Dermal Filler in Stone Oak, San Antonio

Volume, not movement

Filler and Botox solve opposite problems and get confused constantly. Botox quiets muscles. Filler replaces structure that is no longer there.

The test is simple. Hold your face completely still in a mirror. Lines still visible at rest are usually volume. Lines that appear only when you move are usually muscle. Most people over forty have some of both, which is why we assess before recommending.

“Botox” or filler?

Most people say Botox for any injectable, the way they say Kleenex for tissues. It is a brand name for one particular neuromodulator, and it does something completely different from filler — which is why asking for “Botox in my lips” or “Botox for my smile lines” usually means filler.

Neuromodulators relax muscle. Filler replaces volume. If the concern is a line that appears when you move — forehead, frown, crow's feet — that is muscle, and a neuromodulator is the answer. If it is hollowness, thin lips, a softening jawline, or a fold that sits there while your face is still, that is volume, and filler is the answer.

Most people over forty have some of both, and treating one when you needed the other is the most common reason someone leaves an appointment disappointed. We work out which you have before anything is drawn up.

For the record: we carry Dysport® and Daxxify® rather than Botox, and the reasons are set out on that page.

Why we use hyaluronic acid

Every filler we place is HA-based, which means it can be dissolved with an enzyme if you dislike the result or if there is a complication. Permanent and semi-permanent fillers cannot.

That reversibility is not a marketing point — it is the reason this treatment is safe to try. If you have never had filler, it should be reversible.

If you have never had filler before, it should be the kind that can be dissolved.

How we approach the face

We treat structure before we treat lines. Cheek support often softens the nasolabial folds that brought someone in, without touching them directly.

We also cap what we do in one visit. Faces change gradually and swelling obscures the result for two weeks. Building over two or three appointments produces a better outcome than one long session, even though it is less convenient.

What we do not treat

We do not place filler in the under-eye or the temples. Both are areas where the vascular anatomy is unforgiving and complications are harder to manage, and both are frequently oversold.

If under-eye hollowing is what brought you in, we will assess whether the issue is genuinely volume, or thin skin and shadowing that filler would not fix and could worsen. Where a surgical or oculoplastic opinion is the right answer, we will tell you so and refer you.

Risk, stated plainly

Filler carries real risk that neuromodulators do not, including vascular occlusion — rare, but serious. This is why it matters that a physician is placing it rather than supervising from elsewhere.

We keep dissolving enzyme on site at all times. Ask any clinic whether they do.

Before & after

Before & after

Where we treat