Our doctor drs. Mirthe van der Putten featured an extensive article on botox and fillers in the Healthcare Newspaper.
What are differences and similarities between botox treatment and fillers?
‘Both treatments are for anti-aging, meant to make people look a little fresher and younger. Only the mechanism of action is different. Botox is a drug that temporarily causes muscles to relax so that no
wrinkles retract more. It improves skin texture and lines fade. With a filler, the word really says it all, you inject wrinkles and lines with a filler. It is a hyaluronic acid filler, a naturally biodegradable product that resembles the hyaluronic acid in one’s own body but factory-created. With a filler, you can restore volume or fill certain wrinkles and thus soften them. With botox, the cause of the wrinkle is taken away; when a person no longer looks angry, the skin, through which the line had formed, also no longer wrinkles. With a filler, the symptom is controlled, only the
Wrinkles are filled but the creasing of the skin remains. Botox is good for frown lines, crow’s feet and dynamic wrinkles. But not for loss of volume in the cheeks, because you want to be able to keep smiling, and you just can’t turn off certain muscles.
What wrinkles are the treatments suitable for?
‘Botox is ideally suited for a frown wrinkle, a forehead wrinkle, crow’s feet or lines near the nose,
those you call bunny lines, by the way. It also helps with headache complaints, suffering from teeth grinding or clenching
and if you have a drooping mouth, a gummy smile or gum smile, or pitskin. All indications for botox. And beyond that, of course, you can fill any line or wrinkle with a filler. Except that is not always the first choice treatment. Fillers can further be used for volume loss, such as for the tear trough, a nasolabial fold or a marionette line, fine cheek lines and lip lines. In addition, a filler can be used to add some volume to the jawline, or to cheekbones or lips. Then again, those are treatments you can only do with a filler, not botox.’
When is the effect of a treatment visible?
‘You see a filler immediately because you inject volume right away. Before you see the real result I would take about a week out, there may be a bruise near the lip or a swell. With botox, it can take a few days before you notice it starting to work. After 2 weeks, the effect is maximum. We also always have patients come back after 2 weeks to see if everything is satisfactory.
How long will the effect last?
‘Botox stays on for about 3 to 4 months, often you see that when people have been more often the interval increases. If your muscles get weaker you can enjoy it for longer. With a filler, it stays in place for about 9 to 12 months. Those break down less quickly than the botox.’
What are any side effects of the treatments?
‘Sometimes blood vessels do get hit, then a bruise is seen for a while. And with a filler, you have a chance of some swelling. Very occasionally, people may still experience some headaches after botox. Those are actually the most common side effects.’
Are the treatments painful?
‘Botox not, I always prick myself too. It is a small prick but not too bad. A filler can be a bit more sensitive, depending on where you inject. You can imagine that if
you inject into lips that is somewhat sensitive. Hence, we always have our patients come in half an hour early to allow the anesthetic cream to take effect properly. It doesn’t mean it’s pain-free after that but the sharp edges are taken off.
What are recommendations after treatments?
We think aftercare is very important and we always tell you what not to do: no sports, no tanning beds or saunas, no make-up on the first day and no facials for two weeks. And with fillers we always recommend cooling but you can do that here at the clinic as well. When patients come for the first time, I make a standard checkup appointment, unless they don’t want it themselves. After a 5th botox treatment a person knows how it goes, then there is usually no need to come back again. A follow-up is very important because someone who walks out your door does not know at all what to expect. Then I think it’s okay if we take a second look together to see if it all went well. Everyone has different muscles and not everyone needs the same dosage. And from botox, you can only really see what it has done after 2 weeks. With fillers, you can already see it a little better and it’s just a question of whether we need to add some more.’
What can someone considering botox or filler treatment expect?
‘I think it’s especially good to know that you can still look very natural. Many ladies come who have gone through a stressful period, have started to draw in their faces and no longer see themselves in the mirror.
recognize. You then try to bring people back to themselves a little bit. Patients should be able to see that they’ve had treatment, but not so that people sen start saying to them “hey, do you have botox there?”. I prefer them to be told “oh how well rested you look, you must have been on vacation?”.
Is there a success story to tell?
‘Once I had a bus driver in the clinic with a very thick frown. She was told every day on the bus “boy how angry you look. At one point, of course, the hair was up to here. Because she was not angry at all but just has a very strong frown muscle and therefore a wrinkle. After the Botox treatment she was very happy, she no longer received comments and she felt that people finally saw who she really was.’
Do people who want extra full lips come?
‘Yes, but patients who want that inflated result we don’t get that much here. Of course they are there. But we think the natural result is more important. You can see this on our website and in the booklet of examples. Those people still look like themselves.
Would you advise against someone coming for that?
‘Absolutely, if it’s something I don’t support that I think this is getting too much I will say it honestly too. I don’t support it either. There are certain clinics that are known for saying, “If you want lips like that, you can get them here. I won’t mention the names.
Do you have any advice?
‘Cosmetic medicine is a precise profession and requires a lot of experience and expertise. Therefore, I recommend checking to see if the doctor is BIG-registered and a member of the NVCG prior to treatment. Also, you can read reviews about the clinic and the doctor. Yes, because after all, it’s your face you’re having something done to.’
How soon can a person get botox or fillers?
‘It kind of depends on how full the schedules are. In Amsterdam, you soon have to plan 2 or 3 weeks ahead. We haven’t been open here in Utrecht very long so I still have quite a bit of space here. There are no months of waiting.
Source: Zorgkrant.nl
