Botox vs Juvederm

 

Overview

When it comes to treating wrinkles treatment, you’ve got more options these days than ever before. Laser treatments, chemical peels, and injections can all help to smooth away lines and wrinkles, no surgery needed. Among some of the more popular cosmetic injections out, there are Botox and Juvederm, these are both noninvasive injectables that are given by a medical aesthetician or a dermatologist. Both treatments are injectables, have similar goals, these injections contain different active ingredients, and both also have differences in terms of cost, timeline, and results. There are even some risk factors to consider, knowing how they differ can help you pick the treatment that’s right for you. 

Juvéderm

Juvéderm is a noninvasive procedure, which means no surgery is required. Each solution contains a gel made from hyaluronic acid designed to “fill in” your wrinkles from underneath the skin. The volumizing solution comes in different formulas to treat different types of wrinkles in adults:

Juvéderm Ultra XC, for lips and mouth area,

Volbella XC, for lip lines and adding volume to lips

Vollure XC, for “parentheses” lines outlining your nose and mouth

Voluma XC, for adding volume to the cheeks

Juvéderm XC, for “parentheses” lines, as well as other wrinkles around the nose and mouth

All “XC” formulations contain lidocaine to ease pain and discomfort.

Botox

While Botox is also a noninvasive form of wrinkle treatment, it’s made from very different ingredients. A type of neurotoxin, Botox injections contain botulinum toxin A, which relaxes and stills muscles in your face. In turn, your skin appears smoother and wrinkles near the injection site become less noticeable.

Botox is used to treat:

vertical lines between the eyebrows (known as “glabellar lines”)

wrinkles around the eyes (crow’s feet)

wrinkles on the forehead

eyelid twitching (blepharospasm)

crossed eyes (strabismus)

excessive sweating (hyperhidrosis)

muscle spasticity

migraines

incontinence

Formulation

One significant difference between Botox and Juvederm is their ingredients. The main ingredient in Juvederm is hyaluronic acid.

Botox is made from botulinum toxin, which is produced by bacteria. It’s not produced by the body, but it has been used safely for decades in medical settings.

Botox is a neurotoxin that is a diluted form of Clostridium botulinum, a botulism toxin that is largely inactive and non-toxic. While sounding scary, botulism toxins have been medically used in various applications for the last 35 years.

Juvederm is formulated from hyaluronic acid (HA) which is a naturally occurring protein found in the skin. Hyaluronic acid works to plump or firm the skin by attracting and holding water. Each molecule of HA can hold 1,000 times its weight in water.

Hyaluronic acid is a type of sugar that your body produces naturally. It helps to cushion your skin and joints and it’s responsible for giving young children and babies plump, chubby cheeks. As you get older, your natural stores of hyaluronic acid diminish. Your skin loses its plumpness and firmness and wrinkles often begin to appear.

How do they work?

Botox works by temporarily relaxing facial muscles that cause persistent lines and wrinkles as they contract. When injected into the targeted muscle, Botox blocks neuron signals to the muscle allowing patients to conduct various facial expressions (smile, frown, etc.) without the unwanted wrinkles and creases.

Juvederm, like other dermal fillers, adds temporary volume under the skin to fill in wrinkles and add volume to plump the skin. In addition to addressing creases and wrinkles, Juvederm can also address sunken or hollowing areas of the face stemming from volume loss. 

How long do they last?

Another difference between Botox and Juvederm is how long the results last. Botox has the shortest life — the results from the injection can start to fade away after about three months.

Standard Juvederm usually provides results for up to 10 months, while Voluma typically provides results that last for up to two years. Volbella can plump up the lips for about 12 months.

You can usually see the results from Juvederm immediately after injection. It can take a few days to a week before the results from a Botox injection become visible.

Reversibility 

While both treatments are temporary, there is a difference when it comes to reversibility: the practice of using an antidote to undo results. There is no antidote to reverse Botox so patients must wait for their effects to fade. Juvederm, however, can be reversed using hyaluronidase if needed. Either way, it is always good that you seek out an injector for treatment to avoid the need for changing or waiting for the result to fade.