Botox or Dysport: Why the Unit Count Looks Different (and the Price Doesn’t)
If you’ve compared Botox and Dysport, you’ve probably noticed something that looks off at first. A Dysport treatment uses two to three times as many units as Botox for the same area. That doesn’t mean you’re getting more product, or paying more. It means the units are measured differently.
A unit isn’t a unit
Botox and Dysport both relax the muscles that cause expression lines, like the “11s” between your brows, forehead lines, and crow’s feet. But each manufacturer measures its own units, so one Botox unit and one Dysport unit aren’t the same dose. As a general guide, about 2.5 to 3 units of Dysport equals 1 unit of Botox.
For example, a typical treatment for frown lines between the brows uses about 20 units of Botox, or about 50 units of Dysport.
What that means for your cost
Because you need more Dysport units, Dysport costs less per unit. At MD Beauty Lab, Botox is [$X] per unit and Dysport is [$Y] per unit, so a treatment for the same area lands at a similar total cost either way. When you compare prices, compare the cost of the whole treatment, not the price per unit.
So which one should you choose?
Both work well, and both typically last three to four months. Some patients notice Dysport start working a day or two sooner. Some find they simply respond better to one than the other. Your injector will recommend the right option for the areas you want to treat, your goals, and how you’ve responded to treatment before.
