If you delve into cosmetic treatments, you will soon come across two terms that are often used interchangeably: fillers and botox. Although they are both administered with an injection needle and both help to rejuvenate the face, they are completely different treatments, each with its own action, application and result.
In this blog we explain clearly and understandably what the difference is between fillers and botox, so that you can better determine which treatment suits your wishes.
Botox: muscle relaxation for dynamic wrinkles
Botox is the brand name of botulinum toxin, a substance that temporarily reduces the action of certain muscles in the face. It is administered with fine injections into the muscles that cause wrinkles through movement, such as frowning, laughing or raising the eyebrows.
Think, for example, of forehead wrinkles, frown lines between the eyebrows and crow’s feet around the eyes. These are also called dynamic wrinkles, because they arise from repeated muscle activity. By temporarily relaxing the muscle, the skin above it becomes smoother and the wrinkles (partially) disappear.
Botox does not change anything about the shape of the face and does not add volume. The aim is a fresher, relaxed appearance, without your facial expression disappearing. The effect of botox lasts on average three to six months (depending on the product used) and is often repeated to maintain the result.
Fillers: restoring or improving volume and shape
Fillers are injectable gel-like substances that are used to add volume to the face. The most commonly used fillers consist of hyaluronic acid, a substance native to the body that attracts and retains moisture.
Unlike botox, fillers do not work on muscles, but fill up loss of volume. They are used to make the lips fuller, accentuate the cheekbones, soften the nasolabial fold or make the jawline tighter. Fillers can also be used to fill up fine wrinkles around the mouth.
Fillers are therefore ideal for restoring facial volume that has decreased over the years, or for improving certain contours. The result is usually immediately visible and remains present on average six to twelve months, depending on the product and the treated area.
Two techniques, one goal: a fresh, natural appearance
Although botox and fillers therefore work very differently, they are often combined to achieve a complete and natural rejuvenating effect. Botox addresses the wrinkles that arise from muscle activity, while fillers support the skin where volume has been lost or where you want more definition.
A common combination is treating the forehead with botox and filling up the cheekbones or lips with fillers. By carefully combining these techniques, the face can look younger, fresher and more in balance, without the result becoming unnatural.
How do you choose what suits you best?
Whether you suffer from fine lines, loss of volume or both, it is important to choose a treatment that suits your face and wishes. At Kliniek het Bolwerk every treatment begins with a personal consultation. During this conversation we analyse your facial structure, discuss your wishes and explain which treatment or combination of treatments can give the best result.
It is not about ‘more’, but about balance, harmony and preserving your natural appearance. Whether that is with botox, fillers or a combination of both. Often a step-by-step plan is drawn up in which, after various treatments, a subtle difference follows each time. In the step-by-step plan we look at the volume of the face, the forehead, the quality of the skin and finally the fine wrinkles. If these points can be treated.
Finally
Fillers and botox are both powerful tools in aesthetic medicine, but they differ fundamentally in action and purpose. Where botox temporarily halts muscle activity to soften dynamic wrinkles, fillers instead fill up certain areas to restore volume and shape.
Both treatments can be used separately or together, depending on what your face needs. It is therefore not a question of either botox or fillers, but of which approach best suits your skin, appearance and expectations.
Finally, let yourself be advised by an experienced doctor in a reputable practice; with a plastic surgeon you have come to the right place for this.
