Botox vs. Dermal Fillers

Botox vs. Dermal Fillers

Ever feel like you’re fighting the hands of time? Never enough minutes in the day or days in the week. You spend your time running full steam but one day, you catch a glimpse in the mirror and hardly recognize yourself. The effects of gravity have not been kind and you’d give anything to go back in time and lather on another coat of night cream, get out of the sun, or opt for a few more hours of beauty sleep. 

Going under the knife seems a bit extreme, but you can’t stand to look at the crow’s feet, forehead wrinkles or drooping cheeks any longer.

What are my options?

Botox:

Botox is an incredibly popular non-surgical cosmetic procedure designed to “freeze” or block off the nerve signals that communicate with the muscles. When these nerves are blocked off, the muscles are paralyzed and wrinkles are forced to relax and soften. Botox can be used to soften frown lines, crow’s feet and forehead wrinkles.

Dermal Fillers:

Dermal fillers are small gel injections that add fullness to areas that have thinned due to aging. Dermal fillers are used on areas like the cheeks, lips, and around the mouth. Reynold’s Plastic Surgery utilizes JUVÉDERM hyaluronic acid (HA) dermal fillers.

It matters who does your injections

Although Botox and dermal fillers are minimally invasive, the level of quality depends on the skill of the physician. Dr. William Reynolds is a knowledgeable and successful professional in the field of cosmetic plastic surgery. Reynolds is certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery with over three decades of superior success stories.

Before:

Avoid antioxidants up to a week before your appointment. This includes fish oils, green tea, cinnamon, ginger, red wine, aspirin, and ibuprofen. Antioxidants can increase the fragility of blood vessels and prevent clotting. The risk of bruising is much higher if your body can’t adequately form clots.

Go in with a clean face! Your skin will be cleaned before treatment begins so feel free to show up fresh-faced.

During:
Botox procedures are quick, outpatient procedures and require no anesthesia— expect your session to last roughly 15 minutes. Your doctor will use a thin needle to inject tiny amounts of filler into your skin or muscles.

Remember to breathe through the process and ask any questions that will make you feel more comfortable.

After:
Directly after your treatment, avoid putting on makeup, washing your hair, exercising or lying down. Try not to disturb the treated area for 24 hours.

After your injectables, elevate your head but avoid lying face down. Icing after treatments will reduce the potential of bruising.

Expectations for your results:

Results with Botox:
Neurotoxins typically take effect in 3-5 days but it is common to not see your full results for up to two weeks. It takes time for the toxins to block off nerve impulses to the muscles. Botox doesn’t last forever. Eventually, the action of the neurotoxins will wear out and the nerves will be able to send signals telling the muscles to move again. The effects of a botox procedure will last somewhere between 3-6 months. Every patient is different, so results may vary.

Results with Dermal Fillers:
Results from dermal fillers are instant and will take effect immediately. However, it takes close to four weeks for the filler to fully integrate into the tissue. The full effect of fillers can last up to one year with optimal treatment. The longevity of fillers is a variable and each individual person may have different results.

If you’re interested in injecting life back into your look, schedule a 1-on-1 consultation with Dr. Reynolds to discuss what option is best for you.