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WHAT I TRIED Dysport Treatment, an injection a bit like Botox, that wipes away wrinkles and frown lines.
WHAT I EXPECTED Having already experienced the miracle that is Botox, I wasn't expecting much from this, to be honest, it seemed to be more of the same. I just thought I should try it as I'd never heard of it and anything that gets rid of that angry dent between my eyebrows sounds good to me. It works much like Botox, blocking the signal from the nerve to the muscles and temporarily preventing the contraction of the muscles that cause lines.
WHAT HAPPENED The handsome Italian Dr Maurizio looks like something out of Nip/Tuck - all beautifully coiffed and immaculate in his white coat. He pulls my forehead around a bit, asks me to smile and then prepares the needle. He tells me that Dysport is like Botox, made from the same neurotoxin (botulinum toxin type A), just manufactured by another company. But he finds the results are more natural with Dysport and that he can target areas with more precision than he can with Botox. I believe him; wouldn't you? He then injects my forehead and around my eyes, which takes less than five minutes. There is a small amount of pain but nothing too bad, and the Italian accent helps ease any discomfort.
THE VERDICT I have to admit I was wrong. Around 75 per cent of my fine lines and wrinkles have gone, leaving just enough to make people think I haven't had anything done at all. And I can still raise my forehead in surprise, which I couldn't do with Botox, at least not for the first month or so. I am thrilled with the results. So think outside the Botox and go for it.
Helena Frith Powell
London Centre for Aesthetic Surgery Gulf, Dubai Healthcare City, www.lcas.ae, gulf@lcas.com, 04 375 2393; one area of Dysport costs Dh1,400 and two areas of Dysport costs Dh1,800; the centre offers 10 per cent off your first Dysport treatment to clients carrying a copy of this issue of M magazine