Chances are you’ve heard of Jeuveau, the BOTOX-alternative that hit the market last year with plenty of fanfare. But aside from a catchy #newtox hashtag and a big marketing push, we haven’t seen many talking about what exactly sets Jeuveau apart from other neurotoxin injectables on the market.
To get to the heart of it, we sat down with our resident injectables expert at the Parker Center, Nurse Coordinator & Injector Angela Parisi, to discuss why patients and providers alike love Jeuveau. Here are a few things she wanted us to share.
Botulinum toxin injectables all have the same foundational ingredients, but the way they are formulated changes the potency, longevity, and efficacy of the products.
1. Neurotoxin injectables are all very similar, but they’re not exactly the same
While there’s no question the name BOTOX has become synonymous with botulinum toxin injectables, it’s not the only option on the market for temporarily smoothing lines on the brow and around the eyes. In fact, here at the Parker Center we now offer three other neurotoxin injectables: Jeuveau, Dysport, and Xeomin.
Comparing these options is similar to comparing your favorite wines: they all have the same foundational ingredients, but the way they are formulated changes the taste and potency. Let’s break it down:
- BOTOX is anabotulinumtoxinA
- Dysport is abobotulinumtoxinA
- Xeomin is incobotulinumtoxinA
- Jeuveau is prabotulinumtoxinA-xvfs
Confused by the differences? You’re not alone! Essentially, these product names are patented to different companies as a means of differentiating the products while utilizing the same core neurotoxin. The active compound—botulinum toxin or “BoNT”—in all of these products is the same. Similar to when you visit the store to buy ibuprofen for a headache or isolated pain, you know Motrin and Advil are two unique brands that offer the same primary ingredient.
Because the botulinum active compound is what works to interrupt signals between nerves and muscles and thus relax wrinkles, the safety and efficacy of all these botulinum toxin types are comparable in equivalent doses. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t differences in how they work and affect individual patients.
Here’s where they differ:
- How units are measured
- Molecular weight
- Use or absence of complexing proteins
- Protein size
- Production, purification, and preparation process
These particular differences are what can slightly impact the way in which the products work in individual patients, how much they cost, and how quickly they are broken down or metabolized by the body. Which brings us to our next point…
As you can see, Angela and our Jeuveau patients are loving this new product.
2. Patients say Jeuveau results show up faster & last longer
While we don’t yet have clinical evidence related to the onset of results between these products, our patients have been raving about how fast and long-lasting their results are with Jeuveau. Typically, you can expect your BOTOX or other neurotoxin results to appear over the course of about four to six days, but our Jeuveau patients have been pleasantly surprised to see their results shape up even sooner.
The experience and training of your provider are more crucial than the exact product when it comes to achieving safe, beautiful, natural-looking results.
And it’s not only our patients who have noted how quickly Jeuveau starts working and how long it lasts—a number of our staff members have been thrilled to find they look and feel baby-smooth after just a day or two. Not only that, we’ve seen that Jeuveau results appear to wear off at a slower rate than other products.
3. Jeuveau results tend to look more natural
When administered by an experienced, qualified injectable provider, your neurotoxin results should never look frozen or unnatural. While the word “freeze” is often used to describe how neurotoxins impact the muscle, it is somewhat of an inaccurate description. Here’s how neurotoxins work:
- Neurotoxin is injected strategically into a muscle, where it binds to nerve cells and blocks neurotransmitter release.
- By interrupting the conversation between the muscles and neurotransmitters, the muscles that form expression lines are not prompted to move by your nervous system.
- When the activity of these muscles on your brow or around the outer corners of your eyes is reduced, the overlying wrinkles are able to relax and smooth out.
Considering all of this, botulinum toxin injectables are a pretty powerful tool—and if used incorrectly or administered in too great an amount, the results can easily look overdone and unnatural. That’s why the experience and training of your provider are more crucial than the exact product when it comes to achieving safe, beautiful, natural-looking results.
Now that that’s out of the way, let’s get to what we’ve seen here at the Parker Center! While the difference may be imperceptible to all but the patient and provider, we’ve noticed that Jeuveau tends to provide a more natural final outcome.
We theorize that the unique purification and drying process used to make Jeuveau—termed Hi-Pure Technology—is at least partially to credit for the natural-look and longevity of the results. While more clinical data is sure to come over time, we believe Jeuveau’s preparation process creates a purer and potentially safer product, and your body responds more favorably.
4. Jeuveau may soon be BOTOX’s main competitor
When looking at the clinical trials and studies that are available and the formulation of the products, Jeuveau is clearly the closest in nature to BOTOX compared to other neurotoxin options—with the benefit of new advancements in the formulation. In fact, we think of it like BOTOX 2.0 because it has all the things we love about BOTOX, plus a few unique benefits.
Patients who have never missed a BOTOX maintenance treatment over the last decade may find their results lacking over time. Switching to a different formulation can have a near-instant impact.
The BOTOX vs. Jeuveau debate that has peppered online cosmetic forums and provider sites typically lines the two products up as equals. And while we don’t necessarily disagree, we have a clear winner here at The Parker Center. In fact, in the words of Angela herself, “once you go Jeuveau, you never go back!” We feel confident saying that nearly all of our patients and staff who have tried Jeuveau have fully made the switch from BOTOX and other neurotoxins, quoting their love of the quick outcomes, beautiful results, and longer-lasting impact.
5. Even longtime BOTOX-lovers are making the switch to Jeuveau
If it wasn’t clear in our last point, even die-hard BOTOX fans that have tried Jeuveau are sticking with it. In addition to the above reasons, it’s also a great option for those who have built up a tolerance to other botulinum toxin injectables and have become less reactive to subsequent treatment.
While this issue is something that can happen with any product, we see it most often in BOTOX users simply because the product has been on the market for so long. Patients who have never missed a BOTOX maintenance treatment over the last decade may find that their results don’t last as long or look as great as they once did. Switching to a different formulation can have a near-instant impact, providing stellar results and giving you another option when you’ve developed BOTOX resistance.
We can help you choose the best option for you
While we’re obviously huge fans of Jeuveau, our treatment philosophy is structured around providing fully customized treatments and giving our patients optimal outcomes. Instead of being product-loyal, we prefer to build long-lasting relationships with our patients. We know that what works fabulously for one patient may not cut the mustard for another.
When you come in for a personal consultation at our practice, we build in plenty of time for communication. We want to learn about your main concerns, what results you hope to achieve, and any other lifestyle, genetic, or historical factors that may come into play. Keeping all of that in mind, we then examine your areas of concern and then use our years of experience to understand the story of your skin and develop a plan to help you look and feel spectacular.
Your custom treatment plan may or may not include Jeuveau, but we’re pretty certain we can help you leave our office with a smile. Contact us today to get started. We can’t wait to meet you!
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