What to do after Botox injections
Botox injections are among the most requested plastic surgery procedures performed for anti-aging or rejuvenating purposes. Initially, Botox injections were only accessible to celebrities, but nowadays they are an affordable and simple to get treatment for people with different socio-economic backgrounds. If you want to look your best for longer, if you have wrinkles at the level of the contour of the eyes, forehead or other areas of the body, you might benefit from Botox injections.
The ABC of Botox injections
Injections with Botulinum toxin is a minimally invasive, non-surgical treatment that can be administered by the plastic surgeon. Botox has the role to block the nerve impulses that creating the muscular contractions responsible for expression wrinkles. After the Botox injections, the patient notices that the skin becomes smoother and the wrinkles are visibly reduced.
One of the main benefits of Botox injections are their prevention role. In other words, botox injections not only reduce the visibility of existing wrinkles, but they also can prevent the occurrence of other wrinkles.
Areas to treat with Botox injections
If you have deep wrinkles between the eyebrows, horizontal lines on the forehead and expression lines around the eyes, the Botox injections might be the ideal treatment in your particular case. There are other areas of the body and other imperfections that can be treated with Botox, but these are the most commonly targeted.
The Botox injections are not a one time treatment, the patient should continue the treatment to sustain and even improve the results. With time, the existing wrinkles can disappear if you choose to combine Botox injections with other fillers.
How are Botox injections done?
A very fine needle and a very small quantity of botulinum toxin are needed to perform the injections. Botox is injected into carefully chosen points in different areas of the face. As a micro needle is used and the amount of toxin is minimal, there is minimal pain associated with the procedure. What the patient feels is a tiny sting for a few seconds. Once the injection is over, there is no discomfort left.
In most cases there is no need for sedation or even general anesthesia. The patients can resume their normal activities immediately after the intervention is performed. In about an hour after the injections, there will be no mark left at the level of the face. So, if you don’t want to tell anyone that you got Botox, there is no need to do so as they won’t notice anything on your face after the treatment.
What to do after Botox injections?
Like it is the case with any other surgical or non-surgical plastic surgery procedure, patients are advised to follow certain recommendations after undergoing the Botox treatment.
Don’t lay down for 4 to 6 hours after the Botox injections
As we’ve mentioned before, you can get back to work or go take the kids from school or their activities as soon as you leave the plastic surgeon’s office after the Botox injections. However, an experienced, board-certified plastic surgeon will advise you to avoid laying down for a minimum of 4 hours after the Botox treatment.
Laying down or sleeping too soon after getting Botox might interfere with the results of the procedure. Aside from the potential risk of rubbing the face in your sleep, there is also the risk of Botox migrating to other areas of the face. And this is definitely something you’ll want to avoid, considering the effects of the botulinum toxin!
If you need to lay down for a bit, make sure to use a few pillows to elevate your head to avoid the risks we just mentioned.
Avoid massaging your face for about 24 hours after the treatment
Many patients ask whether they can touch the face after Botox injections and the short answer is yes. However, it’s important to avoid rubbing or massaging the face for about 24 hours after getting the injections. This is mostly a preventive method, to keep the Botox from migrating to other areas of the face. At the same time, if you have a facial scheduled, maybe it would be a good idea to postpone it for at least 48 hours after getting the injections, just to be on the safe side.
Keep away from the sun
This is mandatory if your procedure is performed in summer or really hot weather. Sun exposure is not great for your skin, so you need to avoid unprotected sun exposure at all time, but especially if you just had a treatment and you can’t wear sunscreen. Make sure to wear a hat to cover your face if you can’t stay inside the day of the treatment.
Don’t use any skincare products or combine with other cosmetic treatments
It might sound like a good idea to combine products with treatments, but after a Botox injections session you might want to keep things simple. Even your beauty routine can wait for at least 12 to 24 hours.
Avoid intense physical activities
If you’re planning to hit the gym after your Botox session, you might want to change your plans. It is not ideal to engage in strenuous physical activities after a plastic surgery treatment, even if it’s just Botox. Avoid any type of pressure at the level of the face and also sweating or hot baths.
Final words
Are you ready to erase some years off your face or to prevent the occurrence of wrinkles and fine lines? Then you might achieve your goals using Botox injections. Botox is a neurotoxin that inhibits the contracture of the muscles, hence preserving the skin in a good condition for longer.
The results achieved with botox injections are visible after about two days and they can last up to four to six months, even longer. To make sure you make the most out of your injections, make sure to follow the recommendations of the plastic surgeon. Schedule a consultation with Dr. Essie Yates, our board-certified plastic surgeon, here at the Yates Institute for Plastic Surgery to discuss your particular case today.