Botox^® Recovery Tips

A BOTOX^® injection is a fast and gentle treatment that erases or minimizes the appearance of the wrinkles in the upper portion of your face, notably on the forehead, in the brow area, and at the corners of your eyes. An injection can also subtly lift the corners of your mouth (so you don’t look like you’re sad or frowning), soften an overly pronounced jawline or resolve excessive sweating.

After the actual injection, which takes only a few minutes, the area treated may be a little swollen and bruised. You may also feel a bit of discomfort. These symptoms will go away in a few days. It is important that you facilitate your recovery by following the post-treatment care instructions provided to you.

The following are Botox Recovery Tips that can help with your recovery

• To minimize swelling or bruising, apply a cool compress. You may also want to consider stopping any medications that thin the blood for about a week before your treatment to minimize bruising. These medications include aspirin, ibuprofen and St. John’s Wort.
• After your treatment, you should exercise the treated muscles for a couple of hours to help improve the absorption of the injected BOTOX^®. Frown repeatedly if the muscles controlling frowning were targeted. If forehead lines were targeted, raise your eyebrows. For crow’s feet, squint and smile. You may find that performing these facial movements takes a little more effort than usual.
• Avoid touching or rubbing the area(s) targeted for a couple of hours after your treatment. This is to minimize the risk of the injected BOTOX^® spreading to muscles that were not targeted during your treatment.
• Avoid working out or performing vigorous physical activity for the rest of the day.
• Sometimes, patients experience a headache after treatment. This can be easily resolved by taking Advil or Tylenol.

With proper recovery, you’ll be able to see the full results of your treatment in a few days to two weeks. Some patients see their results in three days, while others see the improvement after two weeks.