Which Wrinkle-Reducing Option Is Best for You?

Your pores and skin is a window into your age, and wrinkles are one of the most telltale signs. It’s absolutely regular for the strains on your face to extend as you add greater birthday candles to the cake. “Wrinkles are the give up end result of collagen and elastin fiber breakdown,” says facial plastic and reconstructive health care provider Patrick J. Byrne, MD, chair of the Head and Neck Institute at Cleveland Clinic in Ohio. Genetics and pores and skin kind are two elements that are out of your manipulate that can make you extra susceptible to wrinkles.

How Botox and Other Wrinkle Reducers Work to Smooth Wrinkles.

To cease wrinkles in their tracks, you would possibly think about Botox or a comparable injectable. Botox is the trademarked identify for a catchall time period dermatologists have a tendency to use for botulinum toxin kind A, injectables that are made from a toxin that comes from the Clostridium botulinum bacteria. (Yes, that micro organism additionally reasons botulism, a circumstance that assaults the body’s nerves, per Mayo Clinic — however it’s uncommon for Botox injections to have this facet effect.)

“This is the most mighty neurotoxin recognised to man,” says Dr. Byrne. “The toxin travels into the synapses of the muscle groups and blocks the transmission of the impulse to the muscle.” When the toxin is existing in the muscle, that muscle can’t contract round the synapse (the tiny hole between two nerve cells). That skill the muscle is partly or entirely paralyzed, and the end result is that these expression strains are smoothed out. The remedies are transient and can also remaining from two to six months.

By stopping expression lines, you additionally forestall present wrinkles from carving in deeper and greater permanently. The begin time is up to the patient, however some docs don’t consider in the use of neurotoxins preventively. “If a affected person doesn’t have a frown line and they inform me they prefer Botox so they’ll in no way get a wrinkle, I don’t deal with them,” says Phillip R. Langsdon, MD, a facial plastic general practitioner in Germantown, Tennessee, and previous president of the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (AAFPRS).

But if you see that a crease from a facial expression doesn’t go away when your face is at rest, you’re at a factor the place a wrinkle has formed. It’s then that you may additionally think about a neurotoxin.

Nevertheless, you’re now not restrained to Botox. “Most humans come in asking for Botox, as it has the most company recognition,” says Dr. Langsdon. But there are 4 different manufacturers that work in comparable approaches that you can ask your dermatologist about: Dysport, Xeomin, Jeuveau, and Daxxify. Daxxify is the most modern amongst these options; the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized the injectable for treating facial wrinkles

You might be surprised by:Not only are they all similar, but also completely identical, in terms of the active ingredient.However, Byrne, who is also a board member of the AAFPRS, explains, “They each contain unique carrier proteins that diffuse through the tissue in slightly different ways.”
What you need to know about each injectable is listed below.
According to the Botox Cosmetic website, onabotulinumtoxinA injections, also known as Botox, are approved by the FDA to temporarily treat moderate to severe frown lines, crow’s feet, and forehead lines.
Who Is It Best suited for? According to Langsdon, “Botox works very well in the crease between the eyebrows, in the crow’s feet, in the bunny lines on the sides of the nose, and in forehead lines.”Botox can be used to treat marionette lines, which run vertically from the corners of the mouth to the chin, according to a review that was published in Clinical, Cosmetic, and Investigational Dermatology in 2019.wrinkles around the lips;as well as the neck’s vertical bands; the review also states that the results last from three to six months.

Another potential advantage?According to a review that was published in Toxins in 2021, these neurotoxin injections may interfere with the function of sebaceous (oil) glands, resulting in a reduction in facial oiliness, pore size, and acne.Dysport is specifically mentioned as one of the better options for this purpose in the review.However, these injectables are not approved by the FDA to treat acne, so consider it a possibility rather than a guarantee.Dysport injections in the forehead significantly reduced the oiliness in the area for six months, according to a randomized, double-blind study that was published in Dermatologic Surgery in 2021. The study included 50 participants.The treatment’s recipients in the study reported being extremely pleased with the outcomes.
Disadvantages According to Byrne, other injectables, such as Botox, may perform better when you want to target a specific muscle, such as the frown lines between the eyebrows.But that doesn’t mean Dysport can’t give you the results you want:He asserts, “I don’t think it matters much that these differences are so subtle.”
According to the Xeomin website, IncobotulinumtoxinA, or Xeomin, is an injection that works on moderate to severe frown lines between the eyebrows.
Who Should Use It? Some people develop a tolerance to one of these injectables, which reduces the efficacy of the treatments over time.According to Shah, “the protein coat on the toxin molecule is much less dense than on the other neurotoxins” is what sets Xeomin apart.Your doctor might turn to Xeomin if other injectables don’t work for you anymore.
Disadvantages The company claims that results appear within three to four days, with maximum outcomes after thirty days.Xeomin may not be right for you if you want the effects to show up faster because of a personal preference or an upcoming event.
Additionally, despite the company’s claim that the benefits last for three months, some doctors, including Shah, claim that their patients frequently report that they only last for two months.However, “two months seems like a good amount of time when you’ve built up a tolerance to the others,” he says.
Even though Jeuveau has been around for a while, Langsdon says that “the data is limited” and that “we don’t have the years of experience that we have with Botox, Dysport, or Xeomin.”
What is Daxxify? Daxxify, also known as daxibotulinumtoxinA-lanm, is the most recent wrinkle reducer available.It is approved for the treatment of moderate-to-severe brow wrinkles.According to StatPearls, the corrugators and procerus muscles are located in this region, which is called the glabella.According to Joshua Zeichner, MD, an associate professor and the director of cosmetic and clinical research in the department of dermatology at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City, these are the muscles that pull “your eyebrows down as you scowl.”
Who Should Use It? The fact that the effects are likely to last the longest is one thing that sets Daxxify apart from the other wrinkle reducers on this list.Eighty percent of participants saw improvements in facial lines four months after treatment in trials with Daxxify that were submitted to the FDA by Daxxify manufacturer Revance Therapeutics (PDF).In the meantime, after six months, about half of the participants noticed an improvement.After nine months, some people even saw their results continue.
This may sound appealing.Dr. Zeichner says that before using Daxxify, you should be more familiar with injectable neuromodulators to know what to expect.

According to Zeichner, “I would recommend a shorter-acting agent [than Daxxify] for first-time users to ensure that you are happy with the results.”He continued, “is a good option for people who are experienced, know what to expect, and like their results.” Daxxify, he stated,
According to Revance’s findings, disadvantages of Daxxify included drooping eyelids, headache, and facial asymmetry in a small number of studies.According to Zeichner, the main drawback is that because the results last so long, people who aren’t happy with the treatment will have to wait longer for the effects to wear off than they would with another injectable.
What You’ll Pay for Smoother, Younger-Looking Skin According to data from 2020, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons estimates that the average cost of Dysport, Xeomin, Botox, and Jeuveau is $466.The most recent number is that one;In some places, prices are likely to be higher.)The area being treated, desired degree of wrinkle reduction, and the number of units of the product injected all have a significant impact on pricing.Prices also vary from one doctor’s office to another and from city to region.Due to the fact that the injectable is not yet available in dermatologist offices, the price of Daxxify has not yet been established.It is anticipated for 2023.
Overall, “because they’re so popular, patient satisfaction is so high.”When used correctly, all of these agents will work, says Byrne.
The Importance of Working With a Professional When Receiving Botox and Similar Injectables Regardless of the wrinkle-reduction injectable you choose, the most important thing is to visit a knowledgeable doctor, such as a board-certified dermatologist or plastic surgeon.According to Langsdon, “you need a provider who you trust and who knows what they’re doing.”Although a lower price may be offered, you should consider the potential harm to your health and safety caused by the provider’s lack of experience.
Alarmingly, reports cited in a 2018 Plastic Surgery study suggest that some people are self-injecting botulinum toxin through tutorials and facial muscle maps found on YouTube and other websites.The authors warn that this is not secure.You run the risk of injecting the muscles incorrectly in addition to the possibility that the product you are using is counterfeit.These home remedies can cause long-term side effects like muscle