Facial Injections: Info, Prices, Photos, Reviews, Q&A

One of the key benefits of toxin is that there is little downtime and essentially no recovery.

It does take some time for the onset to take but other than that I only ask patients to take one day off of exercise and any blood thinners.

You can apply ice and warm compress if there are any small bruises but essentially relax and enjoy! (Benjamin Caughlin, MD, Chicago Facial Plastic Surgeon)

You can return to normal activites immediately following treatment. However I recommend my patients to stay upright for 4 hours, no strenuous exercise and to avoid rubbing or massaging the treated area. (Eddy Dona, MBBS, FRACS, Sydney Plastic Surgeon)

recovery after botox is really not very uncomfortable. I recommend Ice on and off after injection for an hr, and raising eyebrow exercises 4-5 times the first few days, and I suggest that my patients not massage the area for 24 hrs.

Maximum effect is seen week 2, and effects last about 4-5 months. As you may have heard, everyone responds differently to medication and some people need more/less botox based on the strength of the muscle fibers. (Kapil Saigal, MD, FACS, Winter Park Facial Plastic Surgeon)

Move Muscles, Do not Message, and Do Not bend over

I instruct my patients to the injected muscles that caused the wrinkles every ten minutes for two hours. This is in hopes of diffusing the Botox into those muscles. I too advise my patients not to message the treated areas since conceilvably this could propel the Botox into areas it was not intended.

I also tell patients not to bend over, shoe shop, tie their shoes, bowl etc. until bed time. The rationale is that the Botox might migrate to the Levator Palpebrae muscle and give a lid drop.

An article in Skin Med in Their Myths and Misconceptions section averred that this advice was of no value. However, perhaps, out of force of habit, I still list this in my post-Botox instructions. (Arnold R. Oppenheim, MD, Virginia Beach Dermatologist)

The most important thing is to not massage the area for the next 24 hours. Gentle face washing it fine after the injection. Not massaging the area will keep the botox injection in the area is was intended for. (Farbod Esmailian, MD, Orange County Plastic Surgeon)

there is no evidence to suggest that special after-care rules for Botox injections are necessary. I have heard some of my colleagues recommend no lying down within 30 minutes of the procedure but I never understood the rationale for that.

One thing I would suggest is that you avoid massaging or manipulating the injected sites for the first 12 hours after the injection so as not to promote diffusion of the Botox. (Bryan K. Chen, MD, San Diego Dermatologist)

Really there is no real proof that anything is required from the patient after Botox injections. it usually takes 48-72 hours to evaluate the effectiveness of the treatment. (S. Randolph Waldman, MD, Lexington Facial Plastic Surgeon)

I suggest not lying flat for 4 hours after injections.

I always educate patients to not lie flat for 4 hours and to avoid heavy exercise, facials, or massage for 24 hours. For all you Yogi’s: remember, heavy exercise includes all inversions-head stands and shoulder stands! (Ava Shamban, MD, Santa Monica Dermatologic Surgeon)

Botox Post-Treatment Instructions

There are a wide variety of opinions on activity limitations after Botox injections, but generally, there are very few restrictions. I tell patients to avoid lying face down, getting a facial, inverting their head (such as a Yoga class), or rubbing their face for the remainder of the day.

They are also instructed to avoid exercise for 3 hours after injection. Patients can resume all normal activities the next day. (Matthew Richardson, MD, Frisco Facial Plastic Surgeon)

What Are The Post-Treatment Instructions After Botox

One of the things my patients love most about Botox is that there is very little downtime. Main tips to remember are not to lay down for 4 hours post-injections and do not massage the area for 24 hours.

You can apply makeup immediately following if desired and resume your normal day-to-day activities immediately. (Vu Ho, MD, Plano Facial Plastic Surgeon)

After your Botox treatment, I would advise you to avoid lying flat for the first 4 hours after injection, avoid hot tubs and saunas, and vigorous/intense exercise in the first 24 hours after Botox injection. (Praven Chetty, MD, Kelowna Physician)

I always advise my patients not to lay down for at least four hours after treatment, no exercising for up to 24 hours and try avoiding aspirin, ibuprofen, and alcohol for 24 hours. It may take anywhere from 2-7 days to see the full effects of Botox and if after a week you feel you need a touch up we do so free of charge. (Dennis Gross, MD, New York Dermatologist)

What should I do after my botox treatment? Recovery after Botox

To be safe, I usually recommend no hard rubbing or pressure in the area for a few hours and limited cardiovascular activity for the rest of the day. Though there is little evidence that this truly affects the results. (Jeffrey M. Joseph, MD, Newport Beach Oculoplastic Surgeon)

After Care for Botox Treatments

In the areas you were injected, you may have temporary redness and/or bumps. This will subside in a few hours. You can return to your normal activity immediately after treatment, however we do recommend avoiding exercise, alcohol and caffeine for 4-6 hours after your Botox treatment.

Unlike fillers, you will not notice immediate results. It can take 4-7 days to see the results and up to 2 weeks for the full results. (Larry S. Nichter, MD, MS, FACS, Orange County Plastic Surgeon)

After Botox Instructions

To avoid moving the product into an undesired area:

1. do not rub or massage treated areas for 24 hours

To avoid increasing your very small risk of bruising:

1. avoid aspirin, ibuprofen, and alcohol for 24 hours
2. avoid heat and heavy exercise for 24 hours. (Melissa Chiang, MD, FAAD, Houston Dermatologic Surgeon)

Post Treatment Rules for Botox

We agree with attempting to minimize blood thinning medications in the 7 days prior to injection (including aspirin, ibuprofen, fish oil, etc..). Based on Dr. Mark Hallett’s research published in 2015, we also avoid applying ice to the injection sites as decreased temperature may limit uptake of the Botox.

However, if a bruise develops during injection we hold pressure and then ice the area, as the Botox will tend to spread with the bruise and may end up in unwanted areas. Based on the same research, I also ask my patients to use the muscles we just injected as much as possible for the first 1 or 2 hours after injection.

So patients are often seen walking out of the office frowning, smiling, or raising their foreheads excessively for no apparent good reason (Thomas J. Oberg, MD, Salt Lake City Oculoplastic Surgeon)

I tell my patients that I would like the BOTOX to stay in the area where it is meant to stay and to avoid all activities that can force Botox to migrate from the area and decrease the effect.

Botox is attached to the receptors by 24 hours. So the post botox rules are

1. Do not rub the area, lie on the area ( face down) for 24 hours.
2. No strenuous activity or saunas for 24 hours. (Naveen Somia, MBBS, PhD, FRACS, Sydney Plastic Surgeon)

Rules After Botox

We normally advise patients not to lay down for 4 hours after treatment (no bending forward either), no vigorous activity/exercise for 12 hours, and no rubbing, massaging or pressure on the treated areas for the first day.

By following these rules, patients can help prevent the product from migrating outside of the injected area. (Steven H. Williams, MD, San Francisco Plastic Surgeon)

Lots of recommendations…all vary…none really important…each doctor has his/her own specific instruction…and none are the same…and all of the outcomes are basically the same…once the botox has been injected…correctly…then you can pretty much do what you want…

In general not a bad idea to wait a few moments before you lie down or wear a hat over the treated area, but aside from that…relax…the botox very rapidly gets into the tissues…and as a result all of the advice is just left over from whoever trained your doctor…we’ve learned a lot over the past many years…and now we know by the time you get home or to the gym…you’re okay… (Ken Landow, MD, Las Vegas Dermatologist)

Botox post treatment instructions

Our office instructs patients: No lying down for one hour. No constrictive head gear, (tight baseball hats, etc;). No working out that day. The patient knows that they are welcome to call at any time with any questions. (Jeffrey J. Roth, MD, FACS, Las Vegas Plastic Surgeon)

The main instruction I give is to not massage the area. I don’t think that lying down is considered a problem anymore. Some physicians will have their patients move the injected muscles to attempt to hasten the action of the Botox. (Thomas Guillot, MD, Baton Rouge Plastic Surgeon)

Post Treatment Instructions After Botox

Common sense is the best postoperative care for botox treatments. Also, avoid massage or manipulation of the injected sites unless specifically directed by the injector. (Kris M. Reddy, MD, FACS, West Palm Beach Plastic Surgeon)

Post treatment for Botox

In the first hour after Botox injections, I recommend that my patients repeatedly move the effected muscles. Do not manually manipulate the face and refrain from lying down in the first 90 minutes after the procedure. (Arnold W. Klein, MD (in memoriam), Beverly Hills Dermatologic Surgeon)