Medically reviewed by Jen Boucher, CNP, Aesthetic and Certified Nurse Practitioner (CNP) at Elle Salon & MedSpa · Updated July 2026
You’ve decided to try a wrinkle relaxer. Then you start reading and run into four different names — Botox, Dysport, Xeomin, Jeuveau — and it’s suddenly a lot less simple.
Here’s the good news: at Elle Salon & MedSpa in Reading, MA, you don’t have to figure this out on your own. Our nurse practitioner carries all four, and part of your consultation is matching the right one to your face.
But it helps to walk in knowing what the differences actually are.
First, What They Have in Common
All four are FDA-approved neurotoxins. All four work the same basic way: they temporarily relax the specific muscles that create expression lines, so the skin above them smooths out.
All four treat the same core areas — forehead lines, frown lines between the brows, crow’s feet. All four are quick, minimally invasive, and require no real downtime.
So the differences aren’t about whether they work. They’re about onset, spread, formulation, and fit.
Botox®
The original, and still the most widely used.
Botox has the longest track record and the most clinical research behind it of any neurotoxin on the market. It’s predictable, it’s well understood, and for most people it’s the default starting point.
Often the right choice when: you’re new to injectables, you want the most established option, or you’ve had good results with it before and see no reason to switch.
Dysport®
Dysport is known for two things: a slightly faster onset, and a bit more spread from each injection point.
Some clients notice results a little sooner than they would with Botox. And because the product diffuses somewhat more, it can cover broader areas efficiently — which some injectors prefer for larger treatment zones like the forehead.
That same spread means it calls for a careful hand near delicate areas. Placement matters.
Often the right choice when: you’re treating a larger area, or you’d like to see movement a bit sooner.
Xeomin®
Xeomin is sometimes called the “naked” neurotoxin, because it’s formulated without the accessory proteins the others carry.
For most people that makes no practical difference. But a small number of long-term neurotoxin users develop resistance over time — their treatments stop working as well as they used to. For those clients, the stripped-down formulation is worth a conversation.
Often the right choice when: you’ve been getting injectables for years and feel like results aren’t lasting the way they once did, or you simply prefer the most minimal formulation available.
Jeuveau®
Jeuveau is the newest of the four and was developed specifically for cosmetic use rather than adapted from medical applications.
In practice, most clients find it performs very similarly to Botox. It’s a solid option, and pricing sometimes lands a little differently, which can matter if you’re treating multiple areas.
Often the right choice when: you want Botox-like results and are open to a newer, aesthetics-focused option.
An Important Note About Units and Cost
This one trips people up, so it’s worth being clear.
Units are not interchangeable between products. A unit of Dysport is not equivalent to a unit of Botox — Dysport is dosed using a different scale, so the same result requires a different number of units.
Which means comparing prices by “cost per unit” across brands will mislead you every time. The only comparison that means anything is the total cost to treat the area you care about.
We’ll give you that number at your consultation, before anything is injected. If you’d like to spread the cost, we also offer payment plans.
So Which One Is Actually Best?
The honest answer: there isn’t a single best one. There’s a best one for you.
What our nurse practitioner is weighing when she makes a recommendation:
- Which area you’re treating — a broad forehead and a narrow area between the brows call for different considerations
- How your muscles move — she’ll watch your expressions before deciding anything
- Your history with injectables — what’s worked, what hasn’t, and how long results have held
- How quickly you want to see results — relevant if you have an event coming up
- Your goals — softening lines is a different plan than a lip flip or a brow lift
Anyone who tells you one brand is universally superior is skipping the part that matters, which is your face.
Why This Matters When Choosing a Provider
Plenty of medspas carry one neurotoxin. That means whatever you come in for, that’s what you’re getting.
Carrying all four means the recommendation can actually be tailored — and if something isn’t performing the way you hoped, there’s somewhere to go from there.
Our injectables are administered by a licensed aesthetic nurse practitioner under medical supervision, using FDA-approved products. You can meet our team here.
What Happens at Your Consultation
Before any product is chosen, we’ll:
- Look at your facial anatomy and watch how your muscles actually move
- Talk through what’s bothering you and what you want the result to look like
- Review your medical history and anything that might rule an option out
- Recommend a specific product and explain why that one
- Give you an exact cost before you commit to anything
No pressure, and no obligation to book treatment the same day.
Full details on our injectable services are on our Botox & Fillers page, including dermal fillers and lip enhancement.
Still Deciding Between Treatments?
If you’re weighing wrinkle relaxers against other options for skin texture, tone, or sun damage, we compared several of them in Botox vs. Laser Genesis vs. IPL. Different concerns call for different treatments, and sometimes the answer isn’t injectables at all.
We see clients from Reading, Wakefield, Stoneham, North Reading, and Woburn — many of whom come in unsure which option is right and leave with an actual plan.
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