Do I Really Need Double Dysport to Get Same Effect of Botox?

  Because the dosing of Dysport and Botox are very unique to each drug it is hard to really compare one to the other.  Dysport and Botox have different "characteristic" and should be injected by qualified, knowledgeable physicians who have experience using both these drugs.

Good Luck

Most injectors will consider 2.5 - 3 Dysport units to be equivalent to 3 Botox units. So, 25 units of Botox would be roughly equivalent to 75 units of Dysport. While this is not an exact conversion rate, only 2 times the number of Botox units would typically be an inadequate number of Dysport units to achieve the same result.
All the best,

Thank you for your question about Dysport.  Yes, it is typical that it may take 2-3 times as much Dysport as it takes Botox to get the same result.  For that reason, Dysport is typically priced at a much lower dollar per unit price than Botox.  The prices and amounts you were quoted are typical.
To be sure, see two or more experienced,
licensed and board-certified providers in your area for a complete evaluation
to make sure you are a good candidate and that it is safe for you to have
treatment.
I hope this helps.
 

Thank you for your question. There are 100 units in a vial of Botox. In a vial of Dysport, there are 300 units. Most practices will charge the same amount for Botox and Dysport, the number of units will differ. If you are paying $300 for 1 treatment area of Botox, it should be an equal dollar amount for Dysport treatment in that same area. The number of units will differ in this example. In our practice, and many others, we do this so the practitioner and patient can make a decision on which to use based on the desired outcome, not price.

The common conversions used by physicians between Dysport and Botox is 2.5 units of Dysport for every Botox unit, or 3 units of Dysport for every one unit of Botox.another way to say this is that ~50 units of Dysport is needed to treat the frown lines  to get a similar effect as 20 units of Botox. Based on this, I would say they may even be under treating you.

Dysport comes in 300 unit vials and Botox comes in 100 unit vials. The conversion of the units is what may make it seem like you need more Dysport, but it should not really make a big difference in pricing. An experienced injector will know exactly how much Dyport/Botox to use in each area so that you do not have to worry about the conversion of units between the 2 products.

All of the injectable companies tell you that the dosages are not equivalent.  The FDA has approved treatment of the area between the eyes with Dysport with a common dose of 50 units.  The same area has been approved for a common dose or 20 units of Botox.  Different injectors will dilute and inject differently.  The most important thing is not the price.  Please see an experienced and well trained injector.

The FDA approval for Dysport was based on 50 units for the glabella, an area which typically requires 20 units of Botox. However, with experience using the product, many of us have noticed that the conversion is roughly 3:1, that is 60 units of Dysport has a similar effect to 20 units of Botox. The effects of the two products are slightly different so it's not a precise equation but rather just a rule of thumb. An experienced injector who is familiar with the anatomy of the facial muscles should be able to treat you nicely with either. 

Best regards,

Dr. Mehta

Dysport comes in units but the calculation is different than Botox when injecting it. So, yes you will need more units of Dysport in a area than  Botox. It's usually 2 to 3 units of Dysport per 1 unit of Botox.

Hi Kerig.  The conversion rate from Dysport to Botox is actually greater than 2:1 if you look at the FDA approval for both and compare apples to apples.  Botox is approved for the glabella (between the eyes) at approximately 20 units per patient.  Dysport is approved for this same area at 50 units per patient.  So, the resulting conversion rate would actually be 2.5 units of Dysport for every unit of Botox. 

At our practice, because Dysport is slightly less expensive, we convert at a 3:1 ratio, which helps us achieve a longer duration for patients at the same cost as Botox.  Good luck.