Wrinkle Relaxers that leave you looking rested, not different

About three to four months, sometimes a little longer. In Botox’s frown-line trials, 80 percent of patients still met the responder bar at day 30 and 25 percent at day 120, per the prescribing information. Dysport, Xeomin, and Jeuveau run on a similar clock.

Daxxify is the longer-acting option, with a median of 24 weeks in its phase 3 trials, which means half of patients got six months or more and half got less. Individual results vary.

Per-unit comparisons can be misleading. A unit measures the drug’s activity, not a volume, and the number you need depends on the area, the strength of the muscle, and how much movement you want to keep. The labeled Botox dose for frown lines is 20 units, for reference.

Units also don’t convert between brands. One Botox unit ran about three Dysport units and one Xeomin unit in the head-to-head trial, so a lower per-unit figure for one brand tells you nothing about the total. We’ll give you the total for your areas instead.

Softening starts in three to seven days, and 74 percent of patients in Botox’s trials had responded by day 7. The full effect is at 14 days, which is when a touch-up is assessed.

Xeomin was slightly faster in one randomized trial (about 3 days against about 5 for Botox and Dysport), and men were slower than women with all three, but other studies disagree. Wait the full two weeks before judging the result.

Avoid rubbing or massaging the injected areas for the rest of the day, be gentle putting makeup over the sites, and wait two hours before hard exercise, per the American Academy of Dermatology. Skip a face-down massage or a tight hat over the area that day.

Alcohol and ibuprofen mainly matter for bruising, so avoid them the day before and after if you bruise easily. Most other post-Botox rules have little evidence behind them, per a 2018 review in Dermatologic Surgery, which is why our list is short.

Only a little, and only briefly. Each injection is a quick pinch with a very fine needle, and an area takes a handful of them. Most people rate it well below a blood draw. We offer ice or a vibration tool if you want it, and no numbing cream is needed.

The frown lines and the lip are the spots people feel most. Small bumps at the sites are gone within about 30 minutes.

We don’t inject Botox, Dysport, Xeomin, Jeuveau, or Letybo during breastfeeding or pregnancy. The Botox label states there are no studies or adequate data on developmental risk in pregnancy, and none of the five labels has safety data for nursing.

That isn’t evidence of harm. It’s an absence of evidence, and a cosmetic treatment can wait a few months. You can book a consult now and schedule treatment for after you’ve weaned.

The common advice is to stay upright for about four hours, and it’s wise to keep your head up and skip face-down positions for the rest of the day. This rule, like most post-injection rules, has little research behind it, per a 2018 review in Dermatologic Surgery.

A daytime appointment makes this easy, and sleeping normally that night is fine.

Both are botulinum toxin type A approved for frown lines. Daxxify’s trials showed a median duration of 24 weeks, against Botox’s roughly three to four months, and Daxxify uses a peptide instead of human albumin as a stabilizer. Half of Daxxify’s trial patients got less than six months, so the longer duration isn’t a promise.

Botox has the wider label (forehead lines, crow’s feet, and neck bands as well as frown lines) and decades more use. If fewer visits appeal to you and you’re comfortable with that variability, Daxxify may suit you. If you’d prefer the most-studied product across several areas, Botox is the stronger choice.

They’re the same type of drug, botulinum toxin type A, and the labeled frown-line dose is 20 units for both. Jeuveau is FDA-approved for frown lines only, while Botox is also approved for forehead lines, crow’s feet, and neck bands. Onset and duration are similar, at a few days and about three to four months.

In Jeuveau’s trials, headache was reported by 12 percent of patients and eyelid droop by 2 percent. If you only want the elevens treated, either is a good option. For other areas, Botox is the one on label.

Our nurse practitioner in a treatment room at 3375 N Arlington Heights Rd, Suite C, under medical direction.

You’ll meet your nurse practitioner at the consult first, and the same provider does your two-week check. Credentials and training are listed on the team page as they’re confirmed.

Botox wears off on its own over three to four months, so nothing needs to be undone. We also start conservatively on a first visit and see you back at two weeks to add more if needed, because adding is easy and taking away is not.