text: At some point, age touches us all. Sometimes, the natural aging process can be great – like when you finally outgrew hormonal acne – and other times, the marks of aging are true burdens to bear, like with fine lines and wrinkles. So, how do you deal? At Nuance Cosmetic Surgery in Sacramento, CA, we’re positive that injectable treatments such as Dysport can give your face the rejuvenating pick-me-up you need to feel beautiful and youthful again.
  What Is Dysport Used For?
  Dysport is an injectable treatment that is known as a “wrinkle relaxer”. In general, wrinkle relaxers are non-invasive cosmetic treatments that relax and smooth the appearance of wrinkles on your face. While the most famous wrinkle relaxer in the world is Botox, many patients prefer the use of Dysport, which is ideal for smoothing away mild and moderate fine lines and wrinkles due to its slimmer formula profile.
  Why Should You Consider a Wrinkle Relaxer?
  There are plenty of reasons you may want to consider a wrinkle relaxer. For one thing, relaxing the wrinkles on your face can easily shed years off your overall appearance and effectively rewind the clock. But more importantly, wrinkle relaxers are diverse treatments that can easily be paired with other cosmetic treatments, including dermal fillers. A few other reasons to consider wrinkle relaxers include:
  Easy Treatment
  Wrinkle relaxing treatments are some of the easiest cosmetic treatments of all time. Your treatment appointments will essentially consist of you sitting back and relaxing while a specially trained aesthetician injects small amounts of the special injectable formula into targeted areas of your face. This easy treatment appointment extends to an easy recovery, too. Overall, these quick “lunchtime” appointments are faster and easier than many other cosmetic treatments, which is a huge bonus for patients who lead busy lives.
  Seamless Results
  The results of your treatment will also be seamless. Wrinkle relaxers are famous for having reliable and gradual results; you will only need to wait a few days after your appointment to see your results, almost like magic. Additionally, the results for this type of treatment also wear off gradually, which gives you enough of a heads-up to schedule your next appointment before the results are totally gone.
  Low Allergy
  Wrinkle relaxers also have a relatively low risk of an allergic reaction. This is because wrinkle relaxers use purified forms of neurotoxins to work, and the purification process ensures that there is very little allergic risk. Of course, if it’s your first time using a wrinkle relaxer such as this one, you will likely want to complete a simple allergy test just to be on the safe side, particularly if you have other known drug allergies. Don’t worry, we’ll walk you through this part during your consultation.
  How Do Wrinkle Relaxers Work?
  While you know that wrinkle relaxers are administered via a small, thin needle on various areas of your face, you probably want to know the science behind it, right? The truth is that wrinkle relaxers such as this one are based on neurotoxins, which are special chemical compounds derived from bacterial sources. Neurotoxins, also called neuromodulators, are capable of interfering with the regular communication between the brain and nerve cells.
  In the case of wrinkle relaxers, the neurotoxin used for treatment is specially designed to inhibit the communication of motor neurons, which are the neurons that control muscle movements. When these muscle movement neurons are stunned by the neurotoxin, they are unable to receive movement signals from the brain, which essentially means that the muscles in your face will become less responsive. All of this lack of movement ultimately means that dynamic wrinkles on your face will smooth away for as long as the neurotoxin is in effect.
  Botulinum Toxin Formula
  Most wrinkle relaxers use a purified form of botulinum toxin A, which is usually engineered with special proteins that make it easier for the formula to bind to your muscles. The particular botulinum toxin formula used for this treatment is thinner than Botox and slightly more diluted, which is what makes it ideal for treating mild and moderate fine lines and wrinkles.
  Once injected, the botulinum toxin formula will spread through the muscles on your face and begin inhibiting the transmission of movement cues. Many experts recommend lightly massaging the injected areas during the recovery period to ensure that the formula has spread evenly beneath the skin for the best possible results.
  Where Can You Use Dysport?
  Dysport is best used on dynamic fine lines and wrinkles, which are the signs of age that form on areas of the face with high mobility. The best example of a dynamic wrinkle is a frown line between the brows, which forms over time if you furrow your eyebrows a lot. Dynamic wrinkles are generally harder to treat than other types of wrinkles, such as those caused by skin laxity, because it’s pretty hard to stop making an expression – unless, of course, you use a wrinkle relaxer.
  Neurotoxin treatments to relax the appearance of wrinkles were originally designed to be used on the upper face, particularly between the eyebrows and on the forehead, which are areas of the face that are most difficult to treat with other cosmetic treatments, such as dermal fillers. However, over the past few years, wrinkle relaxers are now used on multiple areas of the face, including:
  Forehead
  Upper brow
  Crow’s feet
  Bunny lines
  Smile lines
  Chin dimple
  Verticle lip lines
  Nasolabial wrinkles
  Many patients opt to use this wrinkle relaxer on multiple areas of the face at one time to achieve comprehensive results. Ideally, patients can combine the effects of wrinkle relaxers for dynamic wrinkles and dermal fillers for lost volume to restore a youthful appearance.
  What Should You Expect From Your Treatment?
  Like we said before, your treatment will be overall much more simple than some other cosmetic treatments, such as surgical lifts or fat transfers. However, you will still need to follow a few steps, particularly for your first time using a wrinkle relaxer.
  Your first step will be attending a consultation appointment so we can get to know you and your aesthetic goals. During your consultation, we will be sure to examine the condition of your skin, paying close attention to any trouble areas you identify, and talk about your skincare routine. We will also discuss what your aesthetic goals are and explore any additional treatments that might be necessary to help you achieve your goals.
  Pre-Care Directions
  Most injectable treatments all follow the same preparation directions, which mostly amount to avoiding any blood-thinning medications and staying away from certain active skin ingredients, such as Retinol, for at least three to five days. Other than that, we may also recommend you start taking an Arnica Montana supplement to help minimize any bruising or swelling after your treatment; using Arnica Montana will also help speed up your total recovery time.
  Appointment Day
  On the day of your appointment, please arrive with a fresh face free of any make-up, lotions, or perfumes. Some patients prefer to have their hair pulled back to make it easier to access the face. You may want to take an over-the-counter pain reliever, like Tylenol, about one hour before your treatment to minimize any potential discomfort if you are sensitive to pain.
  Post-Care Directions
  After your treatment, you will only need to follow a few directions, such as how to use cold compresses for 24 hours after your appointment, how you should wash your face, and how you should touch your skin. Some of your post-care directions will also involve instructions to avoid direct sunlight, intense heat, or excessive sweating. Please wear SPF products graded 20 or higher when outside.
  When Will You See Results?
  You will see the results of your treatment within a few days – in fact, most patients see their treatment results in two to five days after treatment, depending on the severity of their skin concerns. Those who only have mild issues may notice that their results are visible sooner than those who have moderate issues.
  How Long Do Results Last?
  You can count on the results of your treatment to last for about three to four months at a time, sometimes as long as five depending on how well you respond to the treatment. The results of this treatment last for such a long time due to the way the body needs time to break down the botulinum toxin injection. You may notice that your results last longer during subsequent treatments than your first treatment.
  What Is the Best Treatment Frequency?
  Ideally, patients should have this treatment three to four times a year to maintain seamless results. You may either schedule your next appointment when you notice your results are fading, or you can have routinely scheduled appointments to manage your treatment without any fade of the results.
  Other FAQs
  1. Does This Treatment Hurt?
  No, this treatment shouldn’t hurt at all. We can offer a topical numbing cream for patients who don’t do well with needles, but overall, there is very little sensation associated with this treatment. Some patients compare it to having blood drawn or getting a flu shot.
  2. Will You Be Able to Feel Your Face?
  Yes! You will still be able to feel your face after your treatment, and you’ll be able to move your face too – the movement, however, will be somewhat restricted. But your face will not feel numb after your treatment.
  3. How Many Units Will You Need?
  The number of units needed for your treatment will depend on how many areas are being treated and the severity of those treatment areas. Generally speaking, most people will require upward of 50 units to treat multiple areas of the face.
  4. Are You a Good Candidate?
  Men and women who are not satisfied with the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles on their skin generally make good candidates for wrinkle relaxer treatments. You must not be currently pregnant to have this treatment and you must not be allergic to botulinum toxin.
  Delete the Signs of Aging With Dysport
  It’s time to hit the backspace button and rewind the clock. Some treatments can delete the signs of aging from your skin by relaxing fine lines and wrinkles, which can help you look years younger. A treatment like Dysport can give you the fast, easy, and reliable results you need to feel refreshed and rejuvenated. If you think this injectable treatment is a good fit for your needs, contact Nuance Cosmetic Surgery in Sacramento, CA to schedule your consultation appointment today!