Botox = Dysport

[starfish]

Hi guys.

I've been getting Botox from a plastics guy for quite a while now.

I've been reading about something called dysport which claims to also treat wrinkles.

Is it the same as Botox? Should I be paying more or less for it? Or is this some kind of cheap chinese rip off?

[Tanny]

I did quite a bit of reading on this.

Apparently both are different versions of Botulinum Toxin A and are used for all the same sort of things (wrinkles etc)

Its a bit like the difference between panadol, panamax and herron. They are all paracetamol

[doctornev]

Hi Starfish,


Still asking the hard questions :)



Both Botox and Dysport are Botulinum Toxin type A medications. They both work by immobilising muscles by blocking the release of acetylcholine from the nerves.

They are roughly similar. Botox has the advantage of having been out much longer and having a lot more evidence and controlled trials to verify its effect and dosage.

In general terms, quite a few studies show Dysport is not as effective on a unit by unit basis as Botox eg need a higher dose to achieve the same effect.

In addition Dysport is a smaller protein and hence diffuses a lot more. The can be a problem where you want to very specifically immobilise a muscle (eg the eyes). But can be an advantage where you want a lot of diffusion over a large area like the underarms for hyperhidrosis.

[princemkhan]

Botox (or Dysport) is usually a treatment which is used to deal with wrinkles, mostly within the upper face and round the eyes.