You’ve probably seen the ads for creams that claim to be “better than Botox,” and there are countless others making similarly outrageous anti-aging claims. But when you want real results without wasting money, it helps to know the low-down on all of your wrinkle-reducing options.

But first, it’s important to know that there are two types of wrinkles. Static wrinkles are visible when your face is at rest, and these lines need to be plumped in order to reduce their appearance. Dynamic wrinkles, on the other hand, are only apparent when making certain facial expressions, and these lines need to be relaxed.

Wrinkle Plumpers

The good news is, you can get a visible wrinkle-plumping effect from a skincare product, but the bad news is that the improvement is only temporary. Rich hydrators deliver moisture to the uppermost layers of the skin, which can help smooth the skin’s appearance—and the lines that live there. (Don’t be swayed by products with hyaluronic acid—the same ingredient found in many injectable fillers—as the these molecules are too large to actually penetrate the skin.) But the only way to reduce the depth of lines for the long term—up to a year or more—is with injectable fillers (and a majority of them are comprised of hyaluronic acid). These fillers are placed deeper in the skin to fill in creases and crevices from the inside out, leaving you looking years younger.

Wrinkle Relaxers

There are scores of topical products that claim to impede the muscle contractions that lead to dynamic wrinkles, but in my opinion, save your money. I have yet to come across an effective product that prevents movement-related wrinkles—and there’s no proof that topical “toxins,” snake venoms or any other muscle-relaxers can get into the skin. These ingredients may work in the lab in cell cultures, but in real life, these molecules are too large to penetrate the skin and reach the actual muscle. Botulinum toxin injections—i.e. Botox and Dysport—are delivered with a needle directly to the muscles that cause specific lines and furrows, and they effectively stop the contractions at the source, leaving you line-free for 3 to 4 months (and results last longer if you stay “on schedule”).