Q. I’m interested in doing fillers, but I am scared to try because of over-injected individuals that I see regularly. What do you recommend?

A. One thing I tell my patients is that they should take a picture of themselves and put it in their phone, so they can refer back to it before using fillers

First, there are differences between fillers and Botox. Fillers replace tissue that has been lost or has diminished in volume because of aging, exercise or health issues. Fillers include hyaluronic acid, calcium-based products and bio-stimulatory products. They all do the same; they fill a void where tissue has been lost.

Botox, or neuromodulators, are agents that affect the contraction of muscle. When your skin is injected with these products, different muscles are either weakened or paralyzed to rebalance their movement. Brows may be lifted and wrinkles made to disappear.

Whatever you decide, pick an injector whose work you like. When you see people who look odd, it is more a function of their sense of aesthetics or their provider’s sense of aesthetics. Therefore, it is important for a provider to show you photos of people he or she has worked on and have the provider discuss your treatment.

Generally, it’s a good idea to have someone who is board-certified and a physician, although there are many injectors who are physician extenders who do wonderful work.

Dr. Carlos Wolf is a partner in Miami Plastic Surgery and is board certified. Email questions to him at Cwolf@miamiplasticsurgery.com