FILL ME IN ON THE FACTS

Cosmetic Doctor Dan Dhunna took time out of his busy clinics between London and Birmingham to give BEAUTY readers an express guide to understanding the difference between Botox® injections and dermal cosmetic filler treatments.

Botox® is a Brand name for a muscle relaxing prescription medicine derived from the botulism germ. Initially it was used to treat uncontrolled eye squints but it found its most well known use when it was discovered to relax the crows’ feet of patients of Canadian ophthalmologist Dr Jean Carruthers. Lucky for her, her husband was a dermatologist and a new anti-ageing phenomenon was born!

It has now been around for over 25 years and has over 20 registered uses worldwide including treatment of spasms of limbs, migraine and
overactive bladders.

Dermal fillers were initially made of collagen. This all changed with the advent of hyaluronic acid in the 1990s, yielding brands such as Restylane and Juvederm.

Hyaluronic acid is a sugar based molecule that is present in our skin, eyes and joints. It is produced synthetically and packaged into syringes of different thicknesses. Lasting anything from 6 to 18 months, hyaluronic acid dermal fillers are reversible gels that are injected into and under the skin for improving fine lines and wrinkles as well as lip enhancements and facial volume replacement.