Injectables and fillers are one of the most requested anti-aging treatments today due to the quick results and minimal downtime that they offer. Even with all the educational resources available, there is still a handful of misleading information regarding what fillers and injectables can and cannot do. “Even though you hear about fillers and injectables everywhere and it seems like everyone is using them, there is still some confusion and misconceptions about them,” says Beverly Hills, CA, facial plastic surgeon Davis Nguyen, MD. Allow us to clear up three common filler and injectable myths.
FALSE: “You can’t use leftover filler for touch-ups.”
If your doctor doesn’t use all of the product in the vial, it can be used to touch up a small area. Remember, once a vial has been opened, it can’t be used on anyone else.
FALSE: “Botox is a filler.”
Some patients use Botox as a generic term for every injectable and filler, but Botox, Dysport and Xeomin are not fillers nor do they work like them. “They treat lines caused by facial expressions. They don’t add volume or stimulate collagen,” says Sacramento, CA, dermatologist Jacqueline Calkin, MD. “Anything caused by moving the face is treated with a neurotoxin. If the issue is volume loss, Botox, or the like, won’t help.”
FALSE: “You can’t get natural-looking lips with injectables.”
There is still a large percentage of women who are afraid to treat their lips with injectables because they fear that their lips will come out looking too big and overdone. As Dr. Calkin explains, overinflated lips are often the result of poor injection techniques. “You can get great results with filers in the lips. Both the upper and bottom lips need to be treated and in a conservative manner, so that you don’t end up with that ‘duck lip’ look.”
