Botox vs Dysport: what’s the difference?

Both of these wrinkle treatments work by doing the same thing: they reduce expression lines by relaxing muscles (and they can raise the eyebrows by relaxing the muscles that pull them down).  But Botox and Dysport have subtle differences.

  • Botox is sold by Allergan Inc. and Dysport is sold by Galderma.
  • In general, Botox costs more per effective unit
  • Dysport tends to act more quickly and may be better for crow’s feet
  • Botox was the first on the market and is the only neuromodulator approved for crow’s feet
  • The unit measurements are not equivalent, 20 units of Botox compares to 50 units of Dysport in strength.

 So which one should you get, Botox vs Dysport?

Both products work nicely and while some doctors (and some patients) have their favorite, either one works well for the majority of people.  Here in NYC (and probably across the country) Botox is starting to lose some of their market share to Dysport because Allergan is raising prices.  But Botox still has the greatest name recognition because it was first to market and it’s become synonymous with cosmetic injections.

The wrinkle treatment battle:

Here is an infographic I created to help clarify the differences between the two anti-wrinkle giants: