From smoothing deep forehead folds to treating painful medical conditions, Dysport can do just about anything. In fact, the scope of this powerful injectable’s use is any cosmetic or medical concern caused by hyperactive muscles. Also known as abobotulinumtoxinA, this neurotoxic protein can be used virtually anywhere there is moderate-to-severe hyperactivity. At Artful Aesthetics in Oakland, CA, we are here to help you understand how quickly this treatment works and what you can do to make it work faster.
How Quickly Dysport Works
Individual results vary, but half of the people who receive Dysport injections report a noticeable improvement in the appearance of moderate-to-severe wrinkles and folds within two to three days of treatment. The other half see their desired results four days after treatment or need a follow-up session.
An Important Caveat
Keep in mind that you should only expect this treatment to work within two to three days if you are using it to correct cosmetic concerns, like forehead folds, nasolabial folds, or smile lines. You should not expect this treatment to work so quickly if it is used to address medical concerns, such as chronic migraines or cervical dystonia.
How Many Treatment Sessions You May Need
Most people only need one treatment session to see their desired cosmetic results. However, extremely severe cases of wrinkles and folds may require two or three treatment sessions before the final results are realized. In such cases, it will be several weeks before you can enjoy the look you’ve been longing for.
When treating painful medical conditions, you will probably need at least two treatment sessions before you experience the pain relief you’re looking for. For example, you may find you experience fewer migraine headaches after receiving treatment for chronic migraines, but it may not be until your second or third session that you notice migraine headaches that are less painful and accompanied by fewer, or less severe, symptoms.
How to Make the Treatment Act Faster
If you want to relax your facial muscles while maintaining the ability to make facial expressions for a big event, like your daughter’s wedding, we recommend scheduling your treatment for a few weeks in advance of the big event. This gives you plenty of time to wait for the neurotoxic protein to take effect so you can see if you need follow-up treatment to get the smooth look you want.
With that being said, we all want to feel as confident as possible at all times and don’t always want to wait two to four days to see the results of our cosmetic treatments. Here are some ways you can see the results of your treatment faster:
Massage the Treated Area
One of the simplest ways to see the final results of your injections faster is to massage the treated area very gently for five minutes shortly after your treatment. Then, massage the treated area for five minutes four more times throughout the day. Repeat this for the next four days. Over the course of five days, you will spend 125 minutes, or just over two hours, massaging your face. However, it will be worth it.
If you received injections into many parts of your face, ask your partner to massage your face gently for you. While a massage helps to work the medication into your muscles, you don’t want to spend four hours and 10 minutes massaging yourself. Simply sit back, relax, and enjoy the pampering as a loved one cares for you.
Exercise the Treated Muscles
Another great way to work the neurotoxic protein into your treated muscles is to exercise the muscles. Any time you engage the treated muscle, you are working the medicine into the appropriate area. However, some experts believe you should perform three sets of 40 repetitions spaced 10 minutes apart within four hours of receiving your injections.
Some people find this technique to be much “more achievable” than massaging the treated area because it takes only one to three minutes to perform. It takes approximately 20 seconds to raise and lower your eyebrows 40 times. If you used Dysport to target two different facial muscles, like your forehead and the muscles around your mouth, it won’t even take six total minutes to exercise both muscles. You can exercise them back-to-back.
Why You Need to Wait to See the Final Results
Immediately after your injections, you may notice that your muscles feel slightly more relaxed. However, you won’t be able to see the final results of the treatment because of the way the medication works. Like Botox, Dysport comprises the full neurotoxic protein.
This medication works because the complete protein binds to another protein at the motor endplate in your muscles, where your muscles meet your nerves. The result is that acetylcholine, the protein that comes down your nervous system and tells your muscles to move, is silenced. However, it can take anywhere from one to four days for the silencing protein to bind with the acetylcholine that causes localized muscle hyperactivity.
How Long the Results of Treatment Last in Different Areas
Although exercising your facial muscles hastens the final results of treatment, it does not hasten your muscles returning to their original hyperactive state. However, it’s important to note that the durability of your treatment depends, primarily, on where the medication is injected and how often you use those facial muscles.
When injected into muscles that you use a lot, this medication will not last very long. However, it is much more durable when injected into less-used muscles. Here’s what you can expect regarding durability based on where the medication is injected.
The Upper Eyelids
The muscles used to close and open your eyes are used nearly constantly. The average person blinks every four seconds for 0.1 seconds at a time. Assuming you blink every four seconds, sleep seven hours per night, and blink for only a tenth of a second at a time, you blink just under 15,300 times per day.
As you can imagine, the muscles above your eyelids are quite strong, partly because of how often they are used. Unfortunately, hyperactivity in this area doesn’t just cause wrinkles. It affects your ability to see. Uncontrollable muscle spasms in the upper eyelids can make driving a car impossible, affecting your independence. This treatment can treat uncontrollable upper eyelid spasms for approximately four months.
The Forehead
You use the muscles in your forehead more often than you think. You use your forehead muscles to raise one eyebrow inquisitively. You frown. You scrunch your eyebrows together when you are solving a difficult problem. You raise both your eyebrows simultaneously in surprise.
The muscles in your forehead are also quite large. When you combine these two factors, you have the perfect recipe for deep forehead folds. As with the treatment of uncontrollable upper eyelid spasms, you can expect the treatment of deep forehead folds to last approximately four months. If your case is more moderate than severe, the results of your treatment may last up to six months.
Around the Eyes
When used to target moderate-to-severe crow’s feet around your eyes, this treatment can remain effective for up to six months. If you tint the front windshield of your vehicle and wear sunglasses or a brimmed hat when you go outside during the day, the results of your treatment will last much longer. Crow’s feet, also known as laugh lines, are exacerbated by both laughing and squinting.
Around the Nose
When used to treat deep nasolabial folds between your nose and the corners of your mouth, the results of your treatment should last about five months. However, it is crucial that you come in for an initial consultation to ensure that this is the appropriate injectable for you. If you have nasolabial lines caused by collagen loss, only dermal fillers will help you improve your aesthetic.
Around the Upper Lip
This medication is most often used to address cosmetic concerns caused by moderate-to-severe muscle hyperactivity. However, that is not all this medication can do. It can also be used to augment the upper lip without the need for implanting synthetic plastic that will look unnatural.
This medication can relax the upper lip, rolling it slightly upward so it appears larger and more luscious. Although you use the muscles around your upper lip frequently for sipping through straws, speaking, smoking, laughing, and singing, the results of this treatment can last beyond six months.
The Shoulders, Neck, and Head
Besides uncontrollable eyelid spasms, there are several other medical conditions that this injectable protein can treat. One of these is cervical dystonia. Cervical dystonia is a chronic condition characterized by severe pain starting in the neck and radiating down to the shoulders and upper back and up to the head.
Depending on the specifics of your unique case, this protein may be injected into your neck, head, shoulders, or a combination of the three locations. Since this condition is so severe, the results of treatment usually only last around 2.5 months. If your cervical dystonia is so bad that it significantly affects your quality of life, we strongly recommend that you schedule follow-up treatments every two months. The new dose starts working as the old dose fades.
Good Candidates for This Injectable
Again, to determine if you are a good candidate for this medication, you have to come in for an initial consultation. During this initial consultation, we will review your aesthetic goals and diagnose the cause of your cosmetic concerns. If we find that your lines and wrinkles are caused by collagen loss, you must receive dermal fillers to get the smooth look you want.
If your wrinkles and folds are moderate-to-severe and caused by muscle hyperactivity, you may be the perfect candidate for this injectable. Once we determine that a neurotoxic protein will solve your cosmetic concerns, we will review your medical history. It is crucial that you are not allergic to bovine protein and have a healthy immune system. It is also important that you do not have a sunburn or active oral herpes or acne outbreak at the time of your treatment.
Learn More About Achieving the Look of Your Dreams Today
Are you sick and tired of looking tired, angry, or disinterested all the time? Do you wish that there was an effective treatment for the wrinkles that are unaffected by the most expensive over-the-counter creams? If so, Dysport may just be the solution you’ve dreamed of.
To discover if this treatment is appropriate for your moderate-to-severe wrinkles and folds, contact us now at Artful Aesthetics in Oakland, CA to schedule your initial consultation. If your cosmetic concerns are caused by collagen loss, Irina Abovsky-Akkerman, FNP-C, MSN can help you. As a Diamond provider of Botox, Juvederm, and Latisse, she is among the most qualified aesthetic service providers in the country. With her, you’re in good hands.