What’s better, using Botox or having surgery? Well, first, there is some basic information that we should understand. Botox, in general, is used for the upper third of the face. So when you talk about comparing surgical alternatives to Botox, you’re really talking about whether you should use Botox or have a Blepharoplasty (or a brow lift). Both interventions are used to rejuvenate the eyelid in the brow complex, so when you use Botox, It’s usually used to help decrease the fine lines around the edges of the eyes, called crow’s feet. It’s also useful to help decrease the lines between the eyebrows, and used to help lift the eyebrows itself. Blepharoplasty is used to remove excess skin, wrinkling, and fat herniation. A brow lift lifts the eyebrows and the eyelid complex. So here is a couple of things to consider. Number one is downtime. So all things being equal, it takes longer to heal from a brow lift (or a blepharoplasty) than it does from Botox. You’ll need about five to seven days of downtime, and even after that, there’s swelling that will remain for a few weeks afterward. This is in stark contrast with Botox in which there’s no downtime at all. Besides a few bee stings that will go away within a few hours, there’s no sign that you had anything done. Number two is skin redundancy. So if there’s a large amount of skin, no amount of Botox will be enough to lift that brow, or decrease the muscle movement enough to get rid of the skin hooding. Number three is cost. All other things being equal, in the long run more money will probably be spent on Botox and fillers than on surgery. So maybe more money up front, but the results are longer lasting. So the clock isn’t setback, and this is in contrast with Botox, which typically lasts about three to six months. Fillers last anywhere between 6 to 12 months.