Botox or Fillers? For Best Results, You May Need Both

A growing trend in aesthetic medicine is for a combination therapy approach to rejuvenation and correction, and botox and fillers are one such winning combination. The latest research has found that the two procedures have equal applications, but together, they can produce a synergistic effect that last longer and looks better.

Botox, or neurotoxins, work on the underlying muscle structures under the skin. The muscles not only provide movement, but affect our facial positioning and expressions. Certain large muscles such as those in the jawline, around the lips and eyes, as well as the forehead areas, can change the entire facial structure noticeably. Deep frown lines can make a person look permanently angry, while pronounced jaw muscles can give someone a belligerent or argumentative demeanor. Proper usage of botox not only relaxes the facial expression, but also can give a more pleasant, uplifted look.

Dermal fillers work hand in hand with botox to restore fullness to areas that are sunken or lined, and also helps to reshape and redefine the overall facial structure. By combining fillers with botox, the volume of both substances can be reduced to achieve a more natural, harmonious look.

Many patients find that in areas of the face that are in constant motion, such as in the mouth area, fillers do not last very long, as the muscle motion works to break up the fillers faster. A combination treatment including botox decreases muscle activity, so that the fillers are not broken down so quickly.

A combination of botox and fillers can relax and fill out deep frown lines
even better than either product can do alone.

The synergistic effect of botox and fillers is such that the combination of both is better than either treatment alone, and it has been theorized that effects of this dual-treatment lasts longer because the collagen production stimulated by fillers help the skin to form correctly in a way that muscle movement would have disturbed.


- Cosmetic Medicine, MD

Dr. Liow Tiong Sin is an aesthetic practitioner who practices in Kuala Lumpur and Melaka, Malaysia. He has more than 12 years of expertise with non-surgical cosmetic treatments, and  conducts training courses for other doctors from all around Asia. To connect with Dr. Liow, Like Cosmedmd's Facebook page. medical centre website or email.