Botox vs. Fillers – Which one is best for me?

The aging process isn’t something that anyone looks forward to. Not only does it have an effect on our health, but it also has a significant impact on our appearance. While some people are fortunate enough to retain a youthful face for quite some time, for many of us, aging quickly causes some noticeable changes that leave us feeling frustrated and self-conscious.

Botox and fillers can both alter and improve your appearance, helping you to look more youthful. However, despite both being administered in the same way, they are very different treatments which makes it important to determine which one is right for you and which will address the aspects of your face that give you the most cause for concern.

Botox

Botox, the short name for botulinum toxin, is a type of neurotoxin. Whilst in large doses this would make it dangerous, in Botox injections, the neurotoxin has been refined and is given in tiny doses, making it safe for use in cosmetic procedures.

Botox works by blocking the ability of some nerves to receive messages from the brain. When it is placed into muscles in the face, it prevents them from contracting and the overlying skin from creasing up into a line or wrinkle. When you choose Botox, you can expect both fine lines and deeper creases to be significantly reduced. This helps the skin to look smoother and more youthful than before.

Botox is normally used on the upper half of the face, particularly in the forehead and around the eyes. The skin around the eyes is particularly thin, making it easily affected by muscle contraction. However, Botox has also been used to reduce creases in the lines that run from the nose to the mouth, and to alter the appearance of the lips. 

Fillers

Fillers, or dermal fillers to give them their full name, are a substance that is inserted into the face in order to restore volume that has been lost with aging. There are principally two different substances used in dermal fillers – hyaluronic acid (HA) and collagen. Both are naturally occurring although our production of them decreases with age. This causes the skin to lose elasticity, enabling it to sag and for volume, particularly in the cheeks and around the mouth, to be lost. By filling these areas with fillers, not only will the volume be restored, but it will prompt new growth of skin-boosting substances so that lines and creases are filled, and skin looks younger and more radiant.

Fillers can be successfully administered around the eyes, nose, mouth, cheeks, and jawline. Your surgeon will be able to advise you which areas should yield the results that you are looking for.

Whether you should opt for Botox or fillers really depends on the elements of your appearance that are giving you the greatest cause for concern. To schedule a consultation to discuss both options and find out which is right for you, please contact our experienced and discreet specialists at our dentistry and facial rejuvenation centers in Tampa and Wesley Chapel, FL today.