I am an African American woman with medium brown skin. Unfortunately the whole “black don’t crack” phrase does not apply here.

I woke up one day and realized that my forehead was looking a bit more aged than I had liked. That got me to desperately search up procedures and products that would make it look better.

Then Dysport came into the picture! Read on to learn about my experience with it and if I think it was worth it or not.

About Dysport

Dysport is a brand name for botulinum toxin. This is a kind of neurotoxin that causes some weakness and paralysis when it is introduced to one’s body.

The botulinum toxin can be just as it sounds- a toxin. This means that it can cause negative effects that greatly disrupt a person’s life and become life threatening. These effects include severe muscle weakness in the body, respiratory distress and vision issues. If the poisoning is foodborne (i.e. eating improperly canned food), one will have the typical food poisoning symptoms which include nausea and vomiting.

Despite the bad, it can also be used for good.

The toxin has medical and cosmetic applications that can be life changing in a positive way when injected into people. They include the following:

• Migraines- Can reduce the frequency and severity of migraines.
• Muscle spasms- Can reduce the number of spasms by relaxing the muscles.
• Excessive underarm sweating- Blocks the sweat glands from overproducing sweat.
• Chronic pain- Can reduce the chronic pain in muscles.
• Wrinkles and fine lines- Can reduce the appearance of dynamic wrinkles on one’s face by stopping the movement that causes them.

When it comes to cosmetics, Dysport is just one of a few toxin injectables available on the market that are used at MedSpas and doctor’s offices. The other ones include Botox, Xeomin and Jeuveau. The differences between them include the formulations and cost.

In terms of Dysport as a wrinkle and fine line reducer, it is said to be better for a larger area (like the forehead) due to its ability to spread more than Botox. People also say that the effects last longer when compared to the other injectables.

All injectables are priced by the unit. This is the amount that is injected. There are a specific number of units that are suggested for each area that is being treated. Everyone is different though so one may need more or less than others.

It typically takes a few days for one to start seeing results after being injected with Dysport. Full results should be seen at the two week mark. Depending on the person, the effects can last up to five months with some only getting a month out of it.

Dysport costs less per unit but you need more of them than the other injectables so it isn’t that less expensive in the long-run. The average amount people pay ranges from around $250-$1000.

All injectables can have side effects. Dysport can cause headaches, fatigue, nausea, sore throat and potentially other things. It is important to reach out to a medical professional if you are experiencing severe discomfort.

Why I wanted an injectable

I am very self conscious about my looks.

Exactly a year ago, I noticed a faint line on my forehead. It wasn’t so bad at first but then I felt like it started getting increasingly worse. Eventually there was a second line up there.

I had been using retinol every single night at that time but it didn’t seem to be doing anything for me. Tretinoin is way more powerful but I was scared to go through the purge. Plus I read that it might not even get rid of the lines.

So, that led me to scour the “30splusskincare” subreddit to see other options that people have successfully tried. I was then met with a lot of posts about Botox. At first I was really hesitant to go that route but I eventually softened up on the idea.

I knew that it was going to be expensive but I remembered I had an envelope of gift money I had been saving for no particular reason. I figured I could maybe put it towards injectables.

Getting injected

When I made the decision that I was going to get Botox, I immediately started to shop around for injectors in the area. I looked at reviews and pricing to help make what I felt was the right choice.

I thought that doing the proper research would help me go to someone that I felt comfortable with and allow me to stay in my budget. It still can be risky the first time regardless.

I settled on one medspa near my house that is ran by a doctor. The fact that she has a medical degree and the business ratings are good, were what made me choose the place.

The price per unit of Botox there is a little more expensive than the others in my area, but I figured I wouldn’t need that many units to fix my forehead.

When I went for the first appointment, I was pretty nervous. The place was really nice and the person at the front desk was kind and welcoming. I had to fill out a sheet with my medical information/history before I could be called back.

My writing hand was shaking so my already bad handwriting looked even worse.

The doctor called me back and I was immediately at ease with her. She was a nice and bubbly person. The information she gave me was thorough for a first-timer.

She recommended that we actually go with Dysport the first time because her clients have seen more, longer lasting success with it. For the first appointment, she wanted to go with the minimum amount of units she uses for the forehead to see how I react to it. I agreed to this as I was still a bit scared of getting injectables done (never in a million years did I think I would do it!).

I was warned before she injected my forehead that I might feel a sting. The good thing is that I am not sensitive to that type of pain.

Just a few pricks and I was done!

I got 25 units of Dysport and paid $250.

My results

A couple hours after the appointment, I began to have a funny feeling in my head. It was like I was lightheaded and spacey. Then that evening, I started feeling sick to my stomach. I thought maybe I picked up a bug from someone or somewhere.

The next day, I had no results from the injections. I knew that it could take up to two weeks so I wasn’t really upset about it. I also still felt sick.

I began to think that maybe my sick feelings were from the Dysport. This prompted me to look up the side effects people have and then I realized that it was a very real possibility that it was why I was sick.

It took a few days for the sickness to go away. It wasn’t the most fun thing to deal with to say the least.

In terms of results, it took about a week for me to notice reduced movement in my forehead when I moved up my eyebrows. By two weeks, I noticed I couldn’t furrow my eyebrows and the two “humps” that I had there were gone. These two effects lasted for five months.

What never went away were the two fine lines I was the most concerned about going into the first appointment. They did soften up but they were still there and are there now. I read that they should disappear with injections so I have been a bit bummed about it.

Worth it or not?

I really do think me getting Dysport was worth it because I definitely saw some good results. My son no longer asked me if I was growing horns between my eyebrows!

I think that the forehead lines didn’t go away because I did not get enough units injected.

The worst thing about this experience was the flu-like side effects I had to endure. That is what gives me a pause when it comes to setting up an appointment to get injected again. I probably will try to stretch getting more Dysport out until late winter/early spring if I can stand it.

Maybe by then I will have my own source of income (I am a SAHM) which will make me feel better about spending money on beauty-related things.

In conclusion

Getting Dysport was an interesting experience that left me with some good results. While I didn’t get the completely, line free forehead that I really wanted- I still thought it was a great $250 spent.

If you are looking for improvement in the lines and wrinkles on your face and your topicals aren’t cutting it (most won’t), injections are something to consider. Just make sure to do as much research as possible to make an informed decision.

Have any of you gotten Dysport injections? If so, let me know your experience.

Thanks for reading!

Health disclaimer: I am not a medical professional so what I say is not a substitute for medical advice. All I am doing is providing information that I learned. You need to do research and talk to your doctor before doing anything I talk about on here. Your health is your own and I am not liable for any consequences you suffer due to your choices.

#beauty #antiaging #skincare #plasticsurgery #dysport #botox #wrinkles #finelines