Botox or hyaluronic acid: which one to choose?
The neuromodulator relaxes movement, filler restores volume. How we choose with you, without selling you both by reflex.
Do you need neuromodulator or filler under the eyes? It depends on the type of line. If it’s there even when your face is relaxed, we think filler first. If it shows up mostly when you smile, we think neuromodulator.
The eye area is delicate, and it’s where we see the most confusion between the two treatments. If you’re not sure which one suits you, that’s normal. A simple test in the mirror often makes it clearer.
Filler, when volume is missing
We favour hyaluronic acid if you have a hollow under-eye, a marked groove beneath the eye or a general loss of volume in that area. In other words, when the line or shadow is there even at rest, face relaxed. The gel restores volume where it’s missing, and the shadow eases.
Neuromodulator, when the line comes from movement
We lean toward the neuromodulator if your lines show up mostly when you smile. That means crow’s feet at the side of the eye, the expression lines that vanish when the face is at rest. In that case there’s nothing to fill, and it’s the muscle that needs relaxing.
The mirror test
Look at yourself with a neutral face, then smile.
- The line is there even without expression: think filler.
- It shows up mostly when you smile: think neuromodulator.
Under the eye, the skin is thin and the margin for error is slim. We assess before injecting and start with a small dose, adjusting afterwards if needed.
And if you see a bit of both in the mirror? It happens. Combining the two treatments is sometimes the right answer, but we never suggest it by default. The assessment is where we decide: we look closely at your eye area before proposing a plan.
