The number of women and getting BOTOX injections worldwide continues increasing each year, and it’s easy to see why. The wrinkle-reducing treatment is safe and effective when administered by someone with expertise, such as a board-certified dermatologist. As the leading BOTOX provider in Houston, I have also worked with it long enough to know what gives patients the best results: experience and training, but it doesn’t end there. Here are a few things I always emphasize that patients should be careful to avoid — especially in the first hours and days after the treatment — to help ensure optimal results.
- Participating in strenuous activities: It’s best to skip the gym in the first 24 hours after your procedure. BOTOX injections target precise areas, and the increased blood flow associated with strenuous exercise poses the risk of taking BOTOX away from these injection zones before it’s fully absorbed. This could diminish the treatment’s effectiveness or affect other areas of the face.
- Rubbing or massaging the injection area: Avoid massaging, rubbing, or putting pressure on the treatment area for several hours after getting injections. Again, this may cause the BOTOX to travel to other locations of the face before it is completely absorbed by the targeted muscles and nerve endings.
- Sleeping on your face: The pressure of your face against a pillow while sleeping could also compromise your results somewhat. It is best to sleep on your back during the first night after your treatment. In fact, making it a habit to sleep on your back is a good way to avoid creating wrinkles in the first place. A recent study in the Aesthetic Surgery Journal found that pressure applied to the face during sleep leads to increased wrinkling over time.
- Undergoing invasive or ablative facial treatments: It’s wise to allow your skin to rest and to let the results of your BOTOX begin to emerge before undergoing any aggressive facial rejuvenation procedures. This may include moderate chemical peels or laser skin resurfacing. Waiting a few days to a week is a good idea.
There’s one other thing you can do to improve your results: consider a combination treatment. BOTOX can be combined with other injectable fillers during a single appointment to produce comprehensive results that can last for months.
BOTOX injections can be used to minimize wrinkles in various areas of the face and can benefit even patients in their late 20s, such as the woman shown in these before-and-after photos. This is a 29-year-old woman who wanted to soften the crow’s feet at the corners of her eyes. You can see additional BOTOX patients in our photo gallery.