Botox Injections vs. Dermal Fillers

Botox injections are a popular way to have those wrinkles in your face smoothed out so you look younger and more pleasant. Frown lines can make you look like you’re in a bad mood even though you are not.  This can have a negative effect on your business and social life.  Besides, many people start to get wrinkles in their late twenties and early thirties, far too young to have a wrinkled face.

If you are considering wrinkle treatment, you may be wondering about the difference between Botox and dermal fillers.  The two are not the same, so here is some information that will help you make the right decision.

Botox

This injectable is made from botulinum toxin type A. It is a toxic substance that has been purified so it is suitable for human use so long as not too much is used.  Botox has been cleared by the FDA for treatment of lines and wrinkles at the outside of the eyes commonly referred to as crow’s feet, and those vertical lines between the eyebrow, but it is used for much more than that, with many other wrinkles on the face being treated with it.

Botox works by blocking the movement signals from the brain to the muscle with the result that the muscle it is injected into cannot move. This prevents the formation of wrinkles in cases where there are no wrinkles in the face when it is not moving.  While some minor side effects are felt by some people, the majority have the treatment without experiencing any.

It is suitable for people of all ages, but usually doctors limit treatment to those under 65 as their wrinkle problems are not so advanced and more likely to respond to treatment.

Dermal Fillers

Dermal fillers are made from various substances. Collagen was a popular filler for many years, but now others that last longer have taken over the popularity race. Other substances used in dermal fillers are: –

• Hyaluronic acid
• Calcium hydroxylapatite
• Poly L Lactic acid (PLLA)
• A non-absorbable material, Polymethylmethacrylate beads (PMMA). These tiny beads are suspended in a solution of bovine collagen.

Some of these fillers also contain lidocaine, an anaesthetic solution that helps to minimise the pain of injection.  In general, the injections are more painful than Botox, but they last longer. The first four are gradually absorbed by the body, like Botox is. The last one is not and is the only filler approved be the FDA for use in the human body.

Dermal fillers are often not suited for use in the same wrinkles that Botox is. They are most often used in the lower half of the face such as for gaunt cheeks, nasolabial folds and for hand augmentation.  Not all the fillers are suited for all those places, so it will depend on your doctor as to which one you have.