BOTOX® Cosmetic and dermal fillers are the two most popular and widely administered anti-aging treatments available today.
Both are non-surgical injectable treatments that reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
Because of that, they are often mistakenly considered to be one-in-the-same or interchangeable.
While BOTOX® Cosmetic and fillers are both designed to achieve similar results, the paths to those results are very different.
What Areas Are BOTOX® Cosmetic and Other Injectable Treatments Administered?
Both treatments will restore a youthful complexion by smoothing lines and wrinkles; however, they will each do so in different regions of the face.
BOTOX® Cosmetic is designed for the upper third of the face, whereas fillers tend to be injected in the lower two-thirds.
BOTOX® Cosmetic and similar treatment Dysport® are designed to temporarily eliminate the appearance of crow’s feet, frown lines, and the horizontal creases that run across the forehead. (Dysport® is approved for frown lines.)
These lines are often some of the first to form because they are a response to the repeated muscle contractions and movements experienced every day.
These are known as dynamic lines—wrinkles that show when the face is tensed.
Fillers are injected into the cheeks, nasolabial folds, marionette lines, and lips to restore volume lost with time and tissue breakdown.
This option is useful for reducing the appearance of static lines—the lines and wrinkles that are present even when the face is at rest.
How Do BOTOX® Cosmetic and Other Injectable Treatments Work?
The primary difference between BOTOX® Cosmetic and dermal fillers is how they work.
BOTOX® Cosmetic is a neuromodulator. This injectable treatment is made with a purified form of botulinum toxin type A, a substance that inhibits muscle contraction.
The impediment of muscle movement prevents future fine lines and wrinkles from forming.
This allows BOTOX® Cosmetic to relieve crow’s feet, frown lines, and forehead creases temporarily, since the body usually absorbs both BOTOX® Cosmetic and Dysport® within three to four months.
On the other hand, fillers do what their name implies: they instantly add volume to “fill” the areas of loss.
There are several brands and types of dermal fillers. JUVÉDERM® and Restylane® are hyaluronic acid fillers.
Hyaluronic acid is a crucial component of youthful skin as it is a protein responsible for attracting moisture to the tissues. These, as well as RADIESSE® (consisting of calcium hydroxylapatite) and Sculptra® Aesthetic (composed of poly-L-lactic acid), stimulate the body to produce higher amounts of collagen.
Collagen gives your skin strength and allows it to maintain its structure, and while it is produced by your body naturally, its production diminishes as you age.
This is why stimulating collagen production is so necessary—it allows your tissues to pick up some of the anti-aging work.
BOTOX® Cosmetic and dermal fillers may be injected as often as necessary to achieve and maintain results.
Have More Questions?
If you are interested in rejuvenating your facial appearance, contact the PREMIERE Center for Cosmetic Surgery by calling (813) 400-1465 or by filling out our online contact form.