Dysport and Facial Anatomy: Why Injection Patterns Should Be Individual

One of the easiest mistakes in aesthetic medicine is treating an injection map like a recipe.

Dysport is a botulinum toxin product used for selected facial lines, but the way it is planned should depend on the individual face rather than a fixed total dose copied from someone else.

The glabella

The corrugator and procerus muscles contribute to vertical and horizontal frown lines between the brows. Their size, strength, position, and the way the brows move vary from person to person.

The frontalis

The frontalis elevates the brows. Treating forehead lines without understanding brow position and compensatory movement can change brow height or expression. That is why the forehead should be assessed together with the muscles that pull the brows downward.

The orbicularis oculi

The orbicularis oculi contributes to movement around the eyes, including crow’s-feet. Injection planning has to respect anatomy, smile pattern, baseline asymmetry, and the structures around the eye.

Natural movement is part of the goal

For many patients, the goal is softening selected lines while preserving expression—not making every moving line disappear.

Units are product-specific

Botulinum toxin products are not dosed interchangeably. The number of Dysport units should not be directly converted to another product as though the units were equivalent.

Aesthetic treatment is still medical treatment. Anatomy, contraindications, expectations, informed consent, and follow-up matter more than a preprinted injection diagram.

— Nora Phillips, DNP, APRN Central Health | Wahiawa, Hawaiʻi

Sources

FDA — Dermal Filler Do’s and Don’ts: Dermal Fillers and Botulinum Toxin Products https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/dermal-filler-dos-and-donts-wrinkles-lips-and-more