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BLUR NEWS

march 2023 VOL. 03

BOTOX® and DYSPORT® are both available at BLUR Med Spa

Neuromodulators- Say What?

AKA Botox® & Dysport®

Neuromodulator injections are our most popular offered aesthetic procedure at BLUR Aesthetics. They are designed to help clients achieve a smoother, more youthful outward appearance. Never heard of neuromodulators? If not, we bet you’ve heard of Botox® or Dysport® right? Both Botox® and Dysport® are different kinds of neuromodulators.

Getting down to the nitty gritty science behind how they work: when a neuromodulator is injected into the targeted area beneath the surface of the skin it binds to receptors in your muscle. The neuromodulator acts as a messenger to the muscle telling it to block the release of acetylcholine, a substance that is responsible for activating muscle movement. Since the acetylcholine is blocked, the muscles become inactive. Since the repeated muscle contractions are inactive, the outward appearance of wrinkles is diminished. Since Botox® and Dysport® work by inhibiting nerve transmission, they’re classified under neuromodulator.

In other words: both Botox® and Dysport® block how signals are transmitted between the muscle messengers in our bodies resulting in a relaxation of facial muscles. The relaxation of the facial muscles is what actually allows the outward appearance of dynamic expression lines and wrinkles to diminish overtime. They modulate nerve transmission aka neuromodulator classification.

Both Botox® and Dysport® are both FDA-approved cosmetic injectables intended to improve the look of moderate to severe facial lines. If they’re intended do the same thing, then why does BLUR offer both? The differences are rooted in their trace proteins (these impact how a person metabolizes the product aka how long results last) and proprietary differences that allow two companies to manufacture similar products. Think Motrin vs Advil, both have the active ingredient ibuprofen but have differing inactive ingredients allowing two companies to manufacture similar products.

THE QUICK TAKEAWAYS

NEUROMODULATORS ACT AS MESSENGERS TO MUSCLES RESULTING IN THE RELAXATION OF THE FACIAL MUSCLE WHERE INJECTED

BOTOX® & DYSPORT® CONTAIN THE SAME ACTIVE INGREDIENTS, BUT HAVE DIFFERENT TRACE PROTEINS THAT CAN AFFECT METABOLIZATION

DOES = DURATION, YOUR GOALS ALONG WITH YOUR NURSE INJECTORS ASSESSMENT WILL DETERMINE DOSE

CHECK OUT BELOW FOR COMMON TREATMENT AREAS WHY THEY’RE TREATED AND TYPICAL UNIT DOSING

 

Botox

Dysport

GENERIC NAME

OnabotulinumtoxinA

AbobotulinumtoxinA

ACTIVE INGREDIENT

Botulinum Toxin A

Botulinum Toxin A

PEAK RESULTS

2 Weeks

2 Weeks

LONGEVITY

3-4 Months

3-4 Months

ONSET

7-10 Days

3-5 Days

CONSISTENCY

Precise, Tight, Concentrated

Flexible, Soft, Diffuse

CONCENTRATION

1:1

3:1

PRICE

$13

$13 (we do the concentration math for you)

So where can Botox® and Dysport® treat? And how do I know how many units I’ll need?

There are many cosmetic and non-cosmetic therapeutic treatment areas we’ll discuss below, but most common areas include between the brows, forehead and around the eyes- which are usually the first areas clients notice early signs of aging. Dose is entirely based on patient needs, anatomy, preference and goals. At BLUR, our providers will average different doses for different areas based on combined patient/provider preferences and past experiences.

Keep in mind that the larger the does, the more of an effect and longevity from the product you will experienced. The larger the dose, likely the less movement you will have initially. Some patients prefer more movement and expression remain and are willing to sacrifice longevity in order to allow for more authentic facial expressions. While other patients (BLUR staff included) prefer longevity and a more effective treatment, and tolerate limited movement for the first month or so as the dose progressively wears off.

When your provider is tailoring your dose there are a few things to remember:

  1. Men have a larger percentage of muscle mass, requiring a larger dose than women.
  2. If you have a high metabolism or spend a lot of time working out, your treatment will likely wear off sooner. You’ll likely require a larger dose to make it the full 3-4 months.
  3. Even if you’re getting a smaller dose to allow for more movement, you shouldn’t be treated more often than every 12 weeks. Studies show that being retreated more often than 12 weeks promotes the production of antibodies against the neuromodulator- AKA there is a potential for it to no longer work for you in the future.
Neuromodulators available at BLUR - BOTOX® DYSPORT®

11’s/ Glabella

  • Area between our brows that gives us the angry looking “11’s”, or the muscle that allows us to scowl.
  • Typical dose: 15-30 units

 

Forehead/ Frontalis

  • Muscles allow you to raise your eyebrows
  • Typical dose: 6-24 units

 

Crow’s Feet/ Orbicularis Oculi

  • The muscles around our eyes that help you squint
  • Typical dose: 12-32 units
  • Can hyper-dilute to treat under eye “concealer creases”
  • Typical dose: 1-4 units

 

Brow Lift

  • Helps to open the upper eye, or offset forehead tox
  • Typical dose: 1-4 units

 

Bunny Lines/ Nasalis

  • Muscle than can cause horizontal creasing on the nose between the eyes or vertical scrunching on the sides of the nose.
  • Typical dose: 4-8 units

 

Gummy Smile/ Levator Labii Superioris Alaeque Nasi (LLSAN)

  • When this muscle is strong, clients see a strong pull upward of their top lip when they smile showing more of their gums when they smile
  • Typical dose: 4-6 units

 

Lip Flip/Smoker’s Lines/ Orbicularis Oris

  • The muscles that causes you to purse your lips, leaving vertical lines around your lips
  • Relaxing this muscle allows for more of your top lip to show when smiling, giving the illusion of a larger top lip- AKA lip flip.
  • Typical dose: 4-16 units

 

Frown Lines/ Depressor Anguli Oris (DAOs)

  • The muscles that allow downward turn of the outsides of your mouth or to frown
  • Overuse can contribute to stagnant downward lines at the corners of your mouth appearing to frown at rest
  • Typical dose: 4-8 units

 

Masseters

  • These are the large muscles in the back of your jaw that cause you to clench
  • The cause for people who suffer from TMJ, and who grind or clench their teeth
  • Overuse is a common cause of headaches, teeth damage, a square face shape and erosion of the jaw and fat pads of the jaw and temples
  • Treatment is both cosmetic- promoting facial balance, and therapeutic non-cosmetic
  • Typical dose: 15-30 units/ side

 

Chin/ Mentalis

  • Aids in frowning
  • Overuse leads to a deep, horizontal “mental crease” and an orange peel-like texture that causes craters and texture problems overtime
  • Typical dose: 6-8 units

 

Neck/ Platysmal Bands

  • Platysma muscles are located in your neck, and as we age they start to pull away from our jaw, contributing to the laxity in the skin beneath our jaw
  • Treatment can help pull the skin beneath the jaw and neck in closer creating a slimming effect
  • Typical dose: 20-40 units

 

Excess Sweating/ Hyperhidrosis

  • Done on areas of the body where someone sweats excessively
  • Due to the large dose required, longevity is typically at least double that of other areas
  • Typical doses:
    • Armpits: 40-50 units/ side
    • Palms: 100 units/ side
    • Soles: 150 units/ side

 

Other Popular Non-Cosmetic Therapeutic Areas:

  • Migraine headache relief
  • Temples/ tension headache relief
  • Trapezius muscles/ decrease stress and relieve muscles in the back of their neck

Again, there’s a lot of similarity between the two neuromodulators, including similar on and off label treatment areas, but just enough difference that cause BLUR staff to recommend, and lead clients to ultimately prefer one or the other. Since everyone’s biological makeup is different, clients may experience Botox® or Dysport® differently than someone else. This also impacts the amount of product (units) one person may need compared to someone else. Anatomy, genetic makeup, strength is all unique, meaning dosing and unit recommendation will also be unique. The best way to decide between Botox® and Dysport® is to meet with one of our experienced nurse injectors. They can make a full assessment, discuss your skin-care goals with you, and make a recommendation which is a better option for you.

Schedule your injectable consultation today by calling 608-824-0842 or by booking online at BLURwi.com.