Dysport - now here

Dysport - the recently approved competitor to Botox Cosmetic - is now being shipped to U.S. physicians. We have both products in our office now, and are testing Dysport, seeing how it compares to Botox, the market leader. So far, there are some subtle differences, but both seem to work well in relaxing dynamic wrinkles of the face.

It will take a little education for patients to get used to the fact that the drug doses are measured differently. Botox units are not the same as Dysport units, even though they sound similar. It's a bit like measuring someone's height in feet, compared to measuring it in yards. Same height, just different numbers. Dysport comes in a 300 unit bottle, Botox comes in a 100 unit bottle - but the clinical effect is approximately the same, as far as we can see, with a 3:1 ratio.

Dysport is priced so that it is a little less expensive than Botox (at the 3:1 conversion ratio), so patients who wish to save a little money while they are fighting their wrinkles may want to give Dysport a try.