Featured Expert Dr. Jody Comstock, a board-certified dermatologist in Tucson, Arizona
I first heard about Daxxify, the latest among a series of Botox rivals to enter the market recently, back in 2024, and as a beauty editor and aesthetics enthusiast, I couldn't help but feel enthusiastic about the new injectable. Even though I had been using Botox for years and had no grievances with the outcomes, I was well aware of how rapidly my body metabolized the neuromodulator – by the three-month mark, the effects would typically vanish, and my full movement would return. So, when I learned that Daxxify not only promised a quicker onset and a more natural appearance than other toxins but was also claimed to last up to twice as long and have a gradual fadeout, I was determined to give it a try.
After years of development and a prolonged FDA approval process, the injectable finally reached doctors' offices in early 2024, and when I was invited to experience Daxxify firsthand last February, I seized the opportunity. The doctor I saw began injecting my glabellar lines, between my brows, as well as my upper forehead and crow's feet. She praised the results she'd witnessed so far with Daxxify and elaborated on how, despite the higher price (approximately 50% more than traditional neurotoxins), her patients were eager to try the new product.
What my first Daxxify treatment was like
I left the office impatient to observe the effects of my injections, and although I wasn't anticipating any result until around five days later, to my astonishment and joy, the Daxxify began to take effect the next day. In the weeks that followed, after it achieved its full impact, I became increasingly content with the results. I had that familiar muscle paralysis while still maintaining a natural look and some movement, and my skin even appeared smoother.
But my initial contentment with Daxxify soon turned into disappointment when it started to wear off approximately a month and a half after my treatment. By mid-April, the Daxxify had completely disappeared, indicating that it not only failed to meet its lofty six-month claims but also didn't even last the three months I had historically obtained from Botox, Dysport, and Jeuveau.
Just as my high expectations for Daxxify vanished into obscurity, it seemed that those of the broader aesthetics industry did too, as patients and providers grew tired of its prolonged-lasting claims and concluded that it wasn't worth the higher price. Revance Therapeutics, the pharmaceutical company behind Daxxify, took notice. In the year since the neurotoxin entered the market, its focus has completely changed, and there's now an entirely new approach to both its marketing and actual injection. While the producers of Daxxify still assert that it's "long-lasting and keeps frown lines smoother with the convenience of as few as two treatments per year," they have made efforts to better clarify what this implies.
Daxxify’s claims, explained
Unlike other popular neurotoxins, which tend to have an immediate fadeout and wear off seemingly all at once, Daxxify gradually softens over time, a difference that might have contributed to some of the disappointment patients felt when trying it for the first time.
"When you're familiar with other neuromodulators, your expectations are set by those," explains Dr. Jody Comstock, a board-certified dermatologist and paid Revance consultant in Tucson, Arizona, and the top user of Daxxify in the country. "So, when people tried [Daxxify] for the first time, they were thinking along those lines regarding when they expected it to take effect and how it would behave, and with the initial messaging that it was going to last longer, patients and clinicians anticipated it to be fully effective for that duration."
When some of Dr. Comstock's Daxxify patients came for follow-up appointments three and four months after treatment, many believed that it had worn off, but when she compared their movement to their expression photos taken before injection, it seemed that the toxin had actually just worn off slightly, approximately 25 to 50%. "What we noticed that was so distinct was that while Botox and other products have a steady decline, Daxxify would sort of stabilize at three to four months and fluctuate for a few more months," she adds.
There has also been a renewed emphasis on Daxxify's effect on skin texture, its rapid onset time, its ability to enhance facial symmetry, and even its peptide formulation, which differs from the use of human or animal byproducts in most neurotoxins. "Daxxify, more than the other neuromodulators, makes brows symmetrical, and what we noticed in our expression photos of patients was that even when you were only injecting the glabella area, the other muscles on the face softened, almost as if there's a connection between them such that when you don't have to pull so strongly on one side, you don't have to on the other," Dr. Comstock says. [Editor’s note: No studies have been conducted to show that Daxxify outperforms other neuromodulators in achieving facial symmetry.]
However, even with these advantages, Revance was acutely aware of the difficult task Daxxify faced in convincing patients and providers to give it another chance. That's why it removed the primary obstacle: its higher price. As of November, the injectable is now sold to clinicians at the same price as Botox and other neuromodulators. And while the final cost for the patient varies from provider to provider, depending on factors such as their location, expertise, and demand, most doctors claim they are offering Daxxify at the same price as other toxins.
Why I gave Daxxify a second chance
After learning about all these changes in recent months, I decided to give Daxxify another shot. In late February, I once again had the neurotoxin injected into my glabella, forehead, and crow's feet, hoping for the best. As she administered the injections around my face, Dr. Comstock emphasized just how significant the technique is when it comes to Daxxify and how it will perform. When injected at the head and tail of the corrugator, the C-shaped muscle around the eyebrow, notably a bit lower than other neuromodulators, Daxxify will last significantly longer, she informed me. But less than half of the providers were consistently applying this technique in the early months of the neurotoxin. "That was truly a realization moment," says Dr. Comstock. "But many have since been able to modify their technique to ensure patients obtain the best possible results."
Approximately a day and a half after my treatment, I was thrilled to notice that I couldn't move my eyebrows more than a centimeter or so, and in the days and weeks that followed, the effect has only intensified. My skin has an overall smoother appearance, but my movement remains natural-looking, and I still have ample space to express emotions and react without looking stiff. Although it's still too early to say whether this round with Daxxify will last longer than last year's attempt, I remain cautiously optimistic – and more importantly, my expectations for the toxin have changed significantly to take into account the numerous differences between it and Botox. And with the same price as all the other neuromodulators, it feels like there's truly nothing to lose by giving it a try.
