A lot of our clients come in thinking all they need is Anti-Wrinkle injections to make their faces look more refreshed and youthful; unfortunately, however, this is not always the case!
Although both treatments are used to combat the effects of the aging process (or as we prefer to call it, ‘growing up’), they work in very different ways.
So, what is the difference between Anti-Wrinkle injections (“tox”) and Dermal Fillers?
Tox is a temporary muscle relaxant. It works by preventing the nerve communicating with the muscle.
When you squint, frown or use other facial muscles repeatedly, your skin creases and causes furrows. As we age, the skin loses elasticity and cell turnover slows down meaning it is no longer able to rapidly repair this damage, resulting in lines and wrinkles seen at rest. By softening the action of these muscles with tox, your skin has time to repair this damage, and lines and wrinkles will be softened or disappear completely in some cases.
The most popular areas for both men and women are frown lines, forehead lines and crow’s feet.
In contrast, dermal fillers work to rejuvenate the face through subtle additions of volume.
In our youth, we have strong bones and muscles, and natural fat pads that provide shape and contour to the face. Volume is lost through resorption of bone, shrinkage of fat pads and muscles, as well as loosening of ligaments. These all contribute to the facial changes you see, which can make you look tired and sad when you’re not!
This lost volume can only be replaced with Filler. They can be used to fill-in creases and folds for a smoother facial appearance, or augment the lips, cheeks, and hands for added volume and contour. The substances that make up dermal fillers vary by each product, but the most popular fillers are comprised of Hyaluronic Acid—a naturally-occurring substance in the body that hydrates the skin and helps it appear fresh and voluminous.
The most popular areas to treat with fillers for volume loss are temples, mid-face, nasolabial folds, marionette lines (the lines from the corner of the mouth tracking downwards), and the jowl / jawline area.
So, in a nutshell, Tox is mainly used to soften lines and wrinkles in the upper areas of the face. Whereas Filler is predominantly used to replace lost volume in various areas of the face (mainly the mid / lower face).
We absolutely love what we do, and see it as a privilege! – Which is why we have been doing it for well and truly over a decade!