Excessive or obvious facial wrinkles can deal a major blow to your self-esteem. While wrinkles aren’t life-threatening, they may make you self-conscious and prevent you from feeling the self-love you deserve.
Dysport injections are a cosmetic procedure that will help fade wrinkles on your face or forehead region.1 The main targets of Dysport are glabellar lines, prominent vertical wrinkles between your eyebrows that usually develop with age.
What the Dysport Procedure Does
Glabellar lines are one of the most common and troublesome forehead wrinkles. Dysport uses abobotulinumtoxin A, a botulism toxin, to target the areas of your forehead that are developing significant glabellar lines. The noninvasive injections temporarily paralyze the muscles along your forehead and decrease the skin’s movement, which will soften the appearance of the glabellar lines. With less muscle movement in your forehead, the skin can relax so that prominent wrinkles in this area will diminish. The decrease in forehead muscular movement also prevents future glabellar lines from forming.
What Dysport is used for
In most cases, your injector will recommend Dysport as a treatment option for glabellar lines that have grown too prominent on your forehead. Given that the process involves temporary paralysis and relaxation of the muscles on your forehead, the procedure is generally used only in severe cases of glabellar lines or other forehead wrinkles. If your facial wrinkles have grown so large and prominent that they negatively affect your self-esteem and body image, Dysport is often a safe and effective option. You should always talk to your doctor beforehand to see if you are a candidate for the procedure.
In some cases, Dysport can treat facial muscle spasms associated with neurological conditions like focal dystonia.2 Patients suffering from these conditions often experience involuntary movements of the muscles in their faces and foreheads. Dysport injections can effectively relax the affected muscles and prevent future spasms.
Dysport Results Timeline
In the days leading up to your procedure, your doctor will provide guidelines on what to do beforehand. In general, you should limit any skin treatments, lotions, or ointments that may irritate the skin on your forehead. You should also avoid certain medications, especially blood thinners and anti-inflammatory drugs.
Immediately after the procedure
Once your Dysport procedure is completed, your doctor may have you practice some basic movements in the affected area.3 This may include smiling, frowning, raising your eyebrows, or clenching your jaw. These movements will help work the Dysport into your facial muscles and show your doctor how the procedure affected the area. You may also get a cold pack to hold against your face to prevent residual pain or swelling or take over-the-counter medication for lingering pain. Over the next few hours, it’s important to avoid strenuous activities or those that require you to bend over too long.
The first few days after the procedure
You should take regular care of the affected area. Use sunscreen, avoid skin irritants, and generally try to keep the skin on your forehead from sustaining any damage. Though you can usually apply makeup to the area in the days following your Dysport procedure, you should probably wait until any pain or swelling has subsided. Additionally, it’s important to avoid any other cosmetic procedures on your face in the days following Dysport injections, including any additional facial procedures or laser treatment.
Your doctor may also give you a specific aftercare plan for the days following the procedure. This may include facial exercises to help work the Dysport further into your facial muscles.
It’s also essential to watch for any potential complications. In general, the pain and swelling from the procedure subside within a day or two.4 Contact your doctor if you have any lingering pain, swelling, or other symptoms such as headaches, numbness, or drooping.
One week after the procedure
In most cases, you will start seeing results around this time,5 depending on whether you did the appropriate facial exercises or whether the skin on your forehead was exposed to any additional damage. You can begin applying more makeup or cleansers to your forehead, but it’s still a good idea to use plenty of sunscreen and protect the area from significant damage. Your doctor will schedule a follow-up appointment for a few weeks after the procedure to determine its success.
How Long Before You Start Seeing Results?
You will generally begin seeing noticeable results within one week of the procedure.6 However, the Dysport will still be working its way into your facial muscles during this time, so results will continue to develop for several weeks. Your forehead should become less wrinkled during this time. In addition, the lack of muscle movement will prevent new wrinkles from forming, which will smooth out your forehead even more. Results should last three to four months before you need to schedule a follow-up procedure.
The Dysport Procedure Compared to Botox
Dysport is often compared to Botox in terms of minimally-invasive cosmetic treatments for facial wrinkles. Both Dysport and Botox inject neurotoxins into your facial muscles to prevent muscle movement and minimize wrinkles.
The main difference between Dysport and Botox is how quickly it takes effect and how long they last. For many patients, the effects of the Dysport procedure tend to appear sooner and last longer than those of Botox. However, this can vary from patient to patient.
When To Talk to Your Doctor
Though rare, a few more serious side effects can arise because of Dysport injections.7 These can include severe headaches, allergic reactions such as rashes or hives, prolonged facial paralysis, fainting, sinus infections, or nausea. You should contact your doctor if you experience any of these symptoms following a Dysport procedure.
Cosmetic Procedure Tips With My Filler Treatment
Whether you’re interested in treating your glabellar lines with Dysport or looking into another cosmetic procedure, it’s a good idea to get the best advice beforehand. My Filler Treatment has tons of great articles, blog posts, and helpful tutorials on different types of procedures designed to highlight your true beauty. If you want to learn more about available cosmetic procedures, My Filler Treatment is your source.
Social media blurb: Dysport injections are a popular treatment for glabellar lines. If you’ve never had a Dysport procedure before, you may not know what to expect. Here’s an overview of Dysport injections and how they work.
SOURCES:
- Northstate Plastic Surgery. “How Long Do Dysport Results Last?“
- Healthline. “Focal Dystonia.”
- BH Skin Dermatology. “What Should You Do to Get the Best Results from Your Dysport Injection?“
- Anna Avaliani, MD. “After Botox/Dysport.”
- Omaha Face. “When Will I See Results from Dysport?“
- Artful Aesthetics. “How Quickly Does Dysport Work?“
- Healthline. “Dysport for Wrinkles: What to Know.”
