The FDA approved Dysport as a cosmetic injectable for the purpose of smoothing wrinkles and facial folds in 2009 but European countries have been using Dysport as a facial cosmetic agent for several years prior to this approval. Originally, Dysport was developed to alleviate neuromuscular disorders involving abnormal levels of acetylcholine, a chemical responsible for muscle contractions. When Dysport was given to people suffering from cervical dystonia, excessive blinking and squinting, migraines and bruxism (nighttime teeth grinding), the neuromuscular inhibiting properties contained in Dysport relaxed muscles and lessened symptoms that patients were experiencing.
Dysport is an abobotulinumtoxin A, similar to the type of botulin toxin found in Botox but with the ability to diffuse farther from the injection site. When Dysport is injected into the muscles that produce facial wrinkling, minute amounts of the neurotoxin included in the substance gently immobilize muscles that cause wrinkling, especially the glabullar muscles which form lines on your forehead when you draw your eyebrows together or frown.
As a result of Dysport’s exceptional diffusing quality, patients require fewer injections and experience more comprehensive smoothing of wrinkles. Overactive facial muscles that are receiving too much acetylcholine tend to contract more than normal, causing premature lines and wrinkling to appear. By decreasing muscle contractions with Dysport, facial smoothness is enhanced and muscles remain slightly weakened by the lack of ACh that was previously overstimulating them.
The Dysport Treatment Process
Injections of Dysport generally take less than 30 minutes, with three to five injections typically administered into the muscles that cause the appearance of “dynamic” wrinkles, or wrinkles that are not the direct result of excessive sun exposure or aging. No downtime or recovery time is involved with Dysport injections and patients may return to work or other activities following a treatment session. For patients who do not like needles or have low pain thresholds, anesthetic cream is available to numb the injection sites and alleviate any discomfort felt by the injection.
Most patients tolerate Dysport very well and experience minimal side affects such as swelling, bruising or soreness. While optimal results are seen within several days of treatment, patients will notice visible effects soon after the injection, with natural smoothing of wrinkled areas and less muscle contractions. Benefits of Dysport generally last about six months before patients need a follow-up injection to continue inhibiting the affects of acetylcholine on facial muscles.
Because Dysport is a prescription medication that contains several hundred units of the botulinum toxin A, only professional dermatologists and physicians who possess an expert understanding of facial expressions and the muscles producing them should give Dysport injections. Experience and skill is needed when administering any type of neurotoxins for the purpose of alleviating muscle contractions and the doctors at Mayoral Dermatology can offer patients this type of expert knowledge for the elimination of dynamic wrinkling.
