One of these powerful anti-aging treatments we offer at Meridian Medical Spa is Dysport. Like Botox and Xeomin, Dysport is a cosmetic injection that blocks muscle contractions with a neurotoxin.
Our patients find that Dysport injections help reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Learn more about Dysport, how it works, and if it might be the right treatment for you.
A Brief History of Dysport
The formulas that led to the creation of Dysport, Botox, and Xeomin started as medical tests to help treat muscle spasms.
In the 1980s, scientists were able to successfully purify the botulinum A toxin and use it as a treatment. During the treatment testing phase, they noticed that the injections offered short-term, localized paralysis of certain muscles.
Eventually, this led to the toxin’s development as a cosmetic treatment. In the United States, those cosmetic injections first became known as Botox. In Europe and Asia, they were introduced as Dysport.
Dysport eventually made its way to the United States, earning FDA approval in 2009.
How Dysport Works
When Dysport is injected into your facial muscles, it safely disables the nerves around the injection site.
By disabling the nerves, Dysport limits muscle movement, which results in your skin becoming more relaxed and smoothed out.
Dysport for Forehead Lines
Many of our patients find that Dysport is the best formula for treating lines and wrinkles in their forehead. This is likely due to how Dysport is specifically formulated to work against stubborn, deep wrinkles on the face.
At Meridian Medical Spa, we tailor every cosmetic treatment plan according to our individual patients’ goals and needs. But we usually use Dysport to treat horizontal forehead lines and moderate to severe frown lines (those pesky lines between your eyebrows).
Dysport vs. Botox
Dysport and Botox both have a place in your anti-aging plan. However, each of these formulas has its own strengths and weaknesses. They may be appropriate for different areas of your face.
One of the key differences between Dysport and Botox is that Dysport has a more diluted formula than Botox. The formula and molecular behavior of Dysport injections cause Dysport to spread faster over larger surface areas with fewer injections.
Our team typically uses Dysport for large surface areas like the forehead because it is both fast-acting and spreads quickly and evenly.
On the other hand, Botox works well for smaller surface areas that require a more precise and localized injection. We use Botox for crow’s feet, lip lines, and other fine wrinkles. The Botox formula has a high concentration of neurotoxin, and it is a slow-moving injection, which makes it suitable for smaller areas of your face.
What Dysport Treats and What It Doesn’t Treat
Your forehead wrinkles come about from two different sources:
- Habitual expressions
- Loss of collagen and overall skin volume
Dysport is an excellent treatment candidate for wrinkles from habitual expressions, but it’s not as effective for wrinkles due to collagen loss. Here’s why:
Dysport and Dynamic Wrinkles
Dynamic wrinkles are wrinkles that come from your expressions. Every time you smile, laugh, frown, concentrate, cry, or grimace, you move your facial muscles in a specific way. Since those muscles move, the skin over the muscles moves, too.
We recommend Dysport treatments to address your dynamic wrinkles since its main active ingredient, botulinum type A toxin, immobilizes your facial muscles. When the muscles are weakened, they’re not able to create those grooves and lines in your skin like they used to.
Dysport injections last a few months before the toxin becomes inert. Although the formula is temporary, the actual effects of Dysport can last much longer.
As your muscles get used to not moving as much, you may develop enough muscle memory to refrain from overusing your muscles in the future. This means you may gradually be able to reduce your Dysport maintenance injections over time.
Dysport and Other Wrinkles
Other wrinkles on your face are caused by gravity and overall loss of skin volume.
As you age, you may notice certain areas of your face become a bit droopier than they used to be, especially around your jaw and cheeks.
Collagen is a protein in your skin that helps keep your skin strong, plump, and smooth. Your levels of collagen deplete over time the more you age, which results in saggier, thinner skin.
For these issues, you will want a treatment that can help volumize the skin or stimulate your body to produce more collagen. For wrinkles due to depleted collagen, we often recommend dermal fillers, microneedling, and laser therapies.
What to Expect at Your Dysport Appointment
When you come in for a Dysport treatment at Meridian Medical Spa, your appointment will usually last less than an hour.
We will evaluate your face to examine where your dynamic wrinkles are. After the evaluation, we will treat areas based upon current moderate to severe dynamic wrinkles and anywhere you may be starting to develop dynamic wrinkles.
After your appointment, you can immediately resume your routine, as there’s no downtime associated with Dysport treatment.
You will start to see your results after about a week, with full results visible after around 30 days. We will recommend additional maintenance treatments to help you maintain your results.
Dysport Treatment Consultations
Our highly trained and experienced providers at Meridian Medical Spa in Bonita Springs, FL, will help you reach your aesthetic goals.
To learn more about Dysport and other cosmetic treatments near Naples, Fort Meyers Beach, Estero, Sanibel, Cape Coral, or Marco Island, book a consultation with us today.
