A prescription injection, Dysport® (abobotulinumtoxinA) is used to minimize the appearance of facial wrinkles and folds, particularly crow’s feet and glabellar lines (frown lines between the eyebrows). Similar to BOTOX® Cosmetic, Dysport® works by temporarily immobilizing the facial muscles responsible for dynamic facial wrinkles, or those that disappear or lessen when facial movements stop.

Dysport® differs from BOTOX® mainly in that it diffuses farther from the injection site, allowing a broader area of wrinkles to be treated with fewer injections. However, this feature also means the product may spread to muscles that should not be relaxed, such as eyelid muscles, which is one of the reasons you should always be sure to receive the treatments from an experienced injection specialist.

Candidates for the treatment are adults under 65 years of age who wish to achieve a more youthful appearance by minimizing the severity of crow’s feet or frown lines between the eyebrows. At your initial appointment, your doctor will perform a facial analysis and discuss with you the areas you hope to improve and what you can expect from treatment. Your health history and medications you are currently taking will also be evaluated.

People who have previously had an allergic reaction to similar cosmetic injectables such as BOTOX® Cosmetic or Myobloc®, who have a skin infection at the targeted injection site or who are allergic to cow’s milk protein should not have Dysport® treatment. Pregnant or breastfeeding women should not use Dysport®. Additionally, patients who have a pre-existing disease that affects the muscles and nerves such as Lou Gehrig’s disease or myasthenia gravis are considered at higher risk of serious side effects from Dysport® treatment, including breathing and swallowing problems.

You will see the full effect of the treatment after several days, when the muscles have become fully relaxed. Most patients report seeing wrinkle-smoothing results at around three days, though some have results earlier or later. Because Dysport® contains less protein than BOTOX®, results may be slower to appear as the body breaks the product down more slowly.