Which is the better way to fix my face: Fillers or cosmetic surgery?
Q. I’ve been talking to my friends about changes I want to make to my face. Many of them tell me that I should just go ahead and do surgery since non-surgical treatments require recurrent treatments that don’t last. What are your thoughts on this?
A. This is a great question, and the most honest answer is that non-surgical treatments and surgery are not interchangeable.
Non-surgical treatments such as Botox, fillers, biostimulators, lasers and skin-tightening procedures can do a lot. They are excellent for prevention, subtle refinement, improving skin quality, softening early lines and maintaining a youthful appearance.
For many people in their 20s and 30s, these treatments are often the right place to start because they involve less commitment, are usually reversible and allow you to see how small changes affect your face over time.
That said, there are important things non-surgical treatments simply cannot do. They cannot remove excess skin, create a true lift, correct structural problems or permanently reshape anatomy. When someone needs meaningful lifting, contour correction, or structural change in areas like the nose, eyelids, jawline or neck, surgery is the only option.
The question isn’t whether non-surgical treatments are better than surgery, but which option is appropriate for your specific concerns. It’s also critical to seek ethical, well-trained physicians.
Many providers, whether they are dermatologists, fellowship-trained injectors, or non-surgical specialists, tend to recommend what they offer. This can sometimes lead to over-treating with injectables when surgery would actually produce a cleaner, more natural result.
The best approach is to see a physician who performs both surgical and non-surgical treatments. That way, the recommendation is based on what you truly need, not on the limitations of the provider.
Dr. Carlos Wolf is a partner in Miami Plastic Surgery and is board certified. Email questions to him at Cwolf@miamiplasticsurgery.com