Cosmetic injectables are a popular anti-aging treatment used in many aesthetic regimens. The two main types of cosmetic injectables are neurotoxins and dermal fillers. Although they are implemented similarly, both treatments are remarkably different in their own ways.
Neurotoxin Injections
Neurotoxin injections, like Botox, are wrinkle treatment injections used to paralyze and weaken overactive, wrinkle-causing facial muscles. These neurotoxin cosmetic injections work because their main active ingredient is the botulinum toxin. The botulinum toxin is derived from a bacterium. When purified and combined with other safe, biodegradable ingredients, it’s able to help stop dynamic wrinkles.
Dynamic Wrinkles
Dynamic wrinkles are wrinkles that form on your face from your habitual expressions. Some examples of dynamic wrinkles include:
- Frown lines on your forehead between your eyes from frowning or furrowing your brow
- Horizontal lines across your forehead from raising your eyebrows
- Crow’s feet at the corners of your eyes from smiling
- Thin lines around your mouth from pursing your lips
Everyone has dynamic wrinkles, but the more you use them, and the more you age, the deeper and more settled they become. When you’re young, and your skin is full of collagen and elastin, your skin bounces back from dynamic wrinkles immediately.
However, after about age 30, your levels of collagen and elastin start to deplete, which means wrinkles settle in and become permanent.
How Botox Fixes Dynamic Wrinkles
Since neurotoxin injections, like Botox, are mild paralytics, they’re the perfect solution to dynamic wrinkles. When injected into the muscles underneath your skin, Botox essentially “freezes” those muscles while still maintaining flexible, natural movement. Over time, as you receive more maintenance treatments, you’ll learn to use those muscles less and less, which can help increase the time between treatments.
What Botox doesn’t do is fill in lines and wrinkles caused by the natural aging process and gravity. This filling is where dermal fillers come in.
Dermal Fillers
Dermal fillers offer a little more versatility than neurotoxin injections because they can treat more areas and types of wrinkles.
Hyaluronic Acid Dermal Fillers
Most FDA-approved dermal fillers contain hyaluronic acid as their main active ingredient. Hyaluronic acid is a substance your body naturally produces on its own. It helps lubricate your skin, maintaining hydration and moisture for the overall health and wellness of your appearance.
Scientists combined hyaluronic acid with other ingredients to create a gel-like substance that can sit beneath the skin for several months before being absorbed by your body. Dermal fillers can be injected throughout your face and even into your hands to help fill and contour your face according to your desired results.
Areas dermal fillers can treat include:
- Forehead wrinkles
- Wrinkles around the eyes
- Marionette lines (the lines that extend from the corners of the mouth down the chin)
- Nasolabial folds (the lines that run from the corner of your nose down to the corners of your mouth)
- Loss of volume in the cheeks and jaw
- Loss of volume underneath the eyes
- Thinning in the lips
- Loss of volume in the hands
Many dermal filler collections offer various formulas within the same family in order to meet the aesthetic goals of each individual client.
What to Expect at Your Appointment
Whichever variation of cosmetic injectables you’re receiving for wrinkle treatment, whether Botox or dermal fillers or a combination of both, your appointment will follow the same type of structure.
You might receive a topical anesthetic to enhance your comfort during the procedure, but in general, no anesthetic is needed. Cosmetic injectables are injected with a needle so small and thin, most patients never even feel it at all. Many dermal fillers also contain lidocaine to help increase your comfort as well. Your appointment will last around 30 minutes from start to finish, depending on how many injections and units you’re receiving.
After Your Appointment
After your appointment, you can immediately resume your regular routine. There’s no downtime associated with cosmetic injectables. There are a couple of post-procedural precautions you should take in the first few days following your treatment, such as limiting excessive heat (like saunas) and avoiding laying on your face.
Botox Results
Your results from Botox will not be immediate, as the formula will take some time to settle into your muscles. You will notice results within a week, with full results being visible within a month. These results will last several months, depending on your body type and the number of units you receive.
Dermal Filler Results
The results from dermal filler wrinkle treatment are immediate. These fillers instantly volumize your skin, and results can last several months. Over time, your body will break down the filler and absorb it. Once you notice the added volume starting to deplete, you can schedule a maintenance procedure to maintain your results.
Which Wrinkle Treatment Is Right for You?
If you’re wondering which of these cosmetic injectables is right for you, there’s no one-size-fits-all answer for everyone. When you come into Vibrant Rejuvenation for an appointment, our medical team will evaluate the current state of your skin and get a thorough understanding of your cosmetic goals.
From there, our team will advise a treatment plan tailored to you, based on the quickest and most effective way to help you achieve high-quality results. In most cases, this will mean a combination of both dermal filler and Botox. For example, we may advise Botox between the eyebrows to stop deep frown lines and filler in your lips and cheeks to offer a more youthful appearance. To learn more and to schedule a consultation, contact Vibrant Rejuvenation today.
