep and superficial lines will nearly disappear.

 

It may be necessary for you to have additional procedures, such as the use of dermal filler substances (for example, Restylane, Juvederm, or Radiesse) in order to plump up the wrinkles that are now relaxed. Additionally, it may be necessary to have two or three sessions of treatment for deeper wrinkles before results become optimal.

 

Results can be noticed within 24 to 48 hours after treatment for moderate to severe frown lines. The results from treatment last up to 4 months.

 

Dysport

Dysport is a new competitor to Botox in the US but has been used in Europe for several years. There is also another competitor, Xeomin. All of these products are relatively similar.

 

Dysport® is approved to be injected into the muscles in the Glabella area (between the eyebrows) which improves the look of moderate to severe lines in between the brows. It can also be injected in additional areas of the face.

 

Untreated muscles still work normally, so you can continue to express feelings naturally. It is used by both women and men who want to reverse the look of aging. Because Dysport delivers the natural-looking results people want, 97% of users say they’d do it again. Similar to Botox, results can be noticed within 24 to 48 hours after treatment for moderate to severe frown lines.

Botox vs Dysport

 

Dr. Tahsini says that overall Botox and Dysport are very similar. Both are a type of botulinum type A used to relax the muscles that cause frown lines and other overactive muscles of the face, like forehead lines. He says it’s like comparing apples to apples.

 

The four main differences

 

1- The most popular advantage of Dysport is that it takes its effect a lot sooner than Botox.

 

This is because Dysport has fewer proteins that surround the molecule, which allows for quicker absorption by the body. Clinical studies found that Dysport diffuses more (i.e., spreads to a wider area) during the injection.

 

This can be beneficial when treating a larger area, such as wide forehead wrinkles, and areas with thinner muscles, such as crows’ feet since they would require fewer injections due to the spreading.

 

Fewer injections mean that there is a smaller likelihood of potential discomfort, swelling, or bruising for you. However, there is also an onset of this.

 

Unless the Physician is an experienced injector with a good understanding of more complex musculature (around the eyes, between the eyebrows), Dysport could spread into unwanted areas causing untoward side effects like blurry vision.

 

2- Dysport is slightly cheaper.

 

3– Dysport and Botox “units” are not the same.

 

so you can’t expect to use the same number of Dysport units that you are used to using in Botox units. The ratio of Dysport to Botox units is generally 2.5-3:1 (2.5-3 times more Dysport units per Botox unit).

 

4– Ultimately, it is far more important WHO is injecting your Botox or Dysport, than which of these two products you are using.

Not sure what works best for you?

 

At Skin Works Medical Spa, we have a variety of Anti-Aging injectables that you can find in our Botox® Cosmetics section. If you are not sure which one to go for, we suggest you take advantage of a Complimentary Skin Analysis before your first treatment.

 

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When you ask for a Complimentary Skin Analysis, we will direct you to our online calendar. From there, you can easily suggest a time for your appointment. Your request is non-binding and we will always call you back to confirm.

On the day of your appointment, upon your arrival at Skin Works Medical Spa, our caring and highly-trained medical staff will thoroughly examine your skin with the state of the art VISIA® Complexion Analysis System. This allows the computer to take standardized facial photos of your skin’s pigmentation spots, wrinkles, texture, and pores. It also addresses vascularity of the skin, and porphyrins. Additionally, it allows you to visualize your skin in 3D and determine your Truskin age. What is that? It’s an easy to understand analysis of your skin’s problems. We bring science and technology to your help. So once for all, you know if you really need to spend all that money on different products.

Then, Dr. Tahsini will see you discuss your skin care concerns and goals. Based on your skin analysis results, Dr. Tahsini will provide you with your personalized options.

By the end of the session, we will inform you about all your possible options and the costs involved.

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