- Jeffrey Viscomi | M.D.
Tips for Making Your Botox Results Last Longer
There’s no denying that Botox is an incredible anti-aging procedure—it diminishes wrinkles, gives a youthful look, and increases your confidence. But there’s one downside to Botox: its short lifespan. After a few months, the injection effects start to wear off. This means you’ll need to get more treatments to continue looking your best.
Naturally, people who get anti-aging injections wonder how to make Botox last longer. We’ve got good news—there are some steps you can take to prolong your Botox results.
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How Can I Make My Botox Results Last Longer?
When investing in an aesthetic treatment such as Botox, it’s natural to want your results to last as long as possible. Botox is a temporary treatment that generally wears off within 3-4 months. However, there are a few things you can do to help your results last as long as possible. Here are some pre- and post-injection guidelines to follow for optimal results.
Pre-Treatment Preparation
The things you do in the days and weeks leading up to your Botox appointment may help or hinder your outcome. You may wish to use these pre-treatment instructions as a general guideline. However, it’s also important to follow any additional instructions your provider may give you so that you can get the most benefits of your Botox treatment.
Know What to Expect
Managing your expectations is another important pre-Botox treatment step. Botox has an exceptional reputation for minimizing wrinkles and fine lines. Everyone from everyday people to highly revered celebrities rely on it to look their best. However, this popular treatment isn’t a miracle cure and can’t prevent you from aging.
Regular Botox injections may slow the development of deep wrinkles (particularly the dynamic type). But what they can’t do is make you look young forever. Your skin will still change as it ages and loses elastin and collagen. However, regular Botox injections can help keep your complexion looking youthful and fresh for as long as possible.
1 Week Before Your Appointment
The week before your scheduled appointment, you should stop drinking alcoholic beverages. Alcohol functions as a blood thinner and can increase your risk of bruising and swelling after Botox injections. You should also increase your water intake to ensure your tissues are optimally hydrated. Doing so will help decrease unwanted post-injection symptoms.
A week before your Botox injections, avoid anti-inflammatory medications and supplements. These may include muscle relaxers, aspirin, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Blood thinners can lead to increased bleeding at the injection sites. They can also lead to bruising and discomfort in the days afterward.
The Day of Your Appointment
On your appointment day, clean your skin with a gentle, non-irritating cleanser. Moisturize as usual, but don’t apply makeup. It’s best to arrive at your appointment with clean skin. Makeup can potentially enter the injection sites and increase your risk of infection. Makeup could also interfere with your provider’s ability to accurately assess your skin. Without a precise assessment, they may incorrectly administer the injections.
If you accidentally put on makeup before heading to your Botox appointment, it’s not the end of the world. Your provider should have a bathroom or other area where you can go to wash the makeup off.
Post-Treatment Instructions
To make your Botox benefits last longer, follow your provider’s post-treatment instructions. These may include the following:
1. Avoid Excessive Sun Exposure
One of the best ways to ensure your Botox results last longer is to avoid staying under the sun too long. The sun is a major cause of premature aging—even more so than gravity and genetics for many. Spending hours under the sun without sunscreen will make your skin look older and more wrinkled.
Keep your Botox results looking their best by applying sunscreen with at least SPF 30 every day—even if it’s cloudy outside. Sunscreen prevents wrinkles from getting worse over time.
2. Stay Away from Nicotine
Smoking is a bad habit not worth picking up. It causes wrinkles and can speed up the aging process. Kick this habit if you want your Botox results to last longer. Nicotine has harmful effects on the skin, making it more sensitive to the sun. This can cause discoloration and unsightly creases on your skin.
3. Take a Zinc Supplement
Zinc, an essential mineral that plays a significant role in cell growth and development, can help fight free radicals. Free radicals are molecules with unpaired electrons that can cause damage to cells and DNA. In addition, they can significantly impact wrinkles because they break down collagen fibers that give your skin a youthful glow.
By acting as an antioxidant, zinc protects your body from this damage. Taking zinc supplements regularly will allow you to enjoy the anti-aging effects of Botox longer.
4. Use an Antioxidant Serum and Quality Moisturizer
As we age, our skin loses its ability to produce antioxidants. In addition, the environment contributes to this problem with pollution and UV rays that damage the skin. Using an antioxidant serum can help slow down this process by boosting collagen production, firming the skin, and preventing wrinkles from forming as quickly. Also, look for products with Vitamin C or E, which improve the appearance of fine lines when used regularly over time. Finally, remember to moisturize! Hydrated skin is healthy skin.
5. Engage In Moderate Exercise
There’s no downtime required after Botox injections. However, most providers recommend avoiding highly strenuous activities for at least 24 hours. This will reduce excessive blood pressure to the face and may help you avoid unwanted bruising. After 24 hours, you may resume your regular workout routine.
If you want to help your Botox results last as long as possible it’s best to engage in mild- to moderate-intensity workouts whenever possible. High-intensity exercises may increase metabolism. That probably sounds like a good thing to most people. But what you may not realize is that the faster your metabolism is, the faster your body can metabolize your Botox injections. Therefore, engaging in lower-intensity workouts may lengthen the effects of your Botox injections.
6. Schedule Maintenance Treatments
Botox can be a one-and-done treatment if you want it to be. There is no rule stating that you have to continue injections for the rest of your life. If you decide after your first injection that you don’t want to receive any more, you never have to schedule another appointment. The visible effects of your injections should wear off in a few months. However, if you want to continue enjoying your results, you’ll need to schedule maintenance treatments.
To maintain their smooth complexions, many people schedule quarterly Botox maintenance appointments. However, everyone’s body is different and metabolizes Botox at different rates. Therefore, it’s up to you and your provider to decide what treatment frequency works best for your case.
Botox Before and After*
What you do before and after your Botox injections can impact your final results. If you’re serious about making your injections last longer, follow these guidelines and your provider’s recommendations. View before and after photos of patients who’ve followed these recommendations to see the quality of their results. Remember that different people get different outcomes from aesthetic treatments. The same is true for Botox injections.
*Individual results may vary.
Reverse Aging with Botox in Cleveland, OH
Dōcerē Medical Spa and Laser Center is a trusted provider of Botox injections in Strongsville, OH. We help patients achieve desired results, no matter what their goals are. Call (440) 238-3331 to schedule a consultation and get all your Botox questions answered.
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Dr. Jeffrey Viscomi
Dr. Viscomi received his Bachelor’s degree from the University of Dayton. He then went on to graduate from Wright State University School of Medicine in the top 10% of his class. Following residency at the Cleveland Clinic, Dr. Viscomi began his Family Practice in Strongsville and quickly became a nationally recognized leader in primary care for his unique practice model. Dr. Viscomi is a member of the Aesthetics Practice Association and has completed extensive training in the use of laser in aesthetic procedures.