Debunking Six Myths About Fillers

Dermal fillers are super popular, safe, and effective. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, there were over three million filler injections in the US in 2020! But the misinformation flying around TikTok and other corners of the internet would tell you that this minimally invasive treatment is unsafe or leads to bad results. In fact, myths about Botox and fillers are probably the most common myths we have to debunk at Upkeep in our DMs and comments. So today we’re setting the record straight about fillers. 

Myth 1: Fillers and Botox are the same. 

There are too many people out there who think that fillers and Botox do the same things and use the words interchangeably. In fact, they both work in really different ways and address different concerns–mostly on different zones of the face! 

While most commonly associated with the lips, dermal fillers restore or add volume to many parts of the lower face, including the cheeks, nasolabial folds, and yes, the lips. Most fillers are made out of hyaluronic acid, a substance your skin produces naturally. Your body produces less HA as you age, leading to the loss of volume. Fillers restore this fullness, and can be used to balance your features, too. 

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Botox temporarily paralyzes muscles to stop the formation or appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, and is used most often on the forehead, between the eyebrows, and the crow’s feet. Botox can also be used around the mouth to fix a gummy smile or “flip out” the upper lip, giving it the illusion of more fullness-but it does this through paralyzing a muscle. The TLDR? Fillers restore volume, and Botox relaxes wrinkles. They’re as different as mascara and lip gloss, and shouldn’t be referred to interchangeably. 

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Myth 2: Filler injections are painful. 

The hard truth is that any injection is going to twinge a little bit, but even on the most sensitive areas of the face (like the lips), the discomfort from filler injections is manageable. Providers apply local anesthetic, and many fillers also contain lidocaine, so after the first few pricks, you won’t feel much at all. They also use really tiny needles–it isn’t like getting your flu shot! To keep pain levels even lower, we have a few tips: 

• Don’t get injections during your period, because you’ll be more sensitive to pain during that time.
• Avoid taking NSAIDs like Advil or Aleve beforehand, as they can make bruising worse.
• Don’t drink alcohol for 24 hours before your appointment. 

If you follow these steps, the discomfort from fillers will be minimal. And your results will be totally worth it, trust us. 

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Myth 3: Fillers have a long down time. 

One of the best things about dermal fillers is that they offer instant results–if you want fuller lips, dermal fillers literally give them to you in minutes. And while there is some downtime, it isn’t as long as you might think. You’ll need to avoid eating and drinking while the local anesthetic wears off (a few hours at most), and you’ll also have to avoid touching your lips or doing intense exercise. Most people experience some swelling and a little bruising, but these typically go away after a few days to a week. 

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Myth 4: Filler “stretches out” the skin and once you start getting them, you can’t stop. 

This is another scare-mongering myth we’d like to see die. If you use moderate amounts of filler, it’s really unlikely that this will happen. Excessive amounts of filler could cause this to happen, but a trained, qualified provider will always start with more moderate amounts for natural results. This is also why fillers are often undetectable--you probably know people who have fillers in their lips or cheeks, but because they've gone to a good provider, they still look like themselves--just with subtle enhancement.

Myth 5: If you don’t like how it looks, you’re stuck with filler anyway. 

Many HA fillers can be dissolved instantly with a special enzyme. So if you decide you don’t like how it looks, you can have it dissolved and go back to baseline. However, we would like to add a word of caution here when it comes to lip filler specifically: don’t panic if you think your lips are too big just after your injection. Lips swell up a lot after getting filler, but that subsides in a few days/a week on average. So if you get lip filler and they seem way bigger than you expected, give it a week or so before deciding to have it dissolved–your lips will deflate by about 30% after the initial swelling goes down. [Writer’s note: this is what happened to me! I thought my lips were *way* too big at first and I was super worried! But four days later they had gone down to the naturally enhanced look I was going for!]

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Myth 6: Anyone can inject dermal fillers. 

Of all the filler myths out there this one is the most harmful. Only a trained, qualified, licensed medical professional–a doctor, nurse practitioner, medical assistant, or dentist–should administer filler injections. And those injections should be with FDA-approved substances. When filler goes wrong it is usually because someone unqualified did it using counterfeit substances. Going to a medical professional for filler is the only way to ensure safe, beautiful results. 

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But finding a qualified provider and getting an appointment with them can be complicated. You have to call around different MedSpas to find availability, and usually have to take the first appointment you can get. That’s why we created the Upkeep app. With Upkeep, you can find, book, and pay for filler appointments on demand–with just a few taps of your finger. We only partner with the best MedSpas in your area, screening all our partner MedSpas with a super-rigorous 70-point checklist. So you can book injectables, body contour, facials, and laser hair removal with total confidence. Achieving your beauty goals is now as easy and seamless as ordering takeout. 

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Ready to book your first filler appointment? Download the app today!

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