Previously, we talked about the history of both BOTOXยฎ and Dysportยฎ, and how each ofย these products actually work once theyโre administered to a patient. In the second postย of our three-part series, Iโd like to shift focus and talk about the FDA-approved cosmeticย uses of both products. Itโs also going to be helpful to compare these uses to otherย cosmetic treatment options.
What Does FDA Approval Mean?
First, letโs discuss what we mean when we say a product or medical device is โFDAย approvedโ. The Food and Drug Administration has been tasked with protecting publicย health by overseeing human and animal drugs, medical devices, cosmetics, food (forย human and animal consumption), and other products (1). Not all of these products goย through the pre-market approval process โ that is, the FDA doesnโt look at the safety ofย certain products, like cosmetics, before they go to market. When we talk aboutย products like Botox and Dysport, however, weโre talking about drugs that went throughย rigorous testing in order to prove that they were safe to use on humans.
The FDA has high standards, and while the agency doesnโt actually develop new drugsย or products themselves, it does review the results of laboratory, animal and humanย testing in clinical trials before granting approval on any new drugs. If a product is givenย FDA approval, it means that the benefits of using the product on human beingsย outweighs the risks associated with its use.
As we learned before, Botox was approved for use by the FDA on April 15, 2002.ย Dysport wasnโt approved for use in the USA until April 29, 2009.
Cosmetic Uses of Botox and Dysport
Conveniently, both Botox and Dysport have been FDA approved for a variety of uses,ย many of which are not strictly cosmetic in nature. Weโll focus on the productsโ cosmeticย uses.
Letโs start with Botox. This prescription medication is used to treat several types ofย cosmetic problems, and procedures using Botox are usually quick and minimallyย invasive. During these simple procedures, the product is administered by an injectionย under the skin, using extremely small needles targeting the area being treated.ย Commonly, Botox is used to treat glabellar lines โ those moderate to severe frown linesย that appear between the eyebrows. These frown lines are caused by repeated muscleย contractions from frowning or concentrating. Botox is injected directly into thesemuscles between the eyebrows at five specific points, causing them to be temporarilyย paralyzed (2). This results in a reduction in appearance of these lines.
When we squint to see something better, the muscles around our eyes contract and,ย over time, can produce crowโs feet. These are the little lines and wrinkles that canย appear at the corner of each eye. To eliminate these lines, at least temporarily, Botoxย can also be injected around the sides of the eyes to smooth out the skin and improveย the look of crowโs feet. The product is administered to the muscles on the side of theย eye in a series of three small injections.
In a cosmetic sense, Dysport is also used to treat moderate to severe frown lines. Itโsย also administered in a series of five small injections into specific muscles between andย above the eyebrows (3). Just like with Botox, this temporarily paralyses the musclesย and prevents their contraction, which smooths out the skin.
Other Treatment Options
So how do Botox and Dysport stack up against other cosmetic treatments? There areย many alternatives to both products, but since every individual is unique, there is no oneย size fits all answer to the best solution for you. There are benefits and risks to anyย cosmetic treatment, and a thorough discussion with your healthcare provider isย necessary in order to determine the best option for your particular concern.
First, letโs talk about topical products that can be used to reduce the appearance ofย wrinkles. There are many different facial creams that are marketed to reduce theย appearance of facial lines and wrinkles: one of the more popular prescription creams isย Retin-A, a product that contains a form of Vitamin A that helps the skin renew itself withย exfoliation (4). Other topicals include products that contain alpha-hydroxy acids,ย antioxidants, growth factors and simple moisturizers. While all these products can beย easily applied to the face, they must also be continuously used in order to reduce theย appearance of wrinkles. Also, these types of products are used to reduce theย appearance of fine lines โ typically, they are not used for moderate to severe lines likeย both Botox and Dysport.
Beyond topical products and medications, there are a variety of procedural options usedย to treat cosmetic lines and wrinkles. Chemical peels can be used to penetrate into theย skin and smooth out fine lines. Microdermabrasion is a procedure that may make theย skin feel smoother by removing the top layer of the skin, but it doesnโt address theย underlying problem of frequent muscle contraction that makes lines and wrinkles in theย first place. Lasers can be used in several ways to remove targeted areas of skin andย stimulate the body to make collagen, which helps to fill in wrinkle lines and sagging skinย (5). Finally, dermal fillers can be administered to patients in order to reduce facial linesย by actually โfilling upโ the lines with one of several different substances.
We canโt talk about alternative cosmetic treatments without also discussing surgicalย options. The term cosmetic surgery encompasses the most invasive treatment optionsย when it comes to dealing with cosmetic lines and wrinkles. Procedures such as surgicalย facelifts, brow lifts and eyelid lifts are commonly performed alone or together with otherย surgical options to achieve smoother skin and reduce the occurrence of lines andย wrinkles on the face. Patients must undergo these procedures at approved surgicalย facilities, which can be office-based, outpatient surgery centers or hospitals, andย general anesthesia is used for each of these procedures. As with every surgicalย procedure, significant risks are associated, and patients must discuss these risks withย their healthcare providers before making the decision to undergo cosmetic surgery.
So now that weโve seen what the common cosmetic uses of Botox and Dysport are, andย how they compare to other cosmetic treatment options, are there any other uses of bothย products that we havenโt discussed? In the third installment of this blog series, Iโll talkย about off-label treatment options using both Botox and Dysport, including options thatย are available at Azura Skin Care Center!
References
1. http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm047470.htm
2. http://www.botoxcosmetic.com/Why-Botox-Cosmetic
3. http://www.dysportusa.com/what-is-dysport
4. http://www.drugs.com/retin-a.html
5. http://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/laser-resurfacing/basics/definition/prc-20019469
6. http://www.fda.gov/medicaldevices/productsandmedicalprocedures/cosmeticdevices/wrinklefillers/default.htm
7. http://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/dermabrasion/basics/definition/prc-20013812
Sarah Handzel, BSN, RN
Registered Nurse and Freelance Copywriter
Owner, Catbird Writing Solutions, LLC
919-418-1784
catbirdwriting.com
Posts in this Series
Botox and Dysport: Where Did They Come From? How Do They Work?
Cosmetic Uses of Botox and Dysport Compared to Other Treatment Options
Off-Label Cosmetic Treatment Options Using Botox and Dysport
Henry Shepherd says
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Jennie Kowaleski says
We are so happy you have enjoyed our blogs and glad you can gain helpful knowledge from them. If there are any other subjects you would like to see in our blog, please feel free to let us know and if it is something we feel we are knowledgeable in we will accomodate.