Dysport has now received approval from the FDA for use in United States. Dysport is a purified protein, similar to Botox, that relaxes muscles of the face. It is not identical to Botox, but works in a similar manner. It is administered by a physician or a registered nurse and can provide months of improved appearance to the lines of the face.
Dr. Ebroon was honored to have dinner with Jonah Shacknai the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Medicis. They spent an evening together this past week in Beverly Hills, California, discussing Dysport and how it will help his patients. Dr. Ebroon wanted to learn as much as he could about the development of Dysport and the properties of this new medicine. Mr. Shacknai indicated that Medicis, the company that makes Dysport, was extremely pleased to get approval of the medicine in the United States. He also indicated that Medicis is working to develop other cosmetic products.
Dysport is new, but Dr. Ebroon has a tremendous amount of experience with the similar medicine Botox. He first started using Botox at Northwestern University in Chicago, Illinois in 1991. He has used Botox over the last 18 years on thousand of patients.
Botox has been a very successful medication in improving the lines of the face. It is especially effective in the glabella, the area between the eyebrows, which tend to form deep vertical lines that give the connotation of anger. Botox is also used commonly by Dr. Ebroon to treat crow's feet in the forehead region. Occasionally Dr. Ebroon will use Botox in other areas as well. Some people form vertical bands in the neck from overactive use of neck muscles and Botox can be very effective in relaxing these. Also, occasionally, Dr. Ebroon will use Botox in very small quantities around the mouth.
It remains to be seen if Dysport is as safe and effective as Botox is. The package insert approved by the Federal Drug Administration in the United States gave the approval Dysport for four months of use. This is similar to the duration of Botox. On the other hand, there are some differences between the medications. There may be differences in how quickly Dysport starts working and how much the medication spreads. It remains to be seen how large these differences are and if they have any clinical relevance, meaning do they really make a difference when used in a patient.
We have come a long way in nonsurgical treatments for reducing the lines and furrows of the face. For many years, Botox has been a very important tool for aesthetic surgeons in noninvasively improving the appearance of the face. The procedure takes only several minutes and a patient can jump back into their daily routine very quickly.
Botox is often used in conjunction with products called dermal fillers. These products are made to fill areas of the face that one can see when the face is at rest. Fillers can plump up these areas to make them look more smooth. Common places to use fillers are in the smile lines around the mouth and to enhance the appearance of lips. They are also used to contour the face in order to make the face look better.
Much like a sculptor, a physician with an artistic eye can use his or her experience and aesthetic sensibility to remove years off the appearance of the face. Now that Dysport is available, Dr. Ebroon will watch closely to learn its characteristics and add it to the growing armamentarium of esthetic treatments for the face that are minimally invasive and have quick recoveries.
Stay tuned for more information about Dysport as it becomes available.
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