Is it Botox?
We get this question a lot when it comes to botulinum toxin questions and there seems to be much confusion over ‘which is best’. So here are a few words on some of the popular UK brands of toxin.
Most people are familiar with botulinum toxin only under one name: “Botox”. “Botox” is actually a protected name of a prescription drug subject. Botulinum toxin is produced by various companies under the name “Dysport ®”, “Azzalure ®”, “Botox ®” Xeomin ®, “Bocouture ®” and Vistabel ® for the treatment of abnormal spasms of muscles, the anti-sweat treatment and wrinkle treatment. So the ingredient of ALL of these products is botulinum toxin.
So What Are the Differences for a Patient?
At Cosmedocs we regularly use Botox ®, Bocouture ® and Azzalure ® and find that both Botox and Bocouture behave very similarly, the difference can mainly be seen when using Azzalure (or Dysport). Azzalure tends to last longer for a patient, 4-6 months, as opposed to 3-4 months. It also tends to ‘spread/work’ over a larger area which can be particularly useful if treating excessive sweating in a patient or those that like a smooth result eg NO movement on their forehead. For those that prefer a more natural look and are not concerned with a longer duration then it can be useful to use Botox or Bocouture. So our choice of toxin can depend on what a patient wants.
Which is “THE BEST” Botox?
There is no such thing as “best botox”. We regularly use three different toxins and can get similar results with all as we are experienced with how each of them behaves. However, we may recommend that if you are being treated for excessive sweating to have azzalure as it tends to work better over a larger area and for longer. On the other hand, if it is your first time having botox and you want a very natural result or you have had a complication in the past we may suggest Botox or Bocouture.
In Summary
There is NO one toxin that is the best or works the best. They are all useful and have pros and cons. The BEST result is from practitioners who inject day-in day-out and know how to inject them well.
