Good Botox and Dysport: Which is Right For You?

“Yes! I found a new wrinkle! It looks fantastic!” said no one ever.

None of us want to look older than we have to, especially when looking older often means looking tired, unhealthy, and sleep-deprived too. 40 may be the new 30 but it doesn’t always look like it.

That’s why Botox and Dysport injections are so popular. In fact, one study reports that Americans received over 7.4 million of these treatments in 2018.

You know you want to do something about your wrinkles and you know that Botox and Dysport are popular choices. But which one is right for you? Here’s what you need to know to decide between Botox or Dysport.

Botox or Dysport: The Ultimate Comparison

Like many others in our industry, our medical spa is proud to offer both Botox and Dysport. As similar as they are, we provide both because different choices work best for different patients. Here’s how they compare to each other.

What They Are

Botox and Dysport are two similar brand name medications. They’re designed to treat a certain type of wrinkles: wrinkles that are formed from contraction of facial muscles.

After years of making the same repeated facial expressions, the muscle forms a permanent wrinkle in the skin.

This is the problem behind crow’s feet, frown lines between your eyebrows, and forehead creases.

Botox and Dysport are purified forms of a protein called botulinum toxin. When a skilled medical professional injects them into precise muscles, the medications block nerve signals from reaching those muscles.

Your muscles need nerve signals to contract. As a result, the Botox or Dysport relaxes tense facial muscles, which in turn smooths the skin above them. While there are low-level differences between Botox and Dysport, both work in the same way.

How Safe They Are

There’s a reason we’ve listed safety as one of the top considerations for your decision: it’s our ultimate priority. The good news is that Botox and Dysport both have excellent safety track records.

Both medications are FDA-approved as safe and effective. They often cause minor side effects like temporary redness, swelling, or bruising in the injection area. However, serious complications are very rare for both Botox and Dysport especially when used in an aesthetic setting.

The most important way to keep your injections safe, though, is to choose your provider wisely. For the treatment to be safe and effective, your provider needs to place the injections in the exact correct places with the right amounts of Botox or Dysport.

In addition to the skill, your provider also needs access to the medications. The only way to get Botox and Dysport is through their manufacturers in the United States, who only sell to specific types of qualified medical professionals.

If you get injections from someone who isn’t qualified, they don’t have the necessary knowledge and they’re also likely to use knock-off medications. You don’t know what they’re injecting and this comes with huge risks.

Their Costs

You can’t put a price on confidence, but everyone’s wallet has its limit.

Botox and Dysport have similar prices, but Botox tends to cost slightly more. This happens because Botox’s manufacturer charges more than Dysport’s manufacturer does, likely because Botox is more well-known.

Remember that only part of your cost for Botox and Dysport injections will come from the cost of the medication. You’re also paying for your provider’s time and expertise.

In other words, if you see a facility advertising dirt cheap prices for Botox or Dysport, it typically means their providers aren’t as experienced.

The Results They Produce

Safety and price are important, but the results are the reason you’re considering Botox or Dysport in the first place. Which one will give you the best results?

Overall, Botox and Dysport average out to having similar results. However, it varies depending on the patient. Some patients bodies seem to cooperate better with one option or the other.

The same is true for the length of the results. Both Botox and Dysport last three to four months before your body metabolizes them and it’s time for a new treatment. However, some patients’ bodies metabolize one medication faster than the other.

For this reason, we encourage patients to try both Botox and Dysport to see which one produces the best results for them.

Keep in mind that Botox and Dysport do not plump your skin. To fill in facial hollows or fill in wrinkles around your mouth, dermal filler injections will be the right choice.

What the Procedure Entails

As much as you want to look youthful and well-rested, you also want to know what you’re in for. Some cosmetic procedures are more time-consuming and extensive than patients bargain for.

Botox and Dysport both have the advantage of keeping their treatments short and simple.

Whichever medication you choose, your provider will start by asking you to make certain faces. This lets us mark the right injection points for your specific needs.

With or without a topical anesthetic, we then inject the medication into your facial muscles. The entire procedure takes a mere 10-15 minutes. In fact, many of our patients schedule their injections during their lunch hour.

After your procedure, you can head back to work without the need for recovery time. While you may have some soreness or visual redness and bruising, there is no need to take time off work.

The only post-procedure restriction is that you should avoid exercising and avoid massaging the injection area for four hours after your treatment.

How They Feel

Everyone knows Botox and Dysport treat existing wrinkles. What few people realize, though, is that they can also help prevent those wrinkles from getting worse.

As we mentioned above, certain wrinkles happen from repetative contracting over time. By relaxing the muscles with Botox or Dysport, we also prevent the muscles from contracting for several months at a time.

While your wrinkle reduction treatment is in effect, you’ll stop being able to make those repeated muscle contractions. This means your wrinkles won’t worsen the way they would if you didn’t get injections. This is a great preventative measure.

During this time, your treated muscles may feel different because you can’t move them the same way you used to. While this isn’t an uncomfortable feeling, it may does feel unnatural at first (or not) and it takes time to get used to it.

Many patients report that one medication leaves their face feeling more natural than others. As with results, though, there is no clear winner. It’s a matter of personal preference and your unique body chemistry.

How Versatile They Are

So far, we’ve focused on the wrinkle reduction powers that Botox and Dysport have. After all, wrinkles are the top reason people receive these injections.

There are plenty of other reasons you may want to consider Botox or Dysport, though. The action of blocking nerve signals to muscles can treat a range of other cosmetic and medical issues.

You may not realize that when the FDA approves medications, it only approves them for select conditions. There must be enough research to support their success for each condition.

Both Botox and Dysport are FDA-approved to treat certain facial wrinkles as well as cervical dystonia and some muscle spasms. Botox is more versatile, though.

Botox is FDA-approved to treat a wider range of medical conditions including some types of migraine headaches. It’s also approved to treat hyperhidrosis or excessive sweating.

When an experienced professional injects Botox near the sweat glands, it blocks nerve receptors from reaching those sweat glands the same way it blocks nerve receptors from muscles. This dramatically reduces the amount of sweat your targeted sweat glands produce.

If you’re seeking injections for wrinkle reduction, Botox and Dysport both have proven track records. If your goal is to reduce migraines or excessive sweating, though, Botox will be your new best friend.

Making Your Choice

First of all, let us applaud you. Too few people recognize that cosmetic treatments are true medical procedures. This had led to too many heartbreaking stories of people getting procedures from back alley treatment providers and developing serious or tragic complications.

If you’re reading this, it means that you take your health seriously and that you’re taking the time to research your options.

As you can see from the information above, Botox and Dysport each have their pros and cons. Selecting Botox or Dysport often comes down to the way each patient’s body reacts to the two medications, so trying both medications will let you compare.

However, our experienced staff also knows how to evaluate each patient’s wrinkles and personal history to recommend the option that’s most likely to produce the results you want.