When you feel young and beautiful, your confidence soars. Fortunately, there are treatments to help you achieve a more youthful appearance. Juvéderm and BOTOX® are both excellent treatment options, but which should you choose? In this blog, you can learn how to compare BOTOX® vs. Juvéderm and decide which is best to achieve your cosmetic goals.
Are you trying to choose between BOTOX® and Juvéderm? Contact us today for a consultation with our knowledgeable aesthetics professionals.
What Is in the Injections?
The most obvious difference between BOTOX® vs. Juvéderm is the content of the injections. BOTOX® contains a toxin that doctors can use sparingly to smooth facial wrinkles. While it is the same toxin that causes botulism, these small doses can safely relax the muscles temporarily without any harmful effects.
Juvéderm, on the other hand, contains hyaluronic acid, a natural substance that already exists in your body, in your eyes, and in your joints. It is used as a dermal filler, which is an injected treatment to fill in areas that appear wrinkled due to loss of facial volume.
What Do BOTOX® and Juvéderm Do?
Understanding the difference between BOTOX® and Juvéderm starts with recognizing what each treatment does for your appearance. Both offer solutions to reduce or prevent the signs of facial aging, but they do it in different ways and don’t create the same kinds of change.
BOTOX®’s main goal is to minimize wrinkles that are caused by facial expressions and muscle movements. It accomplishes its purpose by relaxing the muscles of your face to reduce the lines that tend to appear over time.
Juvéderm also helps you look more youthful, but it does it in an alternative way. Rather than working on the muscles, Juvéderm plumps up and restores your facial volume. This restored fullness reduces or eliminates lines and folds.
Comparing BOTOX® vs. Juvéderm Treatments
One of the first things people want to know about BOTOX® and Juvéderm is what the treatment process is like. For both, the procedure is relatively easy to tolerate and fairly quick. Here are the basic facts about how the treatment goes with BOTOX® vs. Juvéderm.
What Is the Procedure?
For BOTOX®, the treatment begins with pinpointing the best spots to place the injections. Next, your Botox specialist uses a very fine needle to inject the treatment into muscles that have or are likely to produce wrinkles.
Juvéderm treatments are similar, except the injections are usually given in the cheeks, lips, and other areas based on where the face has lost fullness.
How Long Does It Take?
Both Juvéderm and BOTOX® are quick treatments. However, in both cases, the exact length of time to get the injections will vary from person to person. In general, injections can be performed in about 15 minutes. Juvéderm injections can sometimes take longer – up to 60 minutes – if more areas need to be filled.
How Does It Feel?
Both types of injections are low-pain, easy-to-take treatments. BOTOX® may feel like a small pinch that is over quickly. Before injecting BOTOX®, your provider will use a numbing gel or ice to prevent discomfort. Juvéderm injections are made with small amounts of lidocaine to reduce any pain that might occur with them otherwise. In short, neither procedure is very painful, and neither takes very long.
How Much Downtime Is There?
Downtime is extremely short with both types of injections. After having BOTOX® injections, you can immediately resume your normal activities. When your provider finishes with Juvéderm treatments, you may need to refrain from strenuous exercise for a day or two. However, you should be able to go right back to work and do other activities immediately after Juvéderm treatments.
Side Effects of Treatment
Although both treatments are safe, they do have a few side effects. BOTOX® can cause droopy skin or headaches. Juvéderm may cause bruising, dryness, itching, and redness at the injection site. Your face may be slightly tender immediately after treatment with both BOTOX® and Juvéderm. However, all these symptoms for both injections typically go away quickly and easily.
Rarely more serious side effects can happen. With BOTOX®, there is a very small chance of paralysis and toxic reactions. With Juvéderm, you could lose blood, scar, or have an allergic reaction. However, these effects are extremely rare, and the results are usually excellent in both cases.
Timeline for Positive Effects
Neither BOTOX® nor Juvéderm is a permanent solution. No matter which you choose, you will need to go back for additional treatments. However, the timelines for the desired effects of Juvéderm and BOTOX® are somewhat different. With Juvéderm, you will notice your face looks fuller very quickly, and the effects tend to last about 18 months. Most specialists recommend you repeat the procedure yearly.
BOTOX® usually takes a few days before you see effects and up to 30 days for maximum improvement. The effects last about four months, at which time you will need to have the procedure again to maintain the results or continue with prevention.
What Goals Can BOTOX® and Juvéderm Accomplish?
Since both treatments are effective and easy to tolerate, your primary concern is to choose the injections that will accomplish your own unique goals. That’s why your consultation with an aesthetics professional is so important. In that meeting, you can discuss what you hope to gain from treatments and the results you are hoping to achieve.
Areas Where Injections Help
An important factor in choosing your goals is determining where your face needs improvement. So, where are the best areas to treat with BOTOX® vs. Juvéderm?
BOTOX® works best to treat moderate to severe wrinkles in the forehead, frown lines, and crow’s feet around the eyes. It can also help reduce wrinkles in the neck or chin.
If your cheeks, lips, chin, or other areas of your face look hollow or sunken, Juvéderm can plump them up so that you look subtly more youthful and natural.
What Results Do You Seek?
When considering the results you want, there are several factors to think about.
- Do you want your face to look fuller? A dermal filler like Juvéderm makes more sense.
- Would you like to have a smoother, more relaxed face? If so, BOTOX® may be your best choice.
Although these treatments can change the way you see yourself, they do not make your face startlingly different. People will likely notice that something has changed or that you look younger. However, you will still look like you – just a younger, more beautiful you.
Get Personalized Answers from the Experts
While you can learn much about the choice of BOTOX® vs. Juvéderm by reading articles, the best way to decide is to ask for a consultation with an aesthetics professional.
When you come to the experts of Elevate at Alaska Women’s Health, you can find out which treatment is the ideal one for you. We examine your face, discuss your goals, and recommend the treatment that will help you accomplish those goals.
We care for your overall health and wellness as we help you achieve the look that makes you feel confident in your appearance day after day. Our team is devoted to providing the safest, most effective cosmetic treatments to give you the power to defy the effects of aging on your skin.
Looking for expert guidance on choosing BOTOX® or Juvéderm? Come to the professionals at Elevate at Alaska!
