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Ask a Beauty Editor<\/a><\/p>\n \n April Long answers all your beauty-related questions with practical advice and zero judgment.\n <\/p>\n \n Photo-Illustration: by The Cut; Photo: Getty Images\n <\/p>\n You may have heard there\u2019s a new neuromodulator in town. Or maybe not, because for a lot of people, any injectable that freezes expression lines is \u201cBotox,\u201d in the same way \u201cKleenex\u201d is a blanket name for any brand of tissues. There are, in fact, six different FDA-approved neurotoxins: Botox, Xeomin, Dysport, Jeuveau, Daxxify, and now, Letybo \u2014 an import from Korea that started arriving in dermatologists\u2019 offices in the United States in March. They all share the active ingredient, botulinum toxin type A, which relaxes wrinkles by interrupting signals between nerves and muscles. So why would a dermatologist want to add Letybo to the arsenal, given what\u2019s already available? Should you give it a (literal) shot?<\/p>\n Letybo is the No. 1 neuromodulator in Korea, where it has been available under the name Botulax since 2016. It\u2019s sold in 65 countries total. According to its manufacturer, Hugel, more than 31 million vials have been administered worldwide. Like all of its botulinum toxin type A cohorts, it has an excellent safety profile.<\/p>\n This track record is what attracted many early adopters of the injector in the United States. \u201cI started using it because a group of trusted South Korean colleagues of mine have been using it for an extensive period of time, and I am a huge fan of the Korean approach to aesthetics,\u201d says Jennifer Levine, M.D., a dermatologist and double-board-certified plastic surgeon who introduced Letybo to her New York practice in March.<\/p>\n Letybo is frequently mixed with hyaluronic acid and injected superficially as a \u201cskin booster\u201d to smooth skin texture and pore size. In South Korea, \u201cPractitioners also use neurotoxin for the body in ways that aren\u2019t as popular here \u2014 like to change the shape of calves, traps, and deltoids.\u201d In the U.S., Letybo is currently FDA-approved only for use in the glabellar lines (the \u201c11\u2019s\u201d) between the brows, but dermatologists are also applying it \u201coff label\u201d to areas like crow\u2019s-feet and platysmal bands in the neck. You might \u2014 at first. \u201cIt may take effect faster than Botox in a high percentage of patients, with an onset of about three days versus potentially up to seven,\u201d says Los Angeles\u2013based dermatologist Ava Shamban, M.D., who was a clinical investigator in the trials that led to Letybo\u2019s FDA approval.<\/p>\n Triple-board-certified cosmetic surgeon Sheila Barbarino, M.D., who has been injecting Letybo since it first became available, reports that some people see a difference as soon as a day after injection. After that, you can expect the performance to be about the same, with a muscle-relaxing duration of about four months.<\/p>\n Botox has been around for 25 years, so while the toxin is the same, Letybo\u2019s manufacturers claim to have newer, more high-tech production protocols. \u201cLetybo is produced through enzyme-free manufacturing, using double chromatography, which contributes to purity of the toxin by removing bacterial side products and nucleic acids,\u201d Dr. Shamban says.<\/p>\n Though the specifics of how Letybo is made won\u2019t really affect consumer experience, it does contribute to ease of use for injectors. \u201cUnlike Botox and most of the other neurotoxins, you don\u2019t have to refrigerate it,\u201d says Dr. Barbarino, \u201cwhich makes for easy storage.\u201d<\/p>\n It can be, depending on the provider. Typically, 25 units of neurotoxin are needed to treat the area between the brows: Botox costs $12 to $18 per unit, while Letybo is more likely to cost $9 to $12. Because of the way that Hugel batches and distributes Letybo, it can be less expensive for dermatologists and surgeons to stock. Most neuromodulator manufacturers offer discounts to injectors if they purchase in bulk or if they also purchase other products, including fillers or even laser devices, from their portfolio. This makes sense for large multi-doctor offices and med spas that do hundreds of injections every day, but it can be hard for smaller practices to compete. \u201cWith some companies, you can\u2019t buy their neuromodulators unless you buy 250 vials,\u201d says Dr. Barbarino. \u201cWith Letybo, whether you buy one vial or 50 is up to you. That makes it much less expensive for me, and I can pass that along to my patients. It\u2019s perfect for those who just want a little bit of neuromodulator but don\u2019t want to spend a ton of money.\u201d<\/p>\n Anyone. Providers will simply be adding it to the mix of neuromodulators they already offer. \u201cMost patients want the best result, so the injector and the technique or pattern of placement is the most important part, rather than the product itself,\u201d says Dr. Levine, who notes that patients rarely ask for any neuromodulator by name (again, \u201cBotox\u201d has it covered).<\/p>\n That said, Letybo may turn out to have a cachet among K-beauty fans, who perceive any South Korean skin-care\u2013related product to be innovative and fun to try. \u201cIt may have added appeal for some segments of both millennials and Gen X who respond to K-culture,\u201d says Dr. Shamban. Follow a ten-step regimen? This will get the job done a lot faster.<\/p>\n Send your questions to\u00a0AskABeautyEditor@nymag.com<\/a>. (By emailing, you agree to the terms\u00a0here<\/a>.)<\/p>\n Stay in touch.<\/p>\n Get the Cut newsletter delivered daily<\/p>\n Vox Media, LLC Terms and Privacy Notice<\/p>\n
Would I notice a difference if I had Letybo injected instead of another neuromodulator?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n