Are lip fillers and botox the same thing?

I have realised recently that the term ‘fillers’ and ‘botox’ are often used interchangeably. I’ve heard the phrase ‘She had so much botox in her lips!’ more than once! I have even had people ask for fillers in their forehead, when actually they mean botox, and vice versa.

As with any subject, if it’s not something you are very familiar with, if you don’t know, you don’t know! 

The word botox is also used interchangeably for the prescription-only medicine, used for smoothing and relaxing lines and wrinkles – Botulinum Toxin. ‘Botox’ is actually the brand name for the toxin used by Allergan, but it has become synonymous for all brands of Botulinum Toxin. It’s only the same as ‘Hoover’, when we might actually be using a Dyson or a Shark, or ‘Google’,when we are using variety of search engines.

As an active ingredient, botox has been used for many years for a variety of conditions, starting in the Ophthalmology world. It from there became used in aesthetics as an anti-wrinkle treatment, as it effectively paralyses muscles by removing the nerve’s ability to communicate with the muscle, meaning it is unable to tell it to move. This ‘paralysis’ fades over a few months as the body builds new nerve axioms, allowing the muscle to move again. By doing this, you reduce lines and wrinkles and the skin is not able to ‘crease’ from repeated movements. It can be used in a variety of places on the face, including chin, top lip, reducing a ‘gummy smile’, as well as in skin treatments for more generalised skin rejuvenation – and even in needling solutions for hair restoration.

However, this is not the same substance that is used to plump lips and contour the face! Dermal fillers and lip filler are completely different substances. Generally, fillers from most brands (we only use those of exceptional quality, Juvederm by Allergan) are a formulation of Hyaluronic Acid (HA), formulated in such a way that the product stays in place – for example in the lips, or to shape the jaw or cheeks – for some time. (From 6 months to 2 years depending on the product used, the area injected into and the metabolism and lifestyle of the person).

This HA is injected into different parts of the face, to hydrate and plump lips, and give them more shape and definition, to replace lost volume in cheeks, they can be used to smooth out the deep lines by the nose and mouth, soften mouth wrinkles, and even reshape chins and jawlines. The training is completely difference, and the results are very different too! While fillers can help with lines and wrinkles, actually they are used for definition and plumping, and you do not lose any ‘movement’ with fillers.

More recently, other types of filler are becoming more popular – giving incredibly natural anti-ageing results but remaining very subtle – and they are known as skin boosters. These are also made of various formulations of Hyaluronic Acid, but either have no cross-linking or different types of linking, meaning that the substances disperses under the skin, causing a subtle gentle hydration and plumping of the skin. It is a very quick, low down-time treatment, that is generally very safe with excellent results. The most well-known of these is Profhilo, but Allergan also have their own version called Volite, and another well known brand is Sunekos. They all do slightly different things, but are all fabulous clinical treatments.

All of these treatments most definitely have their place in the aesthetics world, with many clinics offering variations on all of them – but whichever you choose, please remember they are most definitely not the same thing! Your practitioner should be able to advise on the best types of treatments for your skin type, budget and your skin goals so don’t be surprised or offended if your practitioner tells you that what you have asked for isn’t actually what you need!

So if you are still confused, or like the sound of injectable cosmetics, just let me know and we can have a chat!