Daxxify: What to Know About the Longer-Lasting Botox Alternative

For those of us who use Botox and its counterparts to reduce the appearance of wrinkles, control sweat, or curb overactive muscle movement, the development of a new injectable green-lit by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is pretty exciting. One of the most recent cosmetic injectable introductions is Daxxify—previously branded as DAXI. It's an injectable treatment that its creators promise delivers a similar effect as Botox, Dysport, and Xeomin, but with a notably longer wear time: We’re talking a better part of a year here.

We spoke with double board-certified facial plastic surgeon and founder of Rejuva Medical Aesthetics, Kian Karimi, and board-certified dermatologist Bruce Katz, MD, of New York City’s JUVA Skin and Laser Center, who was involved in the clinical trials for Daxxify for more information on how it works. Read on to learn the difference between Daxxify and its predecessors and more.

What Is Daxxify?

Daxxify is a neurotoxin treatment similar to Botox, Dysport, Jeuveau, and Xeomin in that it paralyzes the active muscle it’s injected into—preventing it from becoming active and further forming wrinkles caused by its movement. "The difference is that there is a special peptide attached to the active portion of the drug that makes it 'stickier' at the junction of the nerve and the muscle and is why the effects of it last longer," Karmini tells Byrdie. This protein helps to extend the effect that Daxxify has on the muscle. The longer-lasting effect means less frequent visits to your professional for touch-ups.

How to Prepare For a Daxxify Treatment

Arrive at your appointment with clean skin so that your doctor is able to determine placement without having to remove makeup. As you would ahead of any injectable appointment, avoid blood thinners or medications that could cause bruising (like Advil, Aspirin, Motrin, fish oil, or multivitamins) for roughly ten days prior to your treatment. (Note: if you need to stay on blood thinners for other medical concerns, do not discontinue without speaking to your physician.) Also, avoid alcohol the night before to minimize the chances of bruises or excess bleeding.

What to Expect During the Appointment

Again, an appointment to be treated with Daxxify is similar to that of other injectables. “Your doctor will start by evaluating areas that would need the treatment, explain how it works, then inject it into the determined points,” Katz says. “After that, it will take about two weeks to kick in, at which point we’d schedule a follow-up appointment to ensure everything is symmetric and has settled nicely.” 

The small needle used to inject Daxxify is pretty painless, if not totally sensation-less, in the case that your doctor provides a topical numbing cream beforehand. Katz notes that sometimes certain muscles may not absorb neuromodulators fully if the muscle is especially active. If that is the case, he recommends waiting roughly two weeks to determine whether a touch-up injection is needed. “Once Daxxify has kicked in, you’ll see that the muscles become more relaxed and that wrinkles caused by that muscle movement ultimately fade,” he adds. 

Aftercare

The aftercare with Daxxify is pretty minimal: “In the early days of Botox, we used to tell people to limit movement in certain ways, but now, we don’t tell people to do any of those things because they ultimately didn’t affect the treatment,” Katz says. He recommends waiting two weeks to evaluate the treatment's effects and scheduling a follow-up appointment if a touch-up is needed.

Daxxify vs. Botox

The main difference between Daxxify and Botox (Dysport and Xeomin) is how long it lasts. “Instead of having your treatment last about three to four months, we’ve seen that Daxxify lasts a lot longer at about six to eight months,” Katz says. “Ideally, you’d be able to come in once or twice a year to get treated because of Daxxify’s longevity.” 

Speaking of longevity, it's important to note that Botox has been on the market much longer than Daxxify, which means there is far more research surrounding Botox. "Botox Cosmetic has been FDA-approved for 20 years and has the most areas approved as it targets frown lines, crow’s feet, and forehead lines, whereas Daxxify is relatively new, with less than a year in the market and is only FDA-approved for frown lines," Karimi says.

An additional difference Katz notes is that, in his experience with Daxxify for the FDA trials, he noticed a smoother finish in comparison to other neuromodulators. “With some neurotoxins, there is a line of demarcation that shows you where the treatment ends relative to the surrounding areas,” he says. “Daxxify seems to have a smoother transition from the treated area to the untreated area, from what I’ve been able to observe in treating patients during the trials.”

Potential Side Effects

Because Daxxify paralyzes the muscle and prevents movement, Katz notes that if it is injected in the wrong area, there is a risk of ending up with a drooping eyelid or eyebrow, so it’s important to go to a practitioner who is versed in administering neurotoxins to ensure correct placement. “Some people have reported getting headaches after a neuromodulator treatment, but this is very rare, and it ultimately goes away,” he adds. 

The Cost

Because Daxxify is longer-lasting than Botox, it tends to cost more, ranging from $10-$15 more per unit than its competitors. The final treatment cost also depends on the location and provider, so be sure to ask about the price before going under the needle.

Final Takeaway

If you’re familiar with Botox and its counterparts but often wish you could stretch the time between treatments, Daxxify might be a very promising option for you—especially considering that, according to Katz and the evidence presented in the clinical trials, it can be used in the same ways other neuromodulators are currently utilized. “People with a busy lifestyle who don’t have time to come in to be treated three to four times a year, as well as those who simply want a longer wear time, would be great candidates for Daxxify,” Katz says. 

And honestly, doesn’t that apply to most of us who have settled into a Botox routine and wish we could stretch our doctor’s masterful handiwork over a longer time frame? If you’re new to neuromodulators and injectables as a whole, Katz recommends starting with an entry-level option like Botox to see how your body reacts to the treatment before considering Daxxify, which he says is the next line of treatment for those who have already tried other iterations of neurotoxins and want to upgrade their routine.