Botox and dermal fillers are great treatment options for facial rejuvenation with results that can last for several months or more. As you age, it’s normal for your skin to lose moisture, collagen, volume and elasticity. With all this loss, dermal fillers can help restore plumpness and volume even moisture to the skin. The most common active ingredient in fillers is hyaluronic acid. It’s a substance your body uses anyway, and it gives your skin’s moisture a boost and helps fill out lost volume from collagen loss and skin laxity. There are a range of dermal filler products, and they can provide an array of options to treat the signs of aging. But fillers aren’t just for anti-aging anymore. They are used more and more frequently in young patients for facial contouring of the lips and jaw line and cheeks to enhance your natural beauty.
We love offering both treatments—including dermal fillers, Botox, and Dysport, (an alternative to Botox)—at Baltimore Plastic Surgery. In the long run, you may even end up saving money by combining the two treatments.
What is Botox?
Botox is the common trade name for this substance. It is also known by its scientific name botulinum toxin. Its primary objective is to treat and prevent facial wrinkles. In 2002, Botox was approved by the FDA as a cosmetic treatment for frown lines above the eyebrows and wrinkles. Since then, it has become one of the most sought-out treatments for those who want to prevent the signs and effects of aging from occurring in their face or to correct any present signs.
Facial fillers are also known as dermal fillers. Like Botox, it is also used to prevent or eliminate signs of aging in the face like wrinkles. This is where they often get confused. The primary difference between the two is that Botox reduces the activity of muscles in the face that cause wrinkles. Facial fillers, however, fill the trouble areas with collagen, which helps to stimulate collagen growth in the face as well as plump and lift the skin to replace collagen loss. This helps your skin achieve as youthful of a look as possible, as well as eliminate signs of aging that occur as a result of collagen depletion.
Choosing Between the Two
When choosing between Botox and facial fillers, Dr. Schreiber will address what kind of wrinkles you want to get rid of and how.
Botox is the better choice for dynamic wrinkles as it will reduce their motion and visibility. These wrinkles occur when the face is in motion or making an expression. They are usually positioned in the forehead and around the eyebrows.
Facial fillers are ideal for static wrinkles, which are visible even when your face is relaxed and making no expression. These areas are depleted and sunken in and will benefit from the fullness that facial fillers give them.
Knowing the difference between Botox and facial fillers and how they work matters significantly when seeking treatment for your wrinkles. Whichever one you choose, both forms of treatments are very efficient ways to recapturing and maintaining a youthful appearance.
Benefits of Botox and Filler Combo
Dr. Schreiber may recommend having just one of the two treatments first, before adding the other based on that outcome. In some cases, it’s best to relax muscles first using Botox and then have a filler treatment two weeks later. That said, your aesthetic specialist might recommend both treatments in the same session. For some people, receiving Botox and filler in the forehead area in the same sitting leads to results that last 9-10 months versus five to six months.
With age, you may find yourself looking a bit more tired, even if you don’t feel that way. That’s because lost volume often contributes to lines, wrinkles, saggy-ness, and under-eye hollows (which create dark circles) and result in an overall down-turned or fatigued appearance. A lack of volume in other areas of your body can also noticeably contribute to an aged appearance. Versatile enough to comprehensively improve these symptoms, dermal fillers can help you look bright-eyed and awake.
To see if you are a good candidate for botox, fillers or a combination please schedule a consultation with Dr. Schreiber (410) 205-1846 he will determine if that treatment is best for you.
