Hangers&Hangers

As we start our  5th  year here at Med Spa Plus, I’m excited to tell you about a less expensive alternative to Botox®…Dysport™.

Although it may sound “new” to us, Dysport™ (aka Reloxin) has been used by doctors in Europe and South America for almost twenty years, and has only recently reached the U.S.

So what is the difference between the two wrinkle relaxers?  It is similar to the Coke versus Pepsi challenge….
Until recently, Botox® was the only F.D.A.-approved botulinum toxin A.  The F.D.A. has approved Dysport™, which is similar to Botox®, and made with a protein extracted from the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. Dysport works the same way as Botox®, temporarily freezing the muscles you use to frown or squint.  Dysport™ smoothes facial lines and wrinkles  and is believed to last approximately 4 months, whereas Botox® is said to last approximately 3 months.  The cost for Dysport™ is less per unit than Botox®, making it a more cost-effective approach to fighting wrinkles.

While Botox® has been the market leader in the United States, Dysport™ has been the leader in the United Kingdom since 1991.  So far patient exposure is estimated to be above two million single treatment cycles, which includes both cosmetic treatments and treatments of dystonia (muscle spasms.)

At Med Spa Plus, I’ve been waiting for its F.D.A. approval for about a year now, so I can treat a patient’s frown (the 11’s between the brows) for a more reasonable price!  As you know, I am very careful about adding any service or product to my practice unless it meets MY criteria for being safe and effective.

Physicians who have worked with both Botox® and Dysport™ have reported that while the two are relatively comparable, they sometimes prefer one over the other in certain facial areas, due to differences in the onset of results, and spread of effect.  Dysport™ is decidedly faster-acting and has a greater ’spread’ (giving a more ‘natural’ look); while Botox® tends to remain more localized, allowing for greater precision and predictability in the treatment area, but possibly requiring more injections in the course of a treatment.

Even though I have personally injected Botox® thousands of times, I am still going to be very careful when using Dysport™.  I will go over all of the ‘plusses’ and ‘minuses’ of each product with every patient, in order to determine the best approach for unwanted lines.

It will be exciting to offer an alternative to Botox®, as well as a less expensive option to prevent wrinkles, especially when those lines between the brows can give you a mean, nasty or angry appearance.

I’m pleased to be one of the first in Central Florida to offer Dysport™ to my patients and will be bringing the same expertise to Dysport® that I have brought to Botox® for one of the best experiences it is possible to achieve.  Just give me a call for your complimentary consultation.    (note:  We will be closed from July 2 thru July 6 except by appointment)