How is skin Botox different from wrinkle Botox, and how much does it help pores, oil and fine lines?

How is skin Botox different from wrinkle Botox?

Skin Botox uses the same medicine as wrinkle Botox, but it is placed at a different depth and strength. Serene Clinic lists it on the menu as Dermotoxin: botulinum toxin is diluted and placed in small amounts at many points in the upper skin.

Wrinkle Botox goes directly into the muscles that create expressions, such as the forehead, frown area and eye corners, to reduce how strongly they fold the skin. Skin Botox aims to stay within the skin and not reach the muscle, so expressions stay the same while it is expected to act on oil glands, sweat glands and the fine muscle fibers in the skin [4].

This means the same forehead may need different treatments for different concerns. Thick horizontal lines that appear when you raise your eyebrows call for wrinkle Botox, while an oily forehead with rough texture is a better fit for skin Botox.

Are skin Botox and Dermotoxin the same treatment?

Skin Botox and Dermotoxin belong to the same family: both place diluted toxin in small amounts within the skin, and the difference lies mainly in depth and goal. There is no official definition that separates the two names, so some clinics use them interchangeably and others use them for different things.

When the names are separated, skin Botox refers to shallow, widespread placement in the upper dermis to act on oil and sweat glands and refine pores and texture. Dermotoxin refers to slightly deeper placement in the lower dermis, at the border where fine fibers of the expression muscles attach to the underside of the skin, to reduce the downward pull and target firmness along the jawline and neck. A paper describing the microdroplet toxin technique also explains both aims: injecting into the dermis to reduce oil and sweat, and injecting at the border between the dermis and the superficial muscle layer to address muscle fibers attached to the skin [4].

Dermotoxin on the Serene Clinic menu applies both approaches by area. Areas where oil and pores are the concern, such as the forehead or butterfly zone, are treated shallowly, while areas that look pulled down, such as the jawline or neck, are treated slightly deeper. In this column, we refer to both together as skin Botox.

How much does it really help pores, oil and fine lines?

Taken together, studies show a trend toward improvement in oil, pores, fine lines and texture after skin Botox, but the amount of evidence is still small. A 2024 meta-analysis pooled 10 studies with 153 participants and found improvement trends in oil, pores, redness, fine lines and elasticity, but no change in skin hydration [1].

In a Korean study of 18 people that injected toxin on one side of the face and compared it with the other, texture differences remained at 8 weeks and fine-line differences around the smile lines at 12 weeks. In the same study, oil levels and under-eye lines did not differ between sides [2]. Another study found the toxin side and the saline side improved equally, suggesting the needle pricks themselves may have caused the change [3].

In a cell study, the toxin reduced oil production in the cells that make sebum, which offers a clue to how it may control oil [5]. Whether the same happens to the same degree in human skin has not been confirmed. This is why Serene Clinic describes skin Botox as a supporting treatment for oil and texture.

Which skin does it suit, and which concerns need another treatment first?

Skin Botox is worth considering for oily skin where makeup breaks down easily and enlarged pores and rough texture bother you at the same time. It is also used on areas such as the jawline and neck where the outline looks blurred or fine lines overlap.

If the concern comes from somewhere else, skin Botox alone is not enough. Deep expression lines need wrinkle Botox, sagging skin needs lifting, and hollow cheeks or temples need volume treatment first. Sunken pores mixed with acne scars need a separate scar treatment plan.

Enlarged pores often come from a mix of oil, loss of elasticity and scarring, so at consultation we first work out which is the main cause. Pore treatment by cause is covered in our pore column.

How are the full face, smaller areas and the neck treated?

At Serene Clinic, skin Botox is done with 3cc for the full face or full neck, or with 1cc for one area: the jawline, butterfly zone, forehead or smile-line/mouth area. If oil and pores gather beside the nose and on the front of the cheeks, we may treat only the butterfly zone; if texture across the whole face is the concern, we treat the full face.

A doctor who has used tiny, closely spaced droplets on the lower face and neck for many years has published a summary describing smoother texture and softer horizontal neck lines [4]. Because it collects treatment experience without a control group, we use it only as a guide to what may be possible.

Neck skin is thinner than facial skin, and just beneath it lie muscles that move the neck and help with swallowing. So we set the dose and depth more cautiously on the neck, and vertical neck bands that stand out when you tense are judged separately to see whether a muscle-based approach, such as the Nefertiti Botox described below, is needed.

How is Nefertiti Botox for the jawline and neck different from Dermotoxin?

Nefertiti Botox places toxin into the platysma, the thin muscle that covers the neck and jawline, rather than into the skin, so it works in a different layer from Dermotoxin. The platysma spreads widely from under the jaw to the front of the neck; when it becomes strong, it raises vertical bands on the neck and can make the jawline look pulled down.

The doctor who first described this technique in 2007 reported experience with 130 patients treated with up to 20 units, but it was an experience report without a control group [6]. In a 2026 split-face study of 20 people treated on one side only, vertical neck bands clearly improved, but there was no difference in jawline contour or jowls at 2 weeks. Two participants (10%) had a temporary asymmetric smile that resolved after a balancing injection on the other side [7].

In a placebo-controlled study of 164 adults with prominent neck bands, 78–88% of the toxin groups versus 12% of the placebo group improved by at least one grade at 2 weeks, and neck muscle weakness was reported in the high-dose group [8]. In short, Nefertiti Botox has evidence for vertical neck bands, but its effect on lifting the jawline itself is not yet clear. Serene Clinic treats skin texture and fine lines with Dermotoxin and bands that stand out on tensing with platysma Botox, and when both are planned for the same day, we count the total dose together.

When will I see results, and how often should it be repeated?

Changes from skin Botox do not appear right away but over several days, and the difference in oil and texture is usually clearest around 2 weeks.

How long it lasts depends on the area, oil levels and the person. In the split-face study above, differences lasted 8 weeks for texture and 12 weeks for fine lines [2], and some people feel it fades sooner.

Rather than following a fixed schedule, Serene Clinic decides on the next session when the effect starts to fade, with at least 3 months between toxin treatments. If you have Botox in another area on the same day, we also count the total dose given at once.

Can it be combined with a skin booster?

Skin Botox is often planned together with a skin booster, and the Serene Clinic menu includes treatments that combine the two. Skin Botox addresses oil and texture, while skin boosters support hydration and repair inside the skin, so their roles do not overlap.

The meta-analysis above found that skin Botox alone did not change skin hydration [1], which is another reason to think of the two separately. For example, Lilytox combines Lilyid M with skin Botox, and we discuss it for skin that is both shiny and dehydrated underneath.

When they are mixed, the rule is the same: keep the toxin in the upper layer so it does not reach the muscle. You can compare skin boosters on our skin booster page.

What are the side effects, and who should not have it?

Common reactions are needle marks, small bumps and redness, which usually settle within a few hours; small bruises occasionally last a few days. The side effect to watch for is toxin spreading to the muscle, which can make your smile or mouth-corner movement look unnatural.

In the split-face study, one participant who received 30 units on one cheek developed facial weakness, and there were no adverse reactions when the dose was lowered to 20 units [2]. Skin Botox is still a toxin treatment, so dose and depth determine safety.

If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, have a neuromuscular disease such as myasthenia gravis, have inflammation or infection in the treatment area, or have had an allergic reaction to toxin before, we either do not treat or decide after a medical consultation. If one side feels unnatural when you smile after treatment, please let the clinic know right away.

Prices (as of the November 2026 menu)

Korean toxin pricing is based on Hutox. The area, dose and type of toxin are decided after consultation.

Frequently asked questions

References

1. Rahman E, Rao P, Philipp-Dormston W, et al. Intradermal botulinum toxin A on skin quality and facial rejuvenation: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Plast Reconstr Surg Glob Open. 2024;12(8):e6084.
2. Shin DM, Lee J, Noh H, et al. A double-blind, split-face, randomized study on the effects and safety of intradermal injection of botulinum toxin A (incobotulinum toxin A) in the cheek. Ann Dermatol. 2022;34(6):442-450.
3. Kapoor R, Shome D, Jain V, et al. Facial rejuvenation after intradermal botulinum toxin: is it really the botulinum toxin or is it the pricks? Dermatol Surg. 2010;36 Suppl 4:2098-2105.
4. Wu WTL. Microbotox of the lower face and neck: evolution of a personal technique and its clinical effects. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2015;136(5 Suppl):92S-100S.
5. Brami-Cherrier K, Chernavsky A, You H, et al. Botulinum neurotoxin type A directly affects sebocytes and modulates oleic acid-induced lipogenesis. Toxins (Basel). 2022;14(10):708.
6. Levy PM. The 'Nefertiti lift': a new technique for specific re-contouring of the jawline. J Cosmet Laser Ther. 2007;9(4):249-252.
7. Liu LX, Vasudevan SS, Hawkins A, Rengifo D, Monedero RM. Efficacy of the Nefertiti lift for jawline contour: a split-face study. Laryngoscope. 2026.
8. Rohrich RJ, Bertucci V, Dayan S, et al. Efficacy and safety of onabotulinumtoxinA for the treatment of platysma prominence: a randomized phase 2 dose-ranging study. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2025;155(1):79-88.