You hear it every day. The trendiest influencers on social media and celebrities in commercials think they’ve found the best way to get rid of your most frustrating flaws — even your friends and family chip in their two cents. With so much information available, it can be difficult to cut through the noise and decide which treatments are right for you.
Fortunately, you have access to an expert who is dedicated to both providing you with the best services and the best information. At Advanced Eye Center, Dr. Belalcazar specializes in aesthetic treatments, including Botox® or fillers, and he wants to help you decide which will help you reach your cosmetic goals. Here’s everything you should about these two popular injectables.
Though there are some differences between the two, Botox and dermal fillers do have some similarities. For example, Botox and dermal fillers are both minimally invasive, non-surgical injections. Either treatment typically takes about 30 minutes per session, depending on the area you’re treating. They both offer temporary results and can be administered again as needed.
With both Botox and fillers, you can go straight back to your normal routine without any downtime, although we do recommend that you avoid strenuous exercise for a few days.
The two products work differently, however, and are designed to address different types of wrinkles and lines. Here’s a closer look at how they work.
Look in the mirror and smile. Do you notice lines near your eyes? Try making an angry face. Are there creases between your brows?
Are these lines still there when your face is at rest? If so, it’s because time and age have etched them into your skin. These types of wrinkles that are the result of repetitive movements over the years are called dynamic wrinkles. It may seem like there’s no way to avoid them, but that’s why Botox was developed.
Designed to relax the facial muscles that contract when you make expressions, Botox goes straight to the heart of the problem. It stops muscle movements, and in turn, reduces the appearance of wrinkles. These injections can soften a wide variety of wrinkles, including crow’s feet, frown lines between your brows, and horizontal creases across your forehead, giving you a more youthful look.
Made from a purified form of botulinum toxin, Botox blocks nerve signals to the muscles so they relax, inhibiting the lines from forming. You can expect to see your results as soon as 24-48 hours following your treatment.
Not all wrinkles are the same. Though some appear after years of muscle movements, others crop up as your skin loses the natural layer of fat and the structural support of vital proteins just under the surface.
These are known as static wrinkles, and you can see them when your face is at rest because they have nothing to do with your facial movements.
To smooth out this type of wrinkle, we use dermal fillers to lift and plump sagging skin. Fillers can also improve the appearance of acne scars.
Some of these dermal fillers contain hyaluronic acid, a substance found naturally in your skin that you gradually lose as you age. Your body also produces much less of an important structural protein called collagen as it gets older. Without the volume and structure of that essential protein, your skin deflates and becomes crepey like a used balloon. Dermal fillers quickly and effectively replace that lost volume.
Dermal fillers and neuromodulators like Botox both offer great solutions for reducing wrinkles. If your main concerns are deep dynamic wrinkles, Botox might be the right choice. If fine lines and crepey skin are bothering you, we recommend dermal fillers.
But what if you have both types of wrinkles? You’re a perfect candidate for both treatments at once. Getting Botox and dermal fillers together can make the effects of each last even longer. Talk to Dr. Belalcazar about all of your cosmetic concerns. He can help you decide if one or both injectables are right for you.
Don’t spend another day unhappy in the skin you’re in. Contact our Hialeah, Florida, office to get started today.
