Common Myths About Botox & Fillers

botox fillers myths blog

Botox and fillers are some of the most commonplace anti-aging procedures offered, and millions of people around the world partake in both injectables routinely to maintain youthful skin. But myths continue to circulate, so we're here to address some of them today.

You’ll eventually develop a tolerance to botox
This is so incredibly rare that there’s nearly zero chance this will happen to you. However, it’s not technically impossible. When you come in for botox and fillers, it’s common for us to ask if you’ve been sick, if you’re taking antibiotics, or if you’ve been vaccinated recently. That’s because you can’t get fillers or botox while your body’s immune system is in an active state. Any time a foreign substance of any sort is introduced to your body, it’s natural response is to attempt to reject it. When you’re healthy and your immune system is at relative rest, this isn’t a problem and you’ll be fine to get any injectables you want without concern. But if your body’s immune response is already hyperactive, it can actually identify your injectables as a foreign substance and develop antibodies to it. There’s some good news though: if you are one of the extremely rare individuals who develops a tolerance to a certain brand of botox, switching to another brand will likely solve the problem.

Moral of the story: save the injectables for times when your immune system is taking a break.

If you don’t like it, you’re stuck with it
None of the fillers or botox products we offer are permanent, full stop. In some cases, this is a bummer because, hello eternal youth! But the plus side is if you grow tired of plumping your lips or the filler in your cheeks, you can either get it dissolved or wait for several months for it to fade away on its own. The one caveat to this is that botox can’t be reversed once it’s injected. But botox is not physically capable of lasting for very long—we advise 3-6 months at most for our patients. And none of the filler products we use contain any permanent filler in them. You can get approximately 6-12 months out of filler, and this number is highly subjective to your lifestyle and activity levels. For example, highly active people tend to need filler injected more frequently because their metabolism is moving faster than someone who is sedentary. So with a faster metabolism, you’ll metabolize your filler quickly, too.

It won’t look natural
A lot of people who haven’t gotten botox or fillers often think of overfilled lips, exaggerated cheeks, and frozen, expressionless faces when it comes to these procedures. The truth is, if it doesn’t look natural, it’s more about the injector than the product. Filler, when injected conservatively with the proper technique, is meant to subtly enhance, smooth, or lift. If you go in asking your injector to keep plumping and plumping, you might either be told to wait before more is injected, or warned that the result might not look natural. We always prefer to provide touch-ups of filler later than dissolve when there’s too much. And we frequently see patients who have come from other injectors complaining about being overfilled and needing it dissolved. So take our advice and start conservatively.

As far as botox is concerned, it’s unlikely to make anyone look unnatural because all it doesn’t add any volume. All botox does is freeze specific muscles with the goal of preventing expression lines. It doesn’t freeze all muscles, though. Botox only stops movement in enough areas to stop you from forming a frown line when you frown, crow’s feet when you smile, or whatever expression lines you’re trying to get rid of. However, it will not stop you from continuing to form any of the typical expressions you make. Your friends and loved ones will still be very aware of what you’re thinking and feeling!

Fillers can replace a face lift
There’s a procedure called the Liquid Lift, and we love the subtle lift it provides using fillers placed in the right area. But absolutely nothing is going to replace a surgical face lift if that’s what you need. The issue is that most people assume they need a face lift when they actually don’t. If all you need is a mild lift of a couple millimeters, filler is going to be more than enough for you. Depending on your age and the health of your skin, it’s best to talk it out with your doctor because if you’re in your late 50s, 60s or later, it’s very likely that a face lift is your best option.

All fillers are the same
Not true, and here’s why. Some fillers are ideal for very small, detailed areas and others are ideal just for lips. Some fillers work very differently from the rest, such as Sculptra, which is meant to generate collagen across large areas (this is part of why we use it in body sculpting) and use your body’s own healing process to plump itself. Many fillers have hyaluronic acid in their formulation, while others have poly-L-lactic acid or synthetic calcium hydroxylapatite. Each filler can be very different from the rest so just let your injector know what look you’re hoping for and they can guide you towards the right brands and types.

Botox and filler injections are painful
Most of the time, our botox patients are able to get their injections with almost no discomfort. And what minor discomfort some do experience is very brief. The needles used to inject botox and fillers are very tiny, and there’s a chance you may not even feel it with botox. Filler, however, can be uncomfortable. That’s why we usually numb patients for 30 minutes prior to injecting so we can be sure they don’t feel any pain during the procedure. Like with any injections, it’s common to feel some mild soreness at the injection site, however, this usually dissipates quickly.

Botox erases all wrinkles
We wish! But sadly it does not. Botox is meant just for expression lines—mainly anywhere your face scrunches up when you make an expression. Filler is a great option for lines that aren’t due to facial expressions and can be used to provide a slight lift for sagging skin on your lower face.  

Want to learn more about botox and fillers? Make an appointment with us today by contacting our office at 561-805-9399 or info@supriyamd.com.

Posted by Sarah M Kubrick | Supriya Dermatology