Botox and Dysport – Why Does it Seem as if it’s Not Lasting or Working as Expected?

Botox and Dysport are neuromodulators or neurotoxins. Their sole purpose as it pertains to cosmetics is to relax the muscle that is creating the wrinkle. The areas of typical use are for the crow’s feet and up but they are used for other areas of the face as well. But for the sake of this article, we’ll stick to crow’s feet and up.

Botox and Dysport- what to expect

Where are Botox and Dysport Done?

Because no two faces are created equal, all faces will require a different number of units in any given area. There is the space between the eyes which are mostly known as “the 11’s“ – this a frown that develops that is based on facial expression as well as genetics. Some will have much deeper lines there than others.

Let’s look at the crow’s feet. We all know people that have worse wrinkles there than others. Then there’s the forehead itself. Some will have very deep and noticeable lines, others of us will have hardly any. And lastly, let’s look at the nose itself and just under where those “11’s are. These are known as bunny lines. Some of us have them; others have none. We will all need a different amount of units per area depending on the depth of the wrinkle and what you are trying to accomplish. Do you want just a softening or do you want them gone (frozen)?

Some Things to Consider When Doing Botox

From the above its easy to understand that you and your girlfriend may need different amounts in different areas or you and your spouse (you get the idea). An injector’s job is to differentiate the needs of your face depending on the softening that you are asking for or the frozen look. The injector will write down the number of units that are required and advise you accordingly. From there, it is up to you to decide how much or how little that you would like. Of course, the more units you decide upon, the more the service will cost.

And typically, you will be advised to treat all areas rather than just one or two areas. The reason for this is that if you treat one or two areas, you could possibly make the other areas a bit worse. It’s up to you if this is what you want to do or not. You could always try just doing a couple areas rather than the full area if expense is your concern. Then you wait 14 days (the full set time) and if it doesn’t look as you intended it to, then come back for more. This is, of course, your prerogative and we do have you sign off on this so that you will remember it’s not a matter of this not working effectively but rather you chose to do less. Sometimes people get confused, so they opt to do less than prescribed or fewer areas and then feel as if it didn’t work as well as they expected.

What Else Should I Be Aware Of?

  • Metabolism: We all have different metabolisms. Because of this, you may hold onto your Botox and/or Dysport for a different amount of time. The average time that people retain these products is 3-4 months. Many things can affect your metabolism such as genetics but also one to understand is physical fitness. It is a known fact that runners and bodybuilders will metabolize their neurotoxin quicker than this timeframe. This means that you will likely not retain for 3-4 months but less and sometimes much less time. If this is you; now you know.
  • Big Muscle Structure: Typically men have a bigger muscle structure than women but that’s not always the case. What this means is that more Botox or Dysport will be required to attain your goal. Larger muscles just require more to get them to relax.
  • Age: The older you are; the more Botox or Dysport you will require. This is because your muscles have relaxed more and have been affected longer from your facial expressions. The dosage that you required when you were younger will no longer suffice. That said, continue reading for a nice secret.
  • Starting and Stopping Botox: What is meant by this is that if you have done one of these neuromodulators in the past but then let it run out and then jumped back in a few years later or a few months later, you are essentially starting over each time. You have aged more and will continue to require more then you did previously. Many people get confused about the injection quantity. They expect that if they required 32 units a year ago, they will only require the same number of units this year. Most of that is incorrect because the aging process has continued. There is however a secret to these products.

The Botox and Dysport Secret

What? Yes, it is true that there are ways to not only save money but reduce the number of units required. You start with a one year time period. It is recommended that these products be injected every 90 days before it has all run out. This means over a one year period you will have this done quarterly or four times. This is a great start to getting what we call “muscle memory”. Muscle memory is when your muscles will start remembering that they are to stay relaxed. This doesn’t mean that you will never need Botox again, but what it does mean is that you will start to either require fewer units or be able to come in less often. It may require more than one year and that’s ok, just keep having it done and you will eventually get there. My own experience has been that five years since beginning Botox, I now only have to have my injections every 6 months. I get the full dosage of 69 units but just twice per year and it’s wonderful. So, therefore, this is what we preach.

Book your next appointment before you leave our office so that it is scheduled for you. When you get your notification that your appointment is arriving, it will trigger you that it’s now time to return for your next appointment. If this time and day don’t work for you, no worries—you can reschedule to a time that works better for you but at least you won’t forget.

Brilliant Distinctions and Aspire Rewards Programs

I cannot state this enough. Sign up for these programs. This is free money for you each and every time that you come in. These companies will not inundate you with emails and are the manufacturers of these products. They want you to use their products and they want to help you with costs. When they do send you an email it is always about giving you more money in the form of some sort of promotion but it is typically $100 or more so utilize these programs. We will help you to get signed up in our office if you are not currently a member. Advanced Skin Therapy wants you to save money as well.

We hope that you have been able to gather a bit more education relating to Botox and Dysport neuromodulators so that you can have a more informed understanding. These are questions that we run across every day so we thought we would share on our expertise. If you have any more questions then give us a call.

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