If you are reading this article, my guess is, you probably fall into one of these categories:
- You regularly get Botox®, but not fillers.
- You have had fillers, but haven’t tried Botox®.
- You haven’t gotten either, but you are wondering how each of them can help an aging face.
For starters, Botox® and fillers alike are used to prevent, reverse and/or slow down the signs of aging. People of all ages are now receiving both treatments in an effort to stay forever young. In fact, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons report there were almost 7 million Botox® procedures performed in 2015 and almost 2.5 million filler procedures. These minimally invasive procedures topped the charts and for good reason.
Let’s start with Botox®. Botox®, made from botulinum clostridium bacteria, is injected into the facial muscles and causes them to temporarily relax. When facial muscles relax it prevents those fine lines and wrinkles from forming on the surface of the skin. This is why it is a great preventative treatment for aging skin, smoothing out those fine lines that form at a younger age. However, if those lines have already formed, Botox® can also be used to help soften the appearance of those fine lines and prevent anymore from forming; which we definitely want to do! What happens if the wrinkles are deeper and aren’t classified as “fine lines”? This is where filler comes into play.
There are many different types of fillers created for different areas of the face. Fillers are most popular for filling in deep wrinkles, adding volume to the check area, defining thin or aged lips and improving the look of nasolabial folds, advertised as parentheses. When fillers are used in conjunction with Botox® to fill in the deeper wrinkles, it results in a smoother and overall younger appearance.
Better yet? Botox® combined with hyaluronic acid fillers make the product last longer. According to a study published in the January 2016 issue of the Journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, injecting Botox® into the same area where a hyaluronic acid filler has been used decreases the degradation rate of the filler by 42%. To prove this statistic, they tested the volume rate of the filler after 3 months – the volume of the filler when combined with Botox was 50% greater than the volume of a filler alone. What does this mean? That Botox extends the life of a hyaluronic acid filler – not just measurably, but visibly.
What does this mean for you?
If you fall into Category A, you currently get Botox but have never tried fillers, you can trust that fillers are great trick to smoothing out the appearance of fine lines, deep wrinkles and adding volume to areas of deficit for an overall younger appearance.
If you fall into Category B, you have had fillers but have not tried Botox®, you can now rest assured in knowing your filler treatment will last longer when combined with Botox®, plus you can prevent anymore wrinkles with Botox®.
If you fall into Category C, you have never tried Botox® or fillers but you are wondering how they can help an aging face, you now know that Botox® and fillers are better together.