The question comes up at every consultation, and the real answer fits in one sentence: a few months for Botox, a few months to more than a year for filler, with real differences from one person to another. This page explains why, what lengthens or shortens the duration, when to repeat, and what happens when you stop. It is written by dermatologist Dr Sara Zahid, in Marrakech, from what is seen in consultation and from what the products are meant to do.
Botox works by temporarily blocking the nerve signal to a muscle. The effect sets in over a few days, stabilises around two weeks, then fades gradually as the muscle recovers. For facial lines it generally lasts a few months. When lines come back, the session can be repeated; regular maintenance often allows sessions to be spaced out a little.
Hyaluronic acid filler is a gel that the body eliminates little by little. It generally lasts from a few months to more than a year. A denser gel placed deep in an area that hardly moves (cheekbones, jawline) lasts longer than a soft gel in an area that moves a lot, like the lips. For hollow dark circles, 12 to 18 months is more usual.
The product used and the amount injected, the area treated and how mobile it is, the strength of the muscles for Botox, the way each body eliminates the product, and the number of sessions already done. Strong muscles (in men, for example) and very mobile areas often shorten the duration. A precise duration cannot be promised: it is refined over the sessions.
For Botox, when the lines come back and bother you, not before: repeating too early does not prolong the effect. For filler, when the volume or contour loses the effect you liked, with a small touch-up rather than a large volume all at once. In both cases the follow-up consultation is used to adjust dose and area.
You gradually return to how you were, with no after-effects. Botox does not create physical dependence, and lines do not come back worse than before. Filler resorbs without leaving a hollow underneath. If you want to remove a filler before it fades, it can be dissolved with hyaluronidase.
Botox relaxes a muscle responsible for an expression line; filler fills a volume or redraws a contour. They do not have the same indication or the same duration, and are sometimes combined in one treatment plan. Their durations are not interchangeable: the two are not repeated together out of habit.
Sun protection, good skin hydration and regular follow-up help keep a good result longer. On the other hand, there is no “boost” that would extend the product: methods promising to make it last twice as long should be viewed with caution. An honest practitioner tells you what can be hoped for rather than simply repeating.
Generally a few months for facial lines, with variations depending on the person and the area.
From a few months to more than a year, depending on the product, the area and the person. Very mobile areas, like the lips, resorb faster.
Because duration depends on the product, the amount, the area and how each body eliminates the gel. There is no standard duration.
When the lines come back and bother you. Repeating too early does not prolong the effect.
No, they return to how they were before. Botox does not deepen lines.
No. It resorbs naturally; it can also be dissolved with hyaluronidase before the end of its duration.
Yes if the examination justifies it: they do not act through the same mechanisms and are sometimes combined. The decision is made in consultation.
Sun protection, hydration and regular follow-up help. No trick doubles the duration of a product.
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