Dermal fillers v Botox – what is best for me?

Have you recently caught sight of yourself in the mirror and felt despondent about the increased wrinkles that appear to have formed on your face? It’s an experience to which many of us can relate, and it might have led you to consider a cosmetic treatment for your face.

You might have particularly considered the injectable treatments of dermal fillers and Botox – which, though easy to confuse with each other, actually work in markedly different ways.

What is the major difference between dermal fillers and Botox?

Dermal fillers and Botox are both treatments which can smooth creases through being injected into facial skin. They are also both “minimally invasive”; in other words, they don’t involve surgery, as Medical News Today explains. These are largely the only points of similarity between them…

Botox works through injecting purified bacteria to freeze muscles. This method is suited to treating the unsightly look of lines and wrinkles resulting from facial expressions. Dermal fillers, meanwhile, are so-called as they plump up areas – like those near the mouth – that have thinned through ageing.

When should you consider Botox?

You will have made various facial expressions in your time. Sadly, though, those movements of your face’s muscles can wreak havoc on what might have previously been a delightfully smooth face. Wrinkles caused in this way are called dynamic wrinkles.

This wrinkles, otherwise known as “expression lines”, include lines on the upper face, horizontal lines on the forehead and the dreaded “crow’s feet”. These three are all examples of wrinkles that Botox is capable of treating, albeit not permanently; the effect will probably last for 3 or 4 months.

For this reason, you should learn more to arrange sessions of botox injections on a regular basis to preserve the effect for a longer time. However, regularly visiting a clinic for new injections might not prove challenging if you choose a practice close to you; Botox clinics are particularly common in London.

Where dermal fillers would be more appropriate

There is another category of wrinkles for which Botox wouldn’t be helpful – and those are called static wrinkles. These crevices can form due to your skin sagging or losing its plumpness. If these imperfections alarm you, then dermal fillers can provide a fitting remedy.

Whereas Botox works by blocking nerve signals to temporarily prevent particular muscles moving, dermal fillers don’t hamper your muscles in this fashion. Instead, they involve soft tissue being inserted into problem areas, where the tissue can be naturally compatible with the body.

Like Botox, dermal fillers have a temporary effect, though how long this lasts can differ between fillers. The London-based clinic Ten Dental, which conducts dermal filler treatment at centres in Clapham, Balham and Wandsworth, indicates that your new look will stay for between 6 and 18 months after you receive dermal fillers from Ten Dental.

As Ten Dental also offers Botox injections, you could call the company on 020 3883 4226 to help yourself to decide which of the two treatments would be better for you.