Botox or Fillers

What is the difference between fillers and Botox? How old do you have to be to get them?

Great question! I find a lot of patients get confused between the difference between Botox or Xeomin versus fillers such as Radiesse, Juvederm or Restylane.

Botox and Xeomin are injected into or near a muscle in order to prevent the muscle from contracting. Thus they are most commonly used in 3 areas: The glabellar area which is the area between the eyes, where many people get the famous 11s. The next most common area is the crows feet which is located lateral to the orbit. The third area is the forehead. These drugs will either decrease or prevent entirely the muscle from contracting. They both take 4-10 days to work and last about 4 months. Occasionally they will be injected into the sides of the nose to help with the “bunny lines” or the chin to prevent a chin that wrinkles too much.
Secondarily, they may be helpful in preventing migraines that start in the forehead or between the eyes. I recommend that my patients come back to me, every three and a half months, before the effect of the Botox wears off.

Fillers do what their name suggests. It fills in for a loss of tissue, usually fat. There are several places that these are injected. Probably the most common is the nasolabial folds, however, the area in front of the jowls is very common in my practice. As well as the cheeks, in the cervical mental area (between lips and chin), temporal area, tear troughs, and even the backs of the hands.

There are a number of fillers but the main three categories are: hyaluronic acids such as Juvederm & Restalyane, Radiesse which is made from calcium-based microspheres, and lastly, using the patients own fat. Juvederm lasts between 10-16 months, Radiesse often last 18 months or longer and fat can last forever. Each filler has certain advantages but this is best discussed with you in a consultation.

You should get fillers or Botox when you need them. There is no magic age. If you don’t need them then there is no point in getting them in advance. However if you would benefit from them, there is no reason to wait!

Kindly,

Dr. David Berman