Botox vs. fillers – many of us want to look younger, but which of these treatments will give you the results you want? 
As we age, our skin’s ability to regenerate slows down, which is why we start noticing wrinkles and loss of firmness. To counter this, modern science has come up with a ton of anti-aging solutions. 

Injectables like fillers and Botox are extremely popular, but many of our clients don’t realize just how different they are. If your goal is more youthful skin, knowing the difference will help you choose the right service for you. Before booking your next SEV Laser appointment, read this post to figure out if you need Botox or fillers. 

What Is Botox?

Botox (short for botulinum toxin)  is a neuromodulator that has the ability to paralyze muscles. When injected in small, controlled amounts by a medical professional, it’s a safe and effective treatment for dynamic wrinkles, also known as expression lines.  
Cosmetic Botox is FDA-approved to treat the following cosmetic concerns: 

  • Crow’s feet
  • Horizontal forehead lines
  • Glabellag lines (frown lines or number 11s) 

Botox helps undo those expression lines by stopping the muscle contractions in the first place. It’s not a “wrinkle-eraser.” Rather, it helps to soften expression lines. It can totally eliminate expression lines if they’re fairly new, but if you h

ave deeper wrinkles, it may not be enough on its own. It can also help with other issues related to muscles, like facial asymmetry.

As a non-cosmetic medication, it’s also considered an effective treatment for excessive sweating, incontinence, certain types of migraines, and more. 
During the actual treatment, the area is cleaned and then injected with Botox. For most patients, the treatment is quite painless. The results aren’t immediate – it usually takes a few weeks to see the final effects. Botox is priced based on “units,” with the average treatment using around 10-20 units of Botox for a single area (i.e. the crow’s feet on both eyes, frown lines, etc).  

Botox Benefits

  • It’s extremely effective for smoothing out wrinkles caused by muscle contraction, especially in the upper third of the face. 
  • Botox is targeted and doesn’t migrate, so it only treats the area where it has been injected. 
  • It’s FDA-approved and has been used for decades! We know it’s safe, despite unwarranted fears. 
  • Botox may have preventative effects since it prevents further muscle contraction that leads to deeper wrinkles. 

Botox Drawbacks

  • It only lasts for around 3 to 4 months. 
  • It’s not a “wrinkle-eraser.” Since it targets the underlying muscle that causes the wrinkles, it’s more of a “wrinkle softener,” and its effectiveness depends on the condition of your skin and the severity of wrinkles at the start. 
  • When applied by an inexperienced injector, it can lead to some unwanted cosmetic effects. It may cause the face to look paralyzed or emotionless, or it can alter the shape of the eyebrows. This isn’t a reason to avoid Botox altogether – it’s a reason to choose your injector with care.  
  • As with any treatment, you should be aware of the potential Botox side effects, although they’re incredibly rare. 

 

What Is Filler?

Fillers are gels that are injected into the skin, in order to plump it up or correct volume loss. 
They’re particularly useful for enhancing the lips and for adding fullness to the cheeks. As an anti-aging treatment, fillers work well on the nasolabial folds, marionette lines, vertical lip lines, and under the eyes.  We also often use them to adjust the face shape. For example, adding a bit of filler in the chin can enhance the sharpness of the jawline, while a bit of filler in the cheeks can give the entire lower half of the face a subtle uplift. 

It’s important not to overdo this, though, or the face can end up looking puffy or pillowy. Thankfully, our injectors are cautious and experienced. They know exactly how to inject the right amount to achieve the perfect effect. Nowadays, most cosmetic fillers are made of hyaluronic acid gel. Hyaluronic acid is a naturally-occurring substance that the human body makes by itself, so it’s a safe material with few toxicity concerns. 

Even though they’re all made of the same material, different types of filler have different textures. At SEV Laser, we carry a very wide range of fillers from respectable companies like Juvederm and Restylane. Our injectors know how to choose the right type of filler for the result each client wants. 

Hyaluronic acid can also be dissolved with hyaluronidase. At SEV Laser, we often find ourselves correcting filler that was over-applied or misapplied by other injectors. Because of this, some salons advertise fillers as totally reversible. However, dissolving filler correctly requires a high level of expertise. It’s still important to select your injector carefully since it’s much easier to have great filler from the start.   Filler tends to stay put for a long time after it’s been injected, so while one treatment is more expensive than Botox, it doesn’t require nearly as much maintenance. In the long term, their costs are about on par.  

The treatment itself is very quick! The fillers we use all include lidocaine, so the procedure itself is painless. After the treatment, it’s common to experience a bit of soreness or bruising, but that usually dissipates within a week. 

Filler Benefits

  • Hylauronic acid fillers are an excellent treatment for loss of volume and deep, static wrinkles. 
  • The fillers used by reputable medspas are highly tested and FDA-approved and are largely considered safe and effective. 
  • Filler is very long-lasting, often staying put for two years or more. 
  • If there are any issues, fillers can be dissolved and corrected. 

Filler Drawbacks

  • Overdone filler can give the face a puffy appearance. 
  • There are some mild side effects like puffiness and swelling. 
  • Because filler is so long-lasting, there can sometimes be issues with migration. In that case, dissolving the filler is the best option. 

 

Botox vs. Fillers: Which Is More Effective? Which Should You Do?

Botox and fillers are both incredibly effective at their respective tasks. 
Botox is amazing when it comes to dynamic wrinkles, which are wrinkles caused by facial expressions. Fillers work well to deal with hollowness and overall lack of volume, as well as with static wrinkles (i.e. wrinkles not caused by muscle movement). 

If you’re concerned with both dynamic wrinkles and volume loss, you can do both! In fact, a combination of expertly-injected Botox and filler can give you the best results, especially if you have very deep dynamic wrinkles. 

If you’re curious about these treatments and you want some more advice, don’t hesitate to reach out to us! We’re always happy to consult you over the phone or via email, to help you decide between Botox vs fillers. We may also suggest a different anti-aging treatment, like laser skin tightening or Morepheus8. If you know exactly which service you want, then go ahead and book your appointment. We adhere to strict standards for our staff and the products we use, and we have locations all over the US. With SEV Laser, your face is in good hands.