Botox and fillers are both types of cosmetic injectables, but their composition makes them very different. Comparing Botox and filler is really like comparing apples and oranges.
Botox
Botox is in the neurotoxin, or “toxin,” category. So, all the toxins approved by the US FDA, which includes Botox, Xeomin, Jeuveau and Dysport, are all derived from the botulinum toxin. These toxins work by weakening the muscles and are injected mostly in the upper face. The reason why Botox is so effective in the upper face is because muscles that raise your forehead, that you squint with, or that you frown with, don’t have a lot of overlap in the upper face. In the lower face, the muscles do have a lot of overlap. So, we can’t really weaken very much in the lower face with a toxin. When we weaken a muscle, we reduce the wrinkle that it creates.
Filler
Enhancing the appearance of the midface and lower face really requires filler. Filler is made of a blend of gel-like hyaluronic acid. Filler could simply be injected to fill a crease or to plump a lip. What we do at Healthylooks, for the most part, is we take it one step further with fillers. So, we know how the eye quickly calculates your age, your weight, and your attractiveness based on how you look. We know those cues that the eye is seeing, and the eye actually “calculates” attractiveness in literally a half a second. So when we look at someone’s face, we look longer if they’re more attractive, and we look away sooner, if they’re less attractive.
So with fillers, we can do a lot of different things. We can actually change how the light reflects on the cheek so we can enhance attractiveness. We can enhance photogenic nature of the face. We can take the areas that the face is deficient in volume and enhance that as well. So, if the cheek structure doesn’t have as much emphasis or drama, or it doesn’t frame the eye in as attractive a way as it would, we can account for that and make some injections that will enhance the shape of the orbit.
In conclusion, filler is for creating volume, whereas a toxin, as in Botox, addresses muscle action to smooth wrinkles.
Interested in trying Botox or fillers? Call or text 816-795-5262 to schedule an appointment with our expert injectors!
