Published on: October 24, 2023
When you invest in your skin with treatments like Botox or Dysport, it would be helpful to know exactly how long the treatment will last. Though the longevity of Botox is different between people, there are some general guidelines that can help you decide whether to have a Botox or Dysport treatment, and if so, the timing of when to do it. In this article I’ll also address Xeomin, Jeuveau and Daxxify.
Botox is the most well known of the 5 neurotoxins that are FDA-approved in the United States. It starts to have an effect in a few days, but takes about 1-2 weeks to fully set in. If it feels uneven in the beginning, it usually evens out over that time period. After that, it lasts about 3 months on average, though this varies between people. It doesn’t suddenly wear off at 3 months. It slowly wears off over time, and by 3 months, most people find that it is completely worn off.
Dysport is the next most popular neurotoxin in the US, and is the most popular in Europe. Dysport has a quicker time to maximal effect, usually 3-5 days. Dysport also tends to last longer than Botox, about 4 months on average. It wears off similar to Botox– slowly.
At Glow Medispa, we offer both Botox and Dysport. We find that they are both equally effective at treating wrinkles, and can be used interchangeably. The cost is the same, so often the only true difference is the quicker onset and longer duration of Dysport compared to Botox.
There are 3 other neurotoxins approved for cosmetic use in the US: Xeomin, Jeuveau and Daxxify. We don’t offer them– why? Because we use Botox as the gold standard. If it is not better than Botox, we don’t offer it.
Xeomin was FDA approved in 2010. The onset of Xeomin is about the same as Botox, but we have found that it just does not last as long, about 2 ½ months. Xeomin is often cheaper than Botox, but you end up having to repeat the procedure more frequently, so in the end, you will not really save money. We offered Xeomin in the past, but people came back dissatisfied with the short duration of the treatment, so we no longer offer this product.
Jeuveau is another neurotoxin you may see offered at spas and aesthetic clinics. Jeuveau is very similar to Botox, and has a similar onset and duration according to other doctors who use it. The company that makes Jeuveau did a study that only looked at short-term results, with 2 studies that proved effectiveness over 30 days. The long-term duration wasn’t studied, so if you read the Evolus web site, they only say that most people receive 3 treatments per year. The company was rushing towards FDA-approval in 2019, and as far as I can discern, no further trials have been published to establish longevity. All that said, it acts a lot like Botox in its onset and duration.
Daxxify was the latest neurotoxin to win FDA approval in 2022. The company that makes it, Revance, designed a study to show that Daxxify (or Daxxi) can last 5-6 months. Because they claimed that it lasted almost twice as long as Botox, they charged almost twice as much for it. But it turned out in practice that Daxxi lasts about the same as Botox in real life. When we did a trial of Daxxi in our office, it did not even last as long as Botox. And it definitely does not warrant a higher price tag. As of this writing, Revance has started to drop its pricing, but that may not save the company. The company stock price has plummeted, and the future of Daxxify is uncertain. Because it costs more and does not actually last longer, we do not offer Daxxify in our office.
Every person is a little bit different. In my experience, the vast majority of people find that Dysport lasts longer than Botox. But occasionally, it can be the opposite. If the cost is the same, then it may save you some time and money to try Dysport. But either way, we have found that people love the treatment. You will not miss those frown lines!
Want to learn more? Check out our full Botox Guide.
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