Anti-Wrinkle Injections V’s Dermal Fillers: or ‘Porque no los dos?’…
You know you want it...right? Honestly, who hasn’t looked in the mirror and thought to themselves “If only my lips were a little fuller” or “if I could just smooth out those bags under my eyes”.
It’s totally ok… we all do it. In fact, in 2018, over half a million cosmetic procedures were performed in Australia alone and ‘non-surgical treatments’ such as anti-wrinkle injections and dermal fillers lead the way as the two most popular in-clinic services amongst men and women.
Over the last 20 years, facial enhancement techniques and the products used have advanced and evolved so dramatically that it is now possible to achieve results so amazingly natural looking that not even your bff will detect. From total face rejuvenation to honing in on those pesky frown lines, Cosmetic Injections are a great non-surgical option.
But, it seems that all this good looking secrecy has led to a little confusion, amongst the uninitiated, about exactly what cosmetic injections are and how each of them work to sculpt and rejuvenate the face, so let's dispel the myths and misinformation with a little FYI on each:
Anti-Wrinkle Injections - Muscle Relaxers
These products are therapeutic agents derived from the bacterium, Clostridium Botulinum; also known as Botulinum Toxin Type A. It sounds a little cray cray to be injecting a ‘toxin’ into your face, we get it, but these products are produced in controlled laboratory conditions and approved for cosmetic use by the TGA - Therapeutic Goods Administration of Australia.
The process of using Botulinum Toxin A as a muscle relaxer has been around for many years and aside from it’s cosmetic advantages, has been used to treat a whole swag of medical conditions like eye squints, migraines, excessive sweating and even overactive bladders (oh, sweet relief!) for over 20 years.
As a cosmetic enhancer, Anti-Wrinkle injections work by blocking the electrical signal your brain sends to your muscle in order for it to move; like when you’re angry and you scrunch your eyebrows together. A little bit of tox injected into the muscle between the brows helps to keep this area flat and smooth… so you can still get angry but you’ll just look like a babe while you're doing it! (Thought bubble…. Mmm, “if they could just tweak that to relax my food/mouth signal… lol).
What areas can be treated:
Popular areas that are often treated with these muscle relaxers include the expression lines that form across the forehead, around the eyes (crows feet) and as mentioned, between the brows. But you can also smooth out ‘smokers lines’ (even if you are not a smoker) around the lips, those deeper lines that can appear on either side of the mouth (called Marionette lines) and even chin dents!
On a non-wrinkle note, muscle relaxers can also help to balance out the placement of uneven eyebrows, help to relax neck bands (Vertical Platysma Bands) and even soften jaw clenching.
There are two types of Anti-Wrinkle products: What’s the difference between ‘Product B’ and ‘Product D’?
Overall both are very similar although ‘Product D’ has a slightly quicker onset (2-5 days versus 4-7 days) but ‘Product B’ seems to last longer. One diffuses more than the other and some argue you’ll need more Product D’ than ‘B’ to get the same results. These are all considerations that will be explained and discussed with you during your consultation and assessment with our Cosmetic Nurse and Doctor.
How long the results will last greatly depend on your body’s ability to metabolize the product so it does vary from person to person but generally you will see the results for up to 4-6 months. However, because of ‘muscle memory’ (yes, it’s actually a thing), with repeated treatment your muscle will remember to stay flat and you may see your result lasting a little longer each time you have treatment.
Anti-Wrinkle Injection Myths Debunked:
Myth 1: Your face will look totally frozen - these muscle relaxers only work on the specific areas they are injected into and the intensity can be controlled so that you can opt for a very subtle ‘hold’ if that is what you prefer; so no… you will not look frozen.
Myth 2: It’s only for old people - actually the opposite is true. Muscle relaxers help to prevent the formation of facial lines and wrinkles by relaxing the movement that causes them so in this case, prevention is just as good as cure.
Myth 3: Muscle relaxers are a ‘filler’ - definitely not. Muscle relaxers will not fill out etched lines and wrinkles or sculpt and contour facial features. Remember, they only work on helping the muscle lay flat, taking the tension off the skin and resulting in a smooth surface. In some cases, where the relaxed muscle alone does not completely smooth out a wrinkle, a Dermal Filler will need to be used in conjunctions with muscle relaxers to achieve a complete result.
Dermal Fillers
Unlike the bovine fuelled fillers of the past (aka “Collagen Injections”), today’s dermal fillers are made of Hyaluronic Acid; a gel-like substance naturally found in our body and essential for maintaining skin firmness, elasticity, as well as helping to keep the skin hydrated.
You’ve probably already heard of Hyaluronic Acid because it’s a super popular ingredient used in many skincare products due to it’s amazing ability to attract 1000x its own weight in water. What does that mean when used on or in the skin? Well, it means you’ll be rocking a super hydrated, plumped up and firm canvas… that’s what it means!
Aging and the impact of environmental factors such as sun exposure, diet and lifestyle, deplete the levels of our natural HA over time, resulting in the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, sagging skin and lack of hydration but, when injected via dermal fillers, HA revitalises and instantly restores volume, diminishing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles and returning structure and contour to the face.
What areas can be treated:
Dermal Fillers are injected under the skin to lift and support fine lines and wrinkles, enhance cheeks and plump lips. It can also be used to smooth and soften acne scarring and even rejuvenate the back of hands.
It’s fantastic for contouring and lifting muscle slippage… (trust me, you’ll know what this is when you reach my age) so you get the ‘face-lift’ result without surgery… and you won’t need to take over-head selfies anymore… or strictly date tall guys.
And lastly… if the dreaded panda eyes are your woe… line up… cause Dermal Fillers can smooth those out too.
Dermal Filler Myths Debunked:
Myth 1: They are painful - everyone has a different pain threshold but, speaking from experience, it is really mind over matter. It’s really not as painful as your head is going to convince you of and our premium fillers have Lidocaine anaesthetic included so you’ll get a surprisingly painless treatment.
Myth 2: There will be a lot of bruising & downtime - not necessarily, there are some factors to consider like if you take blood thinners, or generally bruise easily or even if you are a smoker. Any bruising can usually be managed and can be covered with make-up if needed. Many times, there is no bruising at all.
Myth 3: Once I start it will be costly to maintain - it’s true, you will need to maintain your results with top ups but it may not be as often as you think. In most cases, treatment is performed every 6-8 months but it depends on the filler used, the area it’s injected into and the activity level (how fast we metabolise). Some dermal fillers can last up to 18 months or more.
Everyone deserves to feel beautiful… for this reason, we invite you to find out more about our selection of Cosmetic Injections by visiting us for a complimentary anti-aging consultation with one of our Cosmetic Nurse practitioners. To book, or to view our treatment pricing simply click here
It’s totally ok… we all do it. In fact, in 2018, over half a million cosmetic procedures were performed in Australia alone and ‘non-surgical treatments’ such as anti-wrinkle injections and dermal fillers lead the way as the two most popular in-clinic services amongst men and women.
Over the last 20 years, facial enhancement techniques and the products used have advanced and evolved so dramatically that it is now possible to achieve results so amazingly natural looking that not even your bff will detect. From total face rejuvenation to honing in on those pesky frown lines, Cosmetic Injections are a great non-surgical option.
But, it seems that all this good looking secrecy has led to a little confusion, amongst the uninitiated, about exactly what cosmetic injections are and how each of them work to sculpt and rejuvenate the face, so let's dispel the myths and misinformation with a little FYI on each:
Anti-Wrinkle Injections - Muscle Relaxers
These products are therapeutic agents derived from the bacterium, Clostridium Botulinum; also known as Botulinum Toxin Type A. It sounds a little cray cray to be injecting a ‘toxin’ into your face, we get it, but these products are produced in controlled laboratory conditions and approved for cosmetic use by the TGA - Therapeutic Goods Administration of Australia.
The process of using Botulinum Toxin A as a muscle relaxer has been around for many years and aside from it’s cosmetic advantages, has been used to treat a whole swag of medical conditions like eye squints, migraines, excessive sweating and even overactive bladders (oh, sweet relief!) for over 20 years.
As a cosmetic enhancer, Anti-Wrinkle injections work by blocking the electrical signal your brain sends to your muscle in order for it to move; like when you’re angry and you scrunch your eyebrows together. A little bit of tox injected into the muscle between the brows helps to keep this area flat and smooth… so you can still get angry but you’ll just look like a babe while you're doing it! (Thought bubble…. Mmm, “if they could just tweak that to relax my food/mouth signal… lol).
What areas can be treated:
Popular areas that are often treated with these muscle relaxers include the expression lines that form across the forehead, around the eyes (crows feet) and as mentioned, between the brows. But you can also smooth out ‘smokers lines’ (even if you are not a smoker) around the lips, those deeper lines that can appear on either side of the mouth (called Marionette lines) and even chin dents!
On a non-wrinkle note, muscle relaxers can also help to balance out the placement of uneven eyebrows, help to relax neck bands (Vertical Platysma Bands) and even soften jaw clenching.
There are two types of Anti-Wrinkle products: What’s the difference between ‘Product B’ and ‘Product D’?
Overall both are very similar although ‘Product D’ has a slightly quicker onset (2-5 days versus 4-7 days) but ‘Product B’ seems to last longer. One diffuses more than the other and some argue you’ll need more Product D’ than ‘B’ to get the same results. These are all considerations that will be explained and discussed with you during your consultation and assessment with our Cosmetic Nurse and Doctor.
How long the results will last greatly depend on your body’s ability to metabolize the product so it does vary from person to person but generally you will see the results for up to 4-6 months. However, because of ‘muscle memory’ (yes, it’s actually a thing), with repeated treatment your muscle will remember to stay flat and you may see your result lasting a little longer each time you have treatment.
Anti-Wrinkle Injection Myths Debunked:
Myth 1: Your face will look totally frozen - these muscle relaxers only work on the specific areas they are injected into and the intensity can be controlled so that you can opt for a very subtle ‘hold’ if that is what you prefer; so no… you will not look frozen.
Myth 2: It’s only for old people - actually the opposite is true. Muscle relaxers help to prevent the formation of facial lines and wrinkles by relaxing the movement that causes them so in this case, prevention is just as good as cure.
Myth 3: Muscle relaxers are a ‘filler’ - definitely not. Muscle relaxers will not fill out etched lines and wrinkles or sculpt and contour facial features. Remember, they only work on helping the muscle lay flat, taking the tension off the skin and resulting in a smooth surface. In some cases, where the relaxed muscle alone does not completely smooth out a wrinkle, a Dermal Filler will need to be used in conjunctions with muscle relaxers to achieve a complete result.
Dermal Fillers
Unlike the bovine fuelled fillers of the past (aka “Collagen Injections”), today’s dermal fillers are made of Hyaluronic Acid; a gel-like substance naturally found in our body and essential for maintaining skin firmness, elasticity, as well as helping to keep the skin hydrated.
You’ve probably already heard of Hyaluronic Acid because it’s a super popular ingredient used in many skincare products due to it’s amazing ability to attract 1000x its own weight in water. What does that mean when used on or in the skin? Well, it means you’ll be rocking a super hydrated, plumped up and firm canvas… that’s what it means!
Aging and the impact of environmental factors such as sun exposure, diet and lifestyle, deplete the levels of our natural HA over time, resulting in the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, sagging skin and lack of hydration but, when injected via dermal fillers, HA revitalises and instantly restores volume, diminishing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles and returning structure and contour to the face.
What areas can be treated:
Dermal Fillers are injected under the skin to lift and support fine lines and wrinkles, enhance cheeks and plump lips. It can also be used to smooth and soften acne scarring and even rejuvenate the back of hands.
It’s fantastic for contouring and lifting muscle slippage… (trust me, you’ll know what this is when you reach my age) so you get the ‘face-lift’ result without surgery… and you won’t need to take over-head selfies anymore… or strictly date tall guys.
And lastly… if the dreaded panda eyes are your woe… line up… cause Dermal Fillers can smooth those out too.
Dermal Filler Myths Debunked:
Myth 1: They are painful - everyone has a different pain threshold but, speaking from experience, it is really mind over matter. It’s really not as painful as your head is going to convince you of and our premium fillers have Lidocaine anaesthetic included so you’ll get a surprisingly painless treatment.
Myth 2: There will be a lot of bruising & downtime - not necessarily, there are some factors to consider like if you take blood thinners, or generally bruise easily or even if you are a smoker. Any bruising can usually be managed and can be covered with make-up if needed. Many times, there is no bruising at all.
Myth 3: Once I start it will be costly to maintain - it’s true, you will need to maintain your results with top ups but it may not be as often as you think. In most cases, treatment is performed every 6-8 months but it depends on the filler used, the area it’s injected into and the activity level (how fast we metabolise). Some dermal fillers can last up to 18 months or more.
Everyone deserves to feel beautiful… for this reason, we invite you to find out more about our selection of Cosmetic Injections by visiting us for a complimentary anti-aging consultation with one of our Cosmetic Nurse practitioners. To book, or to view our treatment pricing simply click here
