Patients often walk in asking for "Botox" when what they actually want is filler, or the reverse — the two get used almost interchangeably in casual conversation, but they work in completely different ways.
Botox relaxes; fillers restore
Botox works by temporarily relaxing the specific muscles that create expression lines — the ones that form when you frown, squint, or raise your eyebrows. It's the right tool for lines caused by repeated muscle movement: forehead lines, frown lines, crow's feet.
Dermal fillers, by contrast, add volume. They're hyaluronic-acid-based gels placed to restore areas that have lost structure — cheeks, temples, under-eyes — or to shape areas like the lips or jawline. Filler doesn't relax muscle movement; it adds physical volume and support.
How we decide which one you need
The assessment starts with a simple question: is the concern about movement, or about volume? A deep frown line that's visible even at rest but disappears when the forehead is relaxed is usually a Botox candidate. Hollowed cheeks or a flattened jawline are structural, and call for filler.
Many patients benefit from both, used in different areas — Botox for expression lines in the upper face, filler for volume loss lower down. What we avoid is applying one treatment to a problem it wasn't designed to solve, since that's when results look unnatural or simply don't work.
If you're not sure which applies to you, that's exactly what the consultation is for — get in touch and we'll assess your face specifically rather than guess from a photo.