Dysport FAQs

Dysport is an injectable botulinum toxin type A (abobotulinumtoxinA) made by Galderma. It temporarily relaxes muscles that create wrinkles, and is FDA-approved for frown lines between the brows, cervical dystonia and spasticity. Results usually appear in 2 to 5 days and last 3 to 4 months.

Dysport works the same way as Botox: it blocks the nerve signal that tells a muscle to contract, softening the lines that repeated movement etches into skin. The practical differences are dosing and behavior. Dysport units are not interchangeable with Botox units; it takes roughly 2.5 to 3 Dysport units to equal 1 Botox unit, so a bigger number on your chart does not mean a bigger dose. Dysport tends to kick in slightly faster and spreads a little more from the injection point, which some injectors like for broad areas such as the forehead and dislike near the eyes. In the US, cosmetic use outside frown lines, including forehead lines and crow's feet, is off-label but common.

Choose Dysport if you want a proven, less expensive toxin with fast onset (2 to 5 days) and about 3 to 4 months of effect. Choose Daxxify if longevity matters most: its median duration was around 6 months in trials, though real-world results often land closer to 4 to 5, and it costs more.

Both are botulinum toxin type A, and both are FDA-approved for frown lines. Dysport is peptide-free and protein-stabilized, spreads a bit more from the injection point, and is well established with a long safety record; its lower per-unit price is offset by needing about 2.5 to 3 times as many units as Botox, so compare treatment totals, not unit prices. Daxxify uses a peptide stabilizer and was designed for duration. Be measured about that claim: the six-month figure is a trial median, individual results vary, and if you dislike the outcome you live with it longer. Side-effect profiles are similar. Unit scales differ across all toxins, so never compare brands by unit count. Many patients try both and stay with whichever holds better.

Jeuveau and Dysport are both botulinum toxin type A and both last about 3 to 4 months, but their unit scales differ: Jeuveau (prabotulinumtoxinA) doses close to 1:1 with Botox, while Dysport (abobotulinumtoxinA) needs roughly 2.5 to 3 times more units. Dysport onsets slightly faster, in 2 to 5 days, and spreads more.

The wider spread of Dysport is the main practical difference. It can give a smoother, more even effect over a broad forehead, but demands more care near the eyes and brows where unintended diffusion causes droop. Jeuveau behaves more like Botox and is often the cheaper option, since Evolus positioned it as a value brand. Both are FDA-approved only for frown lines, so treating forehead lines or crow's feet with either is off-label, which is legal and routine. Onset is similar, roughly 2 to 4 days. There is no strong evidence that one produces better results than the other for a skilled injector; dosing accuracy and placement matter far more. Compare cost per treatment, not per unit, because the unit scales differ.

Dysport blocks the nerve signal that tells a muscle to contract. It's abobotulinumtoxinA, which stops nerve endings from releasing acetylcholine, so the treated muscle relaxes and the skin above it stops creasing. Onset is 2-3 days, full effect by two weeks, and it wears off in 3-4 months.

The effect is temporary because nerve terminals regenerate: your body sprouts new connections over three to four months and movement returns completely. Dysport treats dynamic lines, the ones your muscles create when you move; it does nothing for lost volume or sun-damaged skin texture, and static lines already etched at rest soften only gradually across repeated cycles. Two practical quirks distinguish it from Botox. It spreads over a slightly wider field, which some injectors prefer for the broad forehead but which demands care around the brow and eye. And its units are not interchangeable with Botox units: roughly 2.5-3 Dysport units per Botox unit, so dose numbers aren't comparable between the two. Dysport is FDA-approved for frown lines; other facial areas are off-label.

After Dysport: stay upright for 4 hours, don't rub or massage the treated area for 24 hours, and skip strenuous exercise, saunas, hot tubs, and alcohol for 24 hours. Normal facial expression is fine. Onset is 2-3 days, with full effect by about 14 days.

The reason for these rules is simple: keep the product where it was placed until it binds to the nerve endings, which happens within hours. Displacing it is what causes an unintended droopy eyelid or brow. Skip facials, microneedling, laser, and massage over the area for two weeks, and avoid head-down positions (yoga inversions, face-down massage) on day one. Makeup is fine after a few hours, applied gently. Ice helps bruising, which is common and fades in 5-10 days. Judge your result at 14 days, not before; thinking it "didn't work" at day 4 is the single most common mistake, and any touch-up should be booked at two weeks. Call your injector about drooping or double vision, and seek urgent care for difficulty swallowing or breathing.

Take your "before" photo just before treatment and your "after" photo at 14 days, when Dysport reaches full effect. A photo taken at day 3 or 4 will understate your result, since Dysport starts working in 2 to 5 days but keeps building for two weeks.

For a comparison that means anything, match the conditions: same lighting, same distance, same camera, no makeup, and the same two expressions, one relaxed and one frowning or raising the brows. The animated shot matters most, because that is where toxin does its work. Many clinics photograph again at four months to show when the effect is fading, which helps you plan retreatment timing. If at two weeks you still have asymmetry, a heavy brow, or a line that did not soften, that is the right moment to go back for a touch-up, not at day four. Bring your photos to that visit. Objective images also help your injector adjust dose and placement next round rather than repeating the same plan.

Honest Dysport before-and-after photos show softened frown lines at rest with natural brow movement preserved, not a frozen forehead. Judge them at day 14, since Dysport starts working in 2-3 days and peaks around two weeks. Results last 3-4 months.

Look for pairs shot in the same lighting, angle, and expression, ideally both relaxed and frowning. A smoothed forehead at rest means little if the "after" never shows the patient animating. Red flags: an over-arched "Spock" brow, a heavy flat brow from over-treating the forehead, or an "after" that also received filler or resurfacing without disclosure; deep lines etched at rest don't fully erase with toxin alone. Dysport is FDA-approved for frown lines between the brows; forehead and crow's feet treatment is off-label, which is legal and routine. Its units aren't interchangeable with Botox's: roughly 2.5-3 Dysport units equal 1 Botox unit, so a "50-unit" Dysport dose isn't a large one. Ask to see patients with your line pattern and muscle strength.

Dysport usually starts working in 2 to 5 days, with most people noticing softening by day 3. Full effect takes about 10 to 14 days. That onset is slightly faster than Botox, which typically begins in 3 to 5 days and peaks at two weeks.

The enzyme has to bind nerve endings and block acetylcholine release, which is why nothing happens immediately. Onset varies with dose, the muscle treated, and your own metabolism; strong muscles, such as a heavy frown complex, can take the full two weeks to relax. Don't judge your result or ask for more product before day 14, because chasing an incomplete effect is how people end up overtreated and frozen. If a line is still moving at two weeks, that is the point to book a touch-up. Mild headache, a heavy-feeling brow, or small bruises in the first days are common and settle. Eyelid or brow droop is uncommon, appears in the first week or two, and resolves as the toxin wears off.

Dysport typically lasts 3 to 4 months, and some people get closer to 5 months in the frown lines. That's comparable to Botox and Xeomin. The effect fades gradually rather than stopping suddenly, so movement returns over a few weeks rather than overnight.

Duration depends on dose, muscle strength, and metabolism. Underdosing is the most common reason results fade early; strong muscles, a fast metabolism, heavy exercise, and treating a large or mobile area all shorten it. First-timers often report a shorter first round, with duration lengthening after two or three consistent treatments as the muscle deconditions. Most people retreat every 3 to 4 months. Rarely, someone develops neutralizing antibodies and stops responding; very high doses and short intervals between sessions may raise that risk, which is one reason injectors discourage frequent top-ups. If your Dysport reliably wears off in six weeks, the likely answers are dose or technique, not your biology, and it's worth discussing with your injector.

Most people repeat Dysport every 3-4 months, when movement returns: about three to four sessions a year. Keep at least 12 weeks between treatments: frequent, high-dose exposure is the main driver of antibody resistance, where the toxin gradually stops working.

Duration matches the rest of the class at 3-4 months, and often lengthens after a few years of treatment as the muscles weaken. If your results reliably fade at 6-8 weeks, under-dosing is the likelier explanation than resistance: ask what dose you're receiving, bearing in mind that Dysport units aren't Botox units (roughly 2.5-3 to 1), so the number sounds larger than it is. A touch-up at two weeks is a small correction rather than a re-dose, and doesn't count against the 12-week interval. There's no medical need to stay on any schedule: Dysport is cosmetic, results reverse completely when you stop, and nothing gets worse for pausing. Not used in pregnancy or breastfeeding.

Dysport's common side effects are injection-site reactions (bruising, redness, swelling, pain) plus headache, and less often a temporary droopy eyelid or brow. Most are mild and resolve within days to weeks. Like all botulinum toxins, Dysport carries an FDA boxed warning for distant spread of toxin effect.

Temporary eyelid or brow droop occurs in a small percentage of cosmetic treatments and can't be reversed: it fades as the product wears off over 3-4 months, though apraclonidine drops may partially lift a droopy lid meanwhile. Dysport spreads over a slightly wider field than Botox, which some injectors prefer for the broad forehead but which demands care near the brow and eye. Two Dysport-specific points: it contains trace cow's milk protein, so it's contraindicated if you have a cow's-milk-protein allergy; and its units are not interchangeable with Botox units. Other effects include flu-like symptoms, dry eye, and nausea. Avoid in pregnancy, breastfeeding, and neuromuscular disorders. Seek urgent care for difficulty swallowing, speaking, or breathing, or new muscle weakness.

Dysport typically costs $4 to $8 per unit in the US as of 2026, cheaper per unit than Botox. But you need roughly 2.5 to 3 Dysport units for every 1 Botox unit, so a comparable treatment costs about the same: $300 to $600 for frown lines and forehead.

The per-unit price is the most misleading number in aesthetics. A frown-line treatment that takes 20 units of Botox takes roughly 50 to 60 units of Dysport; multiply that by $5 and you land close to the Botox price. Always ask for the total cost of the treatment plan, not the unit rate. Some clinics price Dysport per area rather than per unit for exactly this reason. Prices skew higher in major metro areas and with physician injectors. Extremely low pricing, promotional "unit sales," or heavy Groupon discounting can signal over-dilution or an inexperienced injector; a diluted product just means weaker, shorter-lived results. Dysport is FDA-approved for frown lines; forehead and crow's feet use is off-label but common.

Dysport typically costs $4-$8 per unit in the US, or roughly $300-$600 per session. Dysport units aren't equivalent to Botox units: you need about 2.5-3 of them per Botox unit, so the per-unit price looks lower while a comparable treatment costs about the same.

The FDA dose for frown lines is 50 Dysport units across five points, which at $4-$8 works out to roughly $200-$400 for the glabella alone; a full upper face commonly lands at $400-$800. Some practices price by area ($300-$600) instead, which sidesteps the unit-conversion confusion entirely: if they do, ask how many units are included, since a low area price often means a light dose and a shorter-lived result. Dysport and Botox are clinically comparable: onset is slightly faster with Dysport (2-3 days), duration is the same 3-4 months, so budget for three to four sessions a year. Cosmetic treatment is never covered by insurance. Prices vary by metro market and injector experience.

For most people, yes. Dysport works about as well as Botox for frown lines, tends to start working faster (two to three days versus three to five), and often costs a similar amount or less per treatment, because its units are smaller and priced lower per unit.

Dysport's units are not interchangeable with Botox: roughly 2.5 to 3 Dysport units equal 1 Botox unit, so a quote of 50 units of Dysport is not more product than 20 units of Botox. Compare the total price, not the unit count. Dysport also diffuses slightly more from the injection point, which many injectors find useful for broad areas such as the forehead, but which demands more care near the eyelid, where excess spread can cause droop. Duration is comparable, at roughly three to four months. Whether it is worth it ultimately depends on how you respond, since some people simply get a better or longer result from one toxin than another. It is reasonable to try a different brand if the first underwhelms.