New injectable treatment is similar to Botox, but less costly

Erasing wrinkles just got a little less expensive. There’s a new injectable treatment called Dysport.  It’s very similar to Botox, but it costs less.

Eva Stone wants a little bit of a lift. “I’m starting to look tired and my face feels like it’s going down and looking long,“ she said.

So she’s come to Doctor Peter Malouf for injections of Dysport, the new competitor to Botox.

“Virtually the same mechanism of action,“ Dr. Peter Malouf, a cosmetic surgeon, said.

There are differences. Malouf says Dysport acts faster than Botox which can take a week to kick in.

Despite that, Malouf says Dysport is not as potent.

“It requires more units of Dysport to get the same effect as Botox,“ Dr. Malouf said.

But the difference that caught Eva’s attention was cost.

“It’s a little bit less expensive for the bottle,“ Dr. Malouf said.

Prices for Dysport and Botox vary from one doctor to another, so ask ahead of time.  But Eva is saving more than $50 by using Dysport.

“You want to save anytime you can,“ Eva said.

Malouf says you should ask how a practice charges for the drugs.

“Some people charge by the area. I believe it’s more honest and more reasonable to charge by the unit since we purchase it by the unit,“ he said.

By that measure, he says doctors spend a lot less for Dysport.

“Hopefully the savings will pass on to the patients,“ Dr. Malouf said.

It can still cost hundreds of dollars to erase wrinkles with Dysport, but with a class reunion coming up, Eva says it’s worth it. “This is going to be a big test to see how this looks,“ she said.

The doctor says there is at least one other competitor to Botox on the way, so you may soon have even more wrinkle-fighting options.