Choosing Botox vs Fillers
Dermal fillers and Botox are two of the most popular minimally invasive cosmetic procedures. Whether you choose one or the other – and some people do choose both -depends on your personal needs. Both Botox and dermal fillers can soften the look of aging and return a youthful look not only to a person’s face but to their neck and even their hands. Botox and fillers treat crow’s feet, marionette lines by the mouth and glabellar lines, those furrows between your eyebrows that make you look cross. Dermal fillers can add plumpness to lips and cheeks.
The Difference Between Botox and Fillers
Both dermal fillers and Botox are administered through fine needles, and sessions are so brief that you can have them during your lunch hour. They are so gentle that you can go back to work after a session, though ideally you should go home and rest. You can also have touch-up treatments of both fillers and Botox. Yet there are important differences between them.
What Is Filler vs. Botox
Dermal fillers are materials that a cosmetologist or plastic surgeon injects beneath your skin to fill out hollow or sunken areas and lessen the appearance of lines and wrinkles. There are many types of dermal fillers. They are sold under different names and can be made of such materials as:
- Hyaluronic acid
- Collagen
- Poly-L-Lactic acid, or PLLA
- Calcium hydroxylapatite
You can even have a dermal filler made of your own fat. This fat is often harvested during another cosmetic procedure such as liposuction. Different types of fillers are better at rectifying different problems. For example, collagen and PLLA fillers not only smooth out furrows and wrinkles and add volume but stimulate your body into making its own collagen.
Botox is an entirely different type of minimally invasive procedure. It’s made from the same type of bacteria that causes botulism, though with Botox the bacteria is extremely weakened and purified. Indeed, Botox was first used in medical procedures to treat such maladies as excessive sweating and eyelid spasms. It works by stopping the action of acetylcholine, a chemical that lets nerve cells communicate with each other. Doctors discovered that when Botox was injected into a muscle, such as the one at the corner of your mouth, it was actually paralyzed. This caused the line or wrinkle above the muscle to smooth out. Another difference between Botox and dermal fillers is that Botox doesn’t add volume, or plump out the treated area.
The Costs of Botox vs. Fillers
Is Botox expensive? Botox is not terribly expensive. A cosmetologist uses a number of syringes during a Botox session, and each one costs between $10.00 and $25.00. Depending on what you want treated, your cosmetologist may use between 10 and 30 syringes. The price also varies depending on where you live. For example, a Beverly Hills Botox session costs considerably more than a session carried out in Juneau, Alaska.
How much does filler cost? Again, the cost varies, though dermal fillers do cost much more than Botox. For example, one syringe of Sculptra, which uses poly-L-lactic acid, costs between $850 to $1,200. Most sessions require at least two syringes of dermal filler.
Conclusion
Once again, Botox and dermal fillers are good options when it comes to treating fine lines and wrinkles. Dermal fillers also correct loss of volume. Though they’re not covered by health insurance as elective, cosmetic procedures, when administered by a trained professional, both procedures are safe.
Schedule a consultation with one of the experts at Cloud 9 Aesthetics NYC today to discuss the best option for you!