Botox or Juvederm? Which is the Right Treatment For You?

During our consultations for facial rejuvenation procedures, we come across a lot of patients who don’t know the difference between Botox and Juvederm. Some people have heard the names, but were not aware that the two work in totally different ways. Though the two may seem similar in that they treat wrinkles and help the anti-aging process, they work their magic in different ways. Therefore, it is important to understand the difference between Botox and Dermal Fillers (Juvederm) when it comes to choosing the right treatment for you.

The best way to do this is to look at yourself in the mirror, and concentrate on your wrinkles. If you look at your forehead, or around your eyes, you will see that you have wrinkles which may seem mild or moderate in nature. Now notice as you frown or squint your eyes. These wrinkles become deeper and more pronounced. Just think of how many times per day you are naturally frowning or squinting and not even realizing that you are actively working to worsen these wrinkles!

These types of wrinkles, which result from muscle overuse, are called dynamic wrinkles. These are the areas where Botox worksbest. Botox is actually a diluted paralytic agent which causes weakening of the muscle it is injected into. Therefore, when injected into the overused muscles which have led to your wrinkles, Botox makes these muscles weaken and relax. Your wrinkles then flatten out. Kind of like ironing the wrinkles out of a shirt. More importantly, with repeated treatments you start to lose the habit of frowning and squinting which led to the overuse of those muscles in the first place. This way you can actually prevent your wrinkles from getting deeper. A typical Botox treatment lasts 3-4 months.

Now look at the rest of your face in the mirror. Perhaps you have lines around the sides of your mouth in the shape of “parentheses” which become more noticeable when you smile or laugh (laugh lines or smile lines). Maybe you have bags under your eyes that are always there and make you look constantly tired (tear trough deformities). Or maybe you’ve just always wanted to have fuller lips, or to fix that bump in your nose without having to go through surgery.

If any of those situations sound like they apply to you then Juvederm may be the right solution for you. Juvederm belongs to a class of injectables called Dermal Fillers. Fillers treat wrinkles by raising them, or adding volume. Juvederm, specifically, is made of hyaluronic acid which is a naturally occurring substance in your skin that absorbs water and adds volume. Injection of this smooth, volume enhancing gel under the skin in areas of wrinkling and volume depletion instantly restores your skin’s volume and smooths away facial wrinkles and folds. For this reason, Juvederm is best when used around the laugh lines, cheeks, lips, under the eyes, and nose. Because it functions by absorbing your own body’s water, it’s effects increase over time. A single Juvederm treatment can last up to one year.

This should help give you a better idea of the difference between Botox and Juvederm. Remember, ultimately a surgeon with experience in performing Botox and Juvederm injections will best be able to decide which treatment is best for you. Often times, both are used in combination to achieve the best results.