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Occasionally patients can develop an immune response to BOTOX® Cosmetic injectable treatments. When this happens, the injectable is no longer effective and needless to say, patients are not happy!
“Botox is extremely effective for treating fine lines on the face,” say Dr. Miriam Hanson, board certified dermatologist and cosmetic expert in Austin, Texas. “However there are some scenarios when patients don’t respond.” Patients often blame the injector or claim it was a “bad batch,” but Dr. Hanson notes in actual fact, it is Botox antibodies that are believed to interfere with these treatments. Fortunately, they are not are not out of luck.
There are alternatives to BOTOX®, namely Dysport® and Xeomin®. “The proteins targeted by the immune system that inactivate BOTOX are less in Dysport®. This alternative therefore avoids the immune response and doesn’t block the activity of the drug,” says Dr. Hanson.
Similar to BOTOX®, these treatments smooths fine lines and wrinkles and reduces the appearance of frown lines and crow’s feet. “They work in a very similar fashion,” says Dr. Hanson. “They both target those muscles that are responsible for lines of motion. These are the muscles that give rise to unwanted fine lines on the skin.”
BOTOX®, Dysport® and Xeomin® are derived from clostridium botulinum which temporarily stops muscle contraction. However, they contain a slight chemical variation. Dysport® has less protein concentration, causing it to spread more evenly than BOTOX®. It has also been reported that patients see visible results in a shorter amount of time with Dysport® over BOTOX®.
Just like BOTOX®, little to no recovery is involved. You can return to your daily activities right after the treatment is done and experience little to no pain. The injectable needles are almost as small as acupuncture needles, so no anesthesia is necessary for these treatments. Dysport® results can last three to six months and can be maintained if touch-up appointments are scheduled.
Dr. Hanson treats dermatology and cosmetic patients at Sanova Dermatology. Curious to see if Dysport® is right for you? Schedule a consultation with one of our expert skin specialists today to rejuvenate and refresh your face!