{"id":14936,"date":"2022-01-19T14:02:00","date_gmt":"2022-01-19T22:02:00","guid":{"rendered":"https://www.realself.com\/news\/?p=14936"},"modified":"2023-10-12T16:54:50","modified_gmt":"2023-10-12T23:54:50","slug":"neck-filler-or-neck-botox","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https://www.realself.com\/news\/neck-filler-or-neck-botox","title":{"rendered":"Neck Botox or Filler: What Are the Differences, and Which One Works Better?"},"content":{"rendered":"

For many of us, work, school, and other commitments (hello, social media) have us spending hours hunched over our computer, tablet, or smartphone every day. And while back pain, neck pain, and eye strain are common physical complaints stemming from this technology-driven life, tech neck<\/a> is often another troubling side effect. <\/p>

In case you’re not yet familiar, tech neck is the name for symptoms that plague the neck area due to frequently positioning your head downward. Pain along the upper spine is common, along with fine lines and wrinkles<\/a> stretching across the neck and chest area. These deep lines have become a larger skin concern over the past decade or so—not only for folks in their 40s, 50s, and 60s, who have begun to lose collagen, but even for some teens and twenty somethings as well. Experts blame it on the digital age—just take it from Dr. Dara Liotta,<\/a> a double board-certified plastic surgeon in New York City, who tells RealSelf: “When people discuss tech neck, they’re referring to the horizontal neck lines or creases that come from looking down at devices every day.”<\/p>

What’s more: Dr. Joshua Zeichner<\/a>, a board-certified dermatologist in New York City, says he often sees tech neck in younger patients with completely healthy skin (in other words, it’s not necessarily one of the signs of aging), which makes sense considering how much millennials and Gen Zers are on their smartphones and other devices—like iPads, Kindles, and handheld video games—each day. As far as fixes for tech neck are concerned, Botox<\/a> and fillers<\/a> are the main two (temporary) options; both reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles,and are effective, noninvasive solutions that don’t require plastic surgery. <\/p>

However, Botox injections and fillers for the neck work very<\/em> differently. For this reason, we tapped several experts to find out how each option can specifically be treated, what makes one or the other a better option, and how to tell which one is right for your personal concerns. <\/p>

Interested in Botox?<\/small><\/div>Find Doctors Near You<\/a><\/div>

How do Botox and filler differ?<\/strong><\/h2>

While both Botox and filler aid in minimizing fine lines and wrinkles, how they go about doing so couldn’t be more different. “Neurotoxins such as  Dysport<\/a> or Botox work on muscles under the skin by preventing your body from signaling muscles to contract,” explains Dr. Zeichner. “This hinders the overlying skin from folding and thereby can improve the appearance of wrinkles.” On the other hand, fillers are hyaluronic acid–based injectable products that directly plump the skin to fill in<\/em> wrinkles, says Dr. Zeichner. (Common ones include Juvéderm and Restylane).<\/p>

Dr. Zeichner has a clever analogy: “Think of Botox like unfolding a tablecloth to blow in the wind… if the folds are not deep, they will go away on their own, but in some cases, you may need an iron to fully eliminate them,” he says. “The iron is the filler used to directly address these individual neck lines.”<\/p>

Another factor that makes them different is time. For instance, it typically takes five to seven days to see results from Botox, whereas you can usually see the effects of filler immediately. In addition, Botox injections generally last three to four months, while neck fillers can remain effective for up to a year, depending on your metabolism, according to Dr. Lara Devgan<\/a>, a board-certified plastic surgeon in New York City. <\/p>

As far as pain and downtime are concerned, Dr. Zeichner says that both types of injections may be mildly uncomfortable, though a pretreatment with numbing cream makes them much more tolerable. And there is little to no downtime for both procedures. The one caveat: injections in the skin sometimes lead to bruising, which can take up to two weeks to heal. <\/p>

What is the cost of neck fillers and neck Botox?<\/strong><\/h2>

From a cost standpoint, it varies depending on where you live, who you’re seeing, and how many units of botulinum toxin or filler you’re having administered. RealSelf users report an average cost of $550<\/a> per Botox session and $1,025<\/a> per filler session. However, Dr. Devgan says the cost differences are negligible because you will have to get Botox every three to four months for maintenance, whereas you’ll need to maintain filler every 6 to 12 months. <\/p>

Interested in dermal fillers?<\/small><\/div>Find Doctors Near You<\/a><\/div>
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