Patients frequently ask for "Botox" when what they actually want is filler, or vice versa. They're both injectables, both administered in a quick office visit, and both produce a more refreshed appearance — but they solve completely different problems.
Botox (and Dysport, a similar product) is a neuromodulator. It temporarily relaxes the small muscles that cause dynamic wrinkles — the lines that appear when you move your face, like forehead creases, frown lines between the brows, and crow's feet around the eyes. Results appear in 3-7 days and last 3-4 months as the muscle activity gradually returns.
Filler is a hyaluronic-acid gel that adds volume where it's been lost, or where it's naturally lacking. Cheeks that have flattened with age, deepened nasolabial folds (the lines from nose to mouth corners), thinning lips, and hollowed under-eyes are all filler territory. Results are immediate and typically last 9-18 months depending on the area and product used.
The simplest way to think about it: Botox stops a wrinkle from forming by limiting the muscle movement that causes it. Filler fills in volume loss that's already happened. Static wrinkles — lines visible even when your face is at rest — often respond better to filler; dynamic wrinkles that only show up when you move respond better to Botox.
Many patients benefit from both, and in different areas — Botox on the upper face (forehead, brows, crow's feet), filler on the mid and lower face (cheeks, nasolabial folds, lips). At your consultation, Dr. Whitfield examines your specific concerns and recommends a plan rather than defaulting to whichever product you asked about by name.
Because these are self-pay cosmetic treatments, we give you an exact price for your plan at the consultation — no guessing based on a website's "starting at" pricing.