Every year in the United States, millions of people turn to Botox® and fillers to help “reverse” some of the signs of facial aging, helping them look more youthful and feel more confident. But is it OK to have both types of injectables? And can you have them at the same appointment?
At Luminary Dermatology, our team offers both Botox and dermal filler injections for patients in Arcadia, Miami, Bradenton, Homestead, Sarasota, Venice, Longboat Key, Bradenton, and Northport, Florida, using advanced techniques for optimal results. If you’ve been wondering about having a combination of Botox and fillers, here’s what you need to know.
Both Botox and dermal fillers are injectables, and both can be used to smooth out wrinkles and lines. But the way they work and the type of wrinkles they treat vary considerably.
Botox works on dynamic wrinkles — lines and folds that appear every time you make a facial expression. Over time, these lines become etched into your skin, and often, they’re visible even when you’re not making an expression.Crow’s feet, forehead lines, and brow wrinkles are all common examples of dynamic wrinkles.
Botox is also frequently used to treat “smoker’s lines,'' those tiny vertical lines that form around your mouth (regardless of whether or not you smoke). It’s also used to create the popular “lip flip” by relaxing the muscles around your upper lip, creating more fullness.
Botox works by blocking the nerve signals that cause your facial muscles to contract. When these muscles remain relaxed, they don’t tug on your skin, which means lines and folds can’t form.
Dermal fillers are used primarily for static wrinkles — lines that form as a result of facial aging, genetics, stress, and other factors. They’re also used to “plump up” scars and to restore volume in the cheeks, lips, eye hollows, and other areas where natural volume has been lost to aging.
Fillers use a variety of materials, depending on where and how they’re used. Many fillers rely on hyaluronic acid, a substance that occurs naturally and helps your skin retain more moisture. The longevity of a filler depends on the material that’s being used and its formulation, as well as the area where it’s being injected.
If you’re wondering if fillers and Botox can be used together, the answer is absolutely “Yes!” In fact, since each type of injectable treats different concerns, they’re ideally suited for combination treatments.
By treating dynamic and static wrinkles, smoothing scars, and restoring lost volume, the overall combination of fillers and Botox is so popular and so effective, it’s often referred to as a “liquid facelift.” Better still, each injectable can be customized in terms of the amount used and the injections sites, so you can achieve beautiful results that look natural.
And of course, fillers and Botox don’t require surgery, incisions, or anesthesia, and there’s no downtime, either. That means you can begin enjoying your results right away and maintain those results with regular touch-up treatments.
Injectables can help you look and feel great without surgery, downtime, incisions, or scars. To learn more about these and other aesthetic treatments, book an appointment online or over the phone with our team at Luminary Dermatology today.