Botox® vs. Fillers

More and more people are turning to cosmetic injectables to erase the telltale signs of aging: wrinkles and sagging skin. With these quick, no-downtime treatments, you can turn back the clock and leave your appointment looking years younger.

But if you’ve ever looked into your cosmetic injectable options, you’ve probably noticed they fall into two categories: Botox® and fillers. What’s the difference? And which is right for you?

At Hanami Medspa, Elaine Phuah, DO, MBA, FACOI, and our team of aesthetic experts are available to talk with you about Botox and fillers. Through a skincare consultation, we can help you pinpoint exactly what you need to reach your cosmetic goals. But to help you get started, we thought we’d build this quick guide to Botox vs. fillers.  

The difference between Botox and fillers

First things first, let’s talk about Botox. Botox is technically a brand name for one cosmetic injectable that uses an ingredient called botulinum toxin to smooth dynamic wrinkles. But it’s not the only filler using this powerhouse ingredient. Dysport® and Xeomin®, which are also available at our office, work like Botox.

These treatments target dynamic wrinkles, including:

• Frown lines
• Crow’s feet
• Forehead wrinkles

These are the wrinkles that develop because of facial expression. Botox, Dysport, and Xeomin work by freezing the muscle causing that wrinkle and smoothing the skin over it. Dr. Phuah can also use Botox to treat migraines and underarm sweating. Other advanced Botox treatments we offer include slimming of the face, brow lift, chin dimples, bunny lines, and neck lift.

Fillers, on the other hand, address wrinkles and the other signs of aging that develop as your face loses volume through the years. These can help smooth the lines around your nose and mouth and fill hollow cheeks and thinning lips. Fillers can also be used for contouring parts including the nose, chin, jaw, temples, and under eye. 

At our office, we offer the following fillers:

• Juvéderm® family of fillers
• Restylane®
• Belotero Balance®
• Radiesse®
• Sculptra®

Basically, Botox targets dynamic wrinkles while fillers do exactly what their name implies: fill areas where you’re losing volume. Both take just minutes to apply and come with no downtime. 

The easy way to know what you need

Based on this information, you probably have a pretty good idea of which cosmetic injectable might be right for you. But we thought we’d offer a good rule of thumb to help guide you, just in case.

Generally speaking, if you have wrinkles on the upper half of your face, Botox is the right choice to address them. If you’re noticing signs of aging in the lower half of your face, fillers are probably the right solution for you. 

To get started with a skincare consultation and customize a plan for your unique face, call Hanami Medspa or make an appointment with our team online today.