Each year, patients ask us what the difference is between fillers and Botox. And, it’s a great question! We can certainly understand the need to know the difference. So let’s dive straight in…
Botox
Botulinum toxin A more commonly known as Botox is a toxin that can be used in medicine to stop the activity/movement of muscle. It can be used throughout the body and has multiple medical uses.
Over the last 20 years, the most common uses are for aesthetic purposes. This includes removing wrinkles, getting rid of lines and scars, and helping people to look younger. It is also commonly used to stop Excess sweating especially in the hands, feet and armpits and is a really good remedy when tackling headaches and jaw pain.
For the majority of people they will find it useful to remove this wrinkles on the forehead, frown, smile lines/crows feet wrinkles of the night and under the eyes.
Botox works best on skin that is tied down. This is what works so well on the forehead. It is administered by a series of tiny injections that may be a little nippy, but numbing cream can be applied to the area to help!
The effects of Botox usually only last around three months. In some cases it can be slightly more and then some cases it may be slightly less. And more and more people are using it to prevent lines from appearing in the first instance. As a nice side effect of Botox is that it stops your skin looking oily.
They are three main types or are used UK. Azzalure, Bocature and Allergen (Botox). Each one will have a slightly different recipe but are very similar and work in the same way. Some people have a particular preference to each brand however, Allergen (Botox) is typically the most expensive of the three.
Is it’s safe?
Another common question, “is it safe?”. Many feel uneasy about putting toxins into their body, which makes this is a reasonable question, and people are quite right to be suspicious.
In truth, large amounts of botulinum toxin can lead to botulism. This is a very rare condition that can affects any of the muscles in the body, leading to a complete loss of function. Very scary indeed.
The amount of toxin used for cosmetic and medical Botox is tiny, in fact it is so low that a bigger issue is that a top-up may be required because the Botox has not been strong enough. Risk of any serious side effects remains present, as it does with any drug or medication. If you are unsure because you have any specific conditions, speak to your facial aesthetics practitioner before going ahead.
Overall, in multiple studies and 40 years of use, we can conclude that Botox is safe to use.
Is Filler safe?
As Hyaluronic acid is a natural substance, and it can be dissolved by using a product non as Hyaluronidase, filler is a very safe product. Hyalurondiase can break down fillers within a few hours, getting rid of any unwanted effects.
In some cases the administration of fillers can be an issue. If injected into the lip or any area with a high number of blood vessels, care needs to be taken to ensure that they are injected correctly to avoid any excess bruising and bleeding. In rare cases, a Vascular occlusion can occur. This is when the filler is accidentally injected into the blood vessels. In most cases red spots develop and are painless. These can be dissolved by your aesthetics practitioner. In rare cases, if the filler has been injected deeper, a trip to the hospital may be need to perform oral surgery on the lips to remove the problem causing filler. (we have never actually seen or had this happen, however it is important to include as much information here as possible).
What is migration or migrating?
This is when filler or Botox moves from where it should be to another area nearby. Sometimes it is not noticeable, and other times it can be quite distressing.
When it occurs in Botox, it usually leads to the wrong or extra muscles being unable to move. Often, the eyebrow may seem heavy, or the lower eyelid may not have the same function as it did before. As Botox doesn’t last very long, the effects are short-lived.
Migration in fillers is slightly different. The filler typically becomes small balls which move about. It can happen in the lips leading to sagging, or on cheeks leading to lumps at the side of the face. Hyaluronidase can be used to get rid of the unwanted filler.
Silicone Fillers
There was a time when people used silicone fillers regularly. That has long since stopped. Silicone was popular as they lips did not need to be repeatedly touched up. Unfortunately they came with some significant side effects.
They had a higher level of migration, which lead to fillers in the wrong place and leading to lips and faces with clumping and small balls. They lead to skin irritation and often infections, which could lead to scaring or deformity.
To remove them involved surgery, even if there was only a small amount of migration. All of this has lead to silicone filler to no longer being used by most clinicians
Anything else?
In some cases we can use filler and Botox together to get rid of particular tricky lines or scarring. We frequently use a combination for smokers lines or the forehead to very good results.
To sum up, Botox and fillers work in completely different ways and do different things. We can use them together sometimes, and in general they are safe. Fillers can be dissolved and Botox last for a few months. They are increasing in popularity, and we expect more men to start using them in the coming years as well.
Dr Abraham McCarthy