Yes, it's expensive. It's confusing. In some cases, it's easy to be taken advantage of. Here are some tips before you take a stab at youth-seeking syringes.
"I like to simplify things for my patients and tell them there are really two types of injectables. One is Botox and Dysport for active wrinkles. The other is fillers for wrinkles at rest," explains Dr. Etai Funk, a facial plastic surgeon.
"Botox and Dysport are medications and we're actually injecting them into the muscle to temporarily weaken that muscle. These are muscles that occur in motion, when we raise our brows, frown, wrinkle our eyes. Those are the muscles we're trying to target. Botox is the proven medication that has been out on the market a little longer than Dysport and it has the name recognition. I found personally that Dysport may last a little bit longer, and it's been shown and proven in the literature that it works more effectively around crow's feet and around the eyes," says Funk.
He says Botox and Dysport take two to three days before the product "kicks in" and will last about three to four months.
A good question to ask about Botox and Dysport: how many units are you using for my injection? Dr. Funk says, "The ratio of Dysport units to Botox units is three to one. Therefore, when your physician is telling you we're going to inject this amount of Dysport, don't be alarmed because it will be a larger amount of units compared to Botox."
Dysport ranges between $4-$6 per unit. Botox is about $10-$17 per unit.
Another question to ask: when was this product reconstituted (or mixed)? Dr. Funk says, "It is essential that your product was mixed the same day or recently in order to get the best result from that product."
Last, ask: what is your experience and product knowledge? Make sure to go to a plastic surgeon, facial plastic surgeon, dermatologist or nurse injector who knows about the products and has experience using them.
Take ABC13 with you!
Download our free apps for iPhone, iPad and Android devices
