While most patients can continue their normal routine after their BOTOX treatment, there are certain things you should do to ensure the best possible results and avoid unnecessary complications. We will provide you with full instructions on what you should not do and what you can do, these are some of the more common things to avoid:
Rub your face: You may initially feel uncomfortable after your treatment, but it’s not a painful feeling. Due to the nature of the treatment, your facial muscles will feel tensed up, however, this is completely normal. You may have the natural inclination to rub or massage your face, but you must avoid doing so. This will help avoid migration of the injectable to other areas of your face.
Exposing yourself to the Sun and strong heat: Your skin will, unfortunately, have an adverse reaction if overexposed to UV rays, which can create unwanted darkened spots in the treated areas, resulting in a longer recovery period.
Excessive exercise: Since the BOTOX injectable works by temporarily paralyzing specific nerve impulses to the muscle tissues, aggressive exercise can cause painful effects on the muscles you WANT to stay active. We strongly recommend slow, low-impact workouts for the first few days post-treatment, and then gradually resuming your normal routine.
Taking blood thinners: Medications like Aspirin or NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) can cause excessive bleeding and bruising in the treated areas, which is why it’s so important to stop usage of these medications at least two weeks before your treatment and three months post-treatment. If you are taking these medications due to pre-existing issues, please discuss them during your consultation so that we can work with you.
Consuming alcohol: As fun as libations are, they do affect normal blood coagulation and can cause adverse side effects like excessive swelling, skin sensitivity, and the additional risk of bruises and bleeding.
Washing your face with soap: Cleaning your face is a natural desire that helps promote good skin health, however, you will need to avoid any urges to wash your face at least six hours after your BOTOX treatment. You CAN wash your face twice a day after the first few days post-injection, in fact – we encourage it! You should use a mild cleanser and lukewarm water to prevent potential skin sensitivity that is normally caused by chemicals found in your standard soaps.
Applying topical products or ointments: We understand that you are looking to improve your facial appearance with BOTOX, which is why it’s important to avoid any products such as moisturizers, because these types of products may cause unwanted reactions.
Lying facedown the first few hours after treatment: Much like massaging or rubbing your face, laying flat or applying pressure onto the injected site may cause further undesirable results like bruising, leading to complications requiring additional medical attention.