Question: What is the difference between Botox and injectable fillers such as Restylane and Juvederm? What is the best option for minimizing lines in my forehead and neck?
Answer: Botox is a neuromodulator in that it prevents muscles from contracting. Juvederm and Restylane are injectable fillers which are simply volumizers that are injected into areas of the face so one treats muscular contractions while the other one adds volume to areas where it is desired. For forehead wrinkles I recommend Botox due to the fact that these lines are considered dynamic lines which means that they are there due to over active muscle contraction of lifting the brows repeatedly. By treating the forehead muscles with Botox these lines soften significantly. Neck lines are more of a challenge due to the fact most of the time these are due to laxity in the skin and the loss of elasticity of the skin over time. Neither Botox nor fillers are really good options for these lines but for the most part if they are very deep fillers would be a good option for some patients. Otherwise I typically recommend some sort of a face or neck lift for patients if they really desire a significant improvement in necklines.