Injectables
The aging process has an unavoidable tendency of producing fine lines and wrinkles on the skin as well as depleting its youthful volume. Injectable treatments provide our clients with a minimally-invasive rejuvenation option that subtly enhances the features of the face while restoring youthfulness to the skin without any long term commitments, discomfort or downtime.
What’s the Difference Between BOTOX, Dysport, Xeomin and Jeuveau?
Botox, Dysport, Xeomin and Jeuveau injections have become increasingly popular in recent years. Consisting of a neuromodulator, they are able to relax muscles by temporarily blocking neurological signals. As a result, all four types of injections are effective at reducing the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines. With that said, there are subtle nuances between Botox, Dysport, Xeomin and Jeuveau.
What is Botox?
Developed and marketed by Allergan, Botox is an injection consisting of a specific formulation of botulinum toxin known as onabotulinumtoxinA. It’s injected directly into muscle tissue for the purpose of blocking neurological signals to the respective tissue. Our muscles rely on neurological signals to contract. When you flex a muscle, your brain is telling that muscle to contract. If a muscle remains in a contracted state, however, it may cause discomfort as well as the formation of wrinkles or fine lines. Botox injections are designed to relax contracted muscle tissue such as this by blocking neurological signals.
What is Dysport?
Like Botox, Dysport is an injection containing botulinum toxin that’s designed to block neurological signals to the targeted muscle tissue. With that said, Dysport uses a different formulation of botulinum toxin than Botox. While Botox uses onabotulinumtoxinA, Dysport uses abobotulinumtoxinA. It still consists of the same basic neuromodulator that temporarily blocks neurological signals to the muscle or muscles in which it’s injected. Furthermore, the Dysport injections are administered in the same way as Botox injections, with each session lasting about 10 minutes. But Dysport uses a different formulation of botulinum toxin than its Botox counterpart, resulting in a few subtle differences.
What is Jeuveau?
Jeuveau is an injection that uses botulinum toxin type A. It works like other botulinum toxin injections by temporarily blocking neurological signals to muscles. While relatively new — first approved by the FDA in 2019 — Jeuveau has become a popular alternative to Botox. While Botox is approved for both cosmetic and medical applications, Jeuveau is only approved for cosmetic applications, including the treatment of wrinkles and frown lines.
*Infinite Skin does NOT carry Xeomin*
What is Xeomin?
As you may have guessed, Xeomin is an injection featuring yet another formulation of botulinum toxin . Produced by the German pharmaceutical company Merz Pharma GmbH & Co., it uses incobotulinumtoxinA. Xeomin is often used for the same purposes as both Botox and Dysport, including but not limited to the reduction of wrinkles and fine lines. Once injected into muscle tissue, Xeomin’s incobotulinumtoxinA temporarily blocks neurological signals to the respective tissue, thereby forcing the muscle or muscles to relax.
FDA Approval
You can rest assured knowing that all four types of injections have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Botox was first approved by the FDA in 2002 to treat moderate to severe facial wrinkles. Dysport, on the other hand, received the FDA’s green light for glabellar, as well as cervical dystonia, in 2009. Just one year later, in 2010, the FDA approved Xeomin for the treatment of blepharospasm and cervical dystonia. Since then, the FDA has approved all four injections for many other cosmetic purposes.
So how do you choose?
All four types of injections are effective options for treating dynamic lines and wrinkles, which refers to the wrinkles that form as a result of muscle movement. With consistent use, they have even been shown to help soften static wrinkles, or lines that are present at rest. The most popular areas that are treated are the frown lines, forehead lines, and lines around the eyes, but there are many other areas where neuromodulators can be used. For example, treating hyperhidrosis, or excessive sweating.
So what about the differences?
Perhaps the biggest difference to note between Botox & Jeuveau and Dysport is the amount of units required for treatment. Dysport has a different dilution than Botox & Jeuveau, which means you can expect to receive roughly 3 times the amount of Dysport units as Botox & Jeuveau units for any given area treated. In other words, 3 units of Dysport is the equivalent to about 1 unit of Botox or Jeuveau.
If you’re worried that Dysport will cost more - don’t be! The pricing takes this difference into consideration, so the bottom line is the same. (We do all the math for you!)
Another key difference is that Dysport is composed of smaller molecules than Botox & Jeuveau, giving it a larger area of spread once it’s injected and oftentimes a bit of a “softer” look. So if you’re treating a large area, like the forehead, Dysport is oftentimes a good choice given that it spreads out more, but Botox & Jeuveau might be preferred for smaller areas, such as around the eyes.
We sometimes explain it this way. It is like comparing Nike vs Reebok vs Adidas. Sometimes one works better for one person versus another, and sometimes a person has a certain preference. Our nurses are trained to give your their professional opinion on which toxin will work best for you!