Most people need between 50 and 200 units of Dysport per session, depending on how many areas they’re treating. The only FDA-approved cosmetic dose is 50 units for frown lines between the eyebrows, but providers routinely treat other areas at well-established ranges. Your exact number depends on which parts of your face you want treated, how strong your muscles are, and how deep your wrinkles have become.
Units by Treatment Area
Dysport dosing varies significantly from one facial area to the next because the muscles differ in size, thickness, and how forcefully they contract. Here’s what typical treatments look like:
- Frown lines (glabellar lines): 50 units, split into five injection points of 10 units each. This is the standard FDA-approved dose.
- Forehead lines: 40 to 60 units, injected across the frontalis muscle that raises your eyebrows. Providers adjust based on how heavy your brow naturally sits, since too much relaxation here can make the brow feel droopy.
- Crow’s feet: 30 to 40 units total, divided evenly between both eyes.
- Brow lift: About 12 to 24 units per side, placed around the outer eye area. Relaxing the muscles that pull the brow down allows it to lift slightly.
If you’re treating all three major areas (frown lines, forehead, and crow’s feet), you’d typically need somewhere around 120 to 150 units in a single session. Treating just one area keeps the total much lower.
Why Your Dose May Differ From Someone Else’s
The FDA label itself notes that “the location, size, and use of the muscles vary markedly among individuals.” This isn’t a one-size-fits-all treatment. Several factors push your dose higher or lower.
Muscle mass is the biggest variable. Men generally have thicker, stronger facial muscles than women and often need higher doses to achieve the same smoothing effect. In clinical studies, women experienced muscle weakness at twice the rate of men at identical doses, which suggests women’s muscles respond more readily to smaller amounts. People who are very expressive or who clench and furrow frequently also tend to need more units because those muscles are more developed from constant use.
Wrinkle depth matters too. Fine lines that only appear when you move your face respond well to standard doses. Deep, etched-in lines that are visible even at rest may need the higher end of the range, and sometimes a filler rather than more Dysport is the better solution for those creases.
Your treatment history plays a role as well. First-time patients often start with a conservative dose so their provider can see how they respond. Follow-up sessions get fine-tuned based on how long the results lasted and how completely the muscles relaxed.
How Dysport Units Compare to Botox
If you’ve had Botox before and you’re trying to translate your dose, the most widely supported conversion ratio is roughly 3 units of Dysport for every 1 unit of Botox. So if you typically get 20 units of Botox in an area, you’d need about 60 units of Dysport for a comparable effect.
This 3:1 ratio is backed by a large body of clinical research. A review published in Toxins found that all relevant studies using a 3:1 conversion or lower reported clinical equivalence between the two products. Some older practices used a 4:1 or even 5:1 ratio, but the current evidence suggests those higher ratios may have been overcorrecting. Don’t be alarmed if your Dysport unit count sounds dramatically higher than your Botox number. The units simply aren’t interchangeable; Dysport units are smaller in potency, so more are needed to do the same job.
What Results Look Like and How Long They Last
One advantage Dysport has over some competitors is speed. Most people notice visible smoothing within 2 to 4 days, and some see subtle changes as early as day two. Full results take longer. The treated muscles relax completely and wrinkles reach their smoothest point around 10 to 14 days after injection.
As for longevity, the most commonly reported duration across clinical studies is four months. However, several double-blind, placebo-controlled trials have shown that the standard 50-unit glabellar dose holds its effect for four to five months, and some studies documented results persisting at five or even six months. The official labeling recommends waiting at least 12 weeks between sessions, but many people find they can comfortably go four months or longer before booking their next appointment. Over time, with consistent treatments, some people find their muscles weaken enough that they need slightly fewer units or can stretch the interval between visits.
Estimating Your Total Cost
Dysport typically runs between $4 and $8 per unit. That’s less than Botox on a per-unit basis ($10 to $25 per unit), but because you need roughly three times the units, the total cost ends up in a similar range.
For a single area like frown lines at 50 units, you’d pay somewhere between $200 and $400. A full upper-face treatment at around 120 to 150 units would run $480 to $1,200, with most people landing somewhere in the middle. Pricing varies depending on your geographic area and who performs the injections. Plastic surgeons and dermatologists generally charge more per unit than nurse injectors or physician assistants working in medical spas.
Since results last roughly four months, you can estimate your annual cost by multiplying your session total by three. Someone paying $600 per session would spend about $1,800 per year to maintain their results.
Getting Your Dose Right
The best approach for a first treatment is starting at the lower end of the recommended range for your target areas. Your provider can always add a few more units at a follow-up two weeks later if the results aren’t quite where you want them, but there’s no way to remove units once they’re injected. This “start low, adjust up” strategy is especially important for the forehead, where over-treatment can make your brow feel heavy or limit your ability to raise your eyebrows naturally.
Keep track of how many units you receive at each visit and how long your results last. This gives you and your provider real data to work with for future sessions, and it helps you compare costs accurately if you ever switch clinics.