What Is The Difference Between Botox and Restylane?

What’s the difference between Botox and fillers?

Patients ask us often about the difference between Botox Cosmetic and dermal fillers. Consumers hear these names all the time but aren’t sure how the types of products are used or related. Botox Cosmetic and Restylane are brand names of injection products. Botox is in a class of products called neurotoxins and Restylane belongs to another class called dermal fillers. Neurotoxins work to smooth wrinkles by relaxing the muscles that cause them. Dermal fillers help smooth lines and folds by adding volume.

Dermal Fillers

Besides Restylane, there are many other dermal fillers such as Juvederm, Restylane Lyft (Perlane), Voluma, Belotero, Sculptra and more. Although all of these products can provide volume to replace collagen and fatty tissue, they are made of different materials. Hyaluronic acid, which occurs naturally in the body, is the main ingredient in most fillers, while calcium microspheres are the primary ingredient in Radiesse. Dermal fillers made of hyaluronic acid work by attracting water to the injected area. Hyaluronic acid has the ability to absorb 1,000 times it’s weight in water. This water attracting action plumps the skin adding volume where fat and collagen have been lost to the aging process. Dermal fillers add volume and definition to the mouth, cheeks, tear trough area (under the eyes), the laugh lines around the mouth (nasolabial folds), and even to the area around the chin and corners of the mouth.

Botox, Dysport & Xeomin

Botox Cosmetic is a product designed to temporarily relax specific muscles of the face to prevent and resolve lines and wrinkles. Dysport and Xeomin are similar to Botox in that they are also made of Botulinum Toxin Type A. Both are competitors to Botox. All of these products work well to relax the muscle that causes frown lines between the eyebrows (glabella area), the crow’s feet lines at the sides of the eyes and the horizontal wrinkles present above the eyebrows.

Combining Botox and Dermal Fillers

By combining both types of products (Botox or Dysport and Restylane, Juvederm, Perlane, etc.) patients are able to achieve a very natural, appealing outcome. Although Botox, Dysport and Xeomin help to resolve and prevent fine lines and wrinkles, they do not add volume like dermal fillers. Thus the products are complimentary and used in different areas of the face.

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