What Not to Do After Botox

If you’ve recently gotten Botox injections in Minneapolis, it’s important that you know the proper post-Botox care to ensure that your results last as long as possible. Botulinum toxin injections work to temporarily paralyze your muscles through the use of onobotulinumtoxin A. Botox treatments are FDA-approved for both men and women and they have virtually no downtime or side effects. However, Botox injections need time to settle in and certain activities might inhibit how effective they are.

Before your next Botox injection, make sure that you follow the below guidelines as outlined by our team at Metropolitan Skin Clinic so you can enjoy your results for as long as possible.

What to Avoid Right After Botox

Expertly placed Botox injections require a special touch, and you’ll want to make sure that you follow post-Botox instructions such as avoiding strenuous exercise and heavy sun exposure on the day that you get your treatment. During the first few hours after treatment, you’ll want to refrain from touching the treated area and stay in an upright position so the blood flow doesn’t cause the product to move. If possible, stay out of direct sunlight.

Ideally, what not to do 24 hours after Botox treatment includes refraining from vigorous exercise and not drinking alcohol. This is a precautionary measure as blood thinners like alcohol or NSAID pain relievers could make bruising at the injection site worse.

Common Botox Aftercare FAQ

Keeping wrinkles at bay with Botox injections is common, and our team often gets the below questions about how to ensure that you can achieve your desired results in the injected areas. Here are some rules after Botox to keep in mind.

Can You Wash Your Face after Botox?

Normal activities that are part of your daily routine such as washing your face can be resumed after Botox injections. Avoid rubbing your face too aggressively around the treated areas and instead use a light touch. You’ll also want to keep the injected area as clean as possible to avoid developing any irritation or infections, and you should use a gentle cleanser that you know your skin will tolerate well. To keep heat exposure to a minimum, avoid washing your face with hot water and instead use warm or even cool water after the treatment.

Facial treatments such as massages, chemical peels, or microdermabrasion should be avoided in the first 24 hours following your appointment. Many people avoid wearing makeup as a precaution after Botox, especially around the injection sites, during the first day or so after your appointment.

How Soon After Botox Can I Exercise?

Botox injections work by temporarily paralyzing the muscle tissue, so you’ll want to avoid strenuous exercise right after your treatment. This could result in the botulinum toxin having painful effects on the muscles that you want to stay in place. If you are craving a workout, opt for a light exercise such as a low-intensity workout a few days after your appointment, such as yoga or pilates. Strenuous activity and excessive sweating directly after your appointment can increase your risk of developing an infection at the injection sites, so keep this in mind as part of your Botox aftercare as well.

Are There Any Foods or Drinks I Should Stay Away from After Botox?

There isn’t any special diet or food to avoid to maintain your youthful appearance after Botox. However, there are certain drinks and supplements that can increase the risk that you will bruise. For example, in terms of drinking, you’ll want to avoid drinking alcohol for the first day or two following your procedure as well as for the 24 hours before your procedure. Drinking alcohol can increase your risk of bruising and cause you to be dehydrated, another factor that could impact your recovery time for the worse. Caffeine may also be avoided before or after your appointment for the same reasons and it can even increase your blood pressure and cause the Botox injections to break down faster before the Botox settles.

Are There Any Medications I Should Stay Away from After Botox?

Restrictions after Botox extend to your medications. Part of your treatment plan should include avoiding blood-thinning medications for at least 24 hours after your appointment (unless specifically recommended by your doctor’s office). Aspirin and other NSAID pain relievers could encourage bruising and bleeding at the site of injection. To manage your pain and swelling and prevent bruising, it’s recommended to take Tylenol. You can also use an arnica gel where you were injected to help reduce the appearance of any bruising that’s developed, although this is minor and should subside within a few days.

Other Botox Aftercare Instructions

During your Botox appointment, your provider will go over various dos and don’ts that you should keep in mind to ensure the best results. We’ve outlined some post-Botox instructions that can help your Botox settle beautifully.

What to Do After Getting Botox

We’ve outlined some tips to get the most out of your botulinum toxin injections:

• Ice the treated areas: If you notice that you’re experiencing bruising or swelling immediately after your appointment, you can use ice to minimize these side effects.
• Drink plenty of water: Rather than reaching for alcohol, you’ll instead want to stay as hydrated as possible to help improve the healing process in the treated areas.
• Avoid heat exposure: Both the heat and the sun can result in skin inflammation that results in prolonged swelling and redness. Ideally, you’ll want to avoid tanning beds, heat lamps, and the sun itself during the first 24 hours after your appointment. If you need to go outside, make sure that you wear sunscreen and/or a hat to keep your skin protected.
• Avoid sleeping or lying flat on your face until the Botox has had a chance to settle: Laying horizontally immediately after your appointment can result in the product moving from where it was intended to be placed. You’ll want to wait a few hours (at least four) after your treatment before laying down.
• Avoid makeup: If you need to wear makeup following the appointment, make sure to apply so carefully and try to avoid the injections as much as possible.
• Avoid alcohol: As alcohol can thin your blood, it can also increase your risk of developing bleeding and bruising. Instead of heading to a happy hour straight after your appointment, you’ll want to avoid drinking alcohol for at least 24 hours.
• Avoid hot tubs and hot showers: Botox injections may result in additional bruising if the face becomes too hot. You’ll want to avoid heat exposure that includes hot tubs and hot showers that could impact the results of the treatment.
• Sleep on your back: If possible, you’ll want to sleep on your back on the night that you receive Botox instead of on your stomach or on your side. This reduces the amount of pressure on the treated areas and can help the injections settle in properly.
• Schedule your follow-up appointment: It’s recommended that if you’re getting Botox, you should also plan to schedule a follow-up appointment that allows us to ensure that you’re responding well to the treatment. During this appointment, we can make sure that it hasn’t migrated. We like to see patients roughly two weeks after their initial appointment.

Things Not to Do after Botox

Here are some things you shouldn’t do as part of your aftercare instructions:

• Rubbing your face: Even though the injection sites will heal fast if you rub the area too aggressively, it can cause irritation, redness, and additional bruising.
• Participating in intense physical activity on the same day: Before you resume your normal daily activities such as high-intensity workouts, you’ll want to wait at least one day. During these types of workouts, you will make straining facial expressions that could prevent Botox from settling into its desired area, meaning it won’t treat the nerves properly. Make sure to avoid intense workouts or activities for at least one day after your appointment. Instead, stick with a low-intensity walk.
• Use fragranced soap: If possible, avoid using fragranced soap that could cause irritation to the injection sites during the first 24 hours after your treatment. Stick with mild cleaners that won’t negatively impact the treatment area.

Care After Botox – the Bottom Line

Botox is an incredibly popular option to help increase your confidence in a minimally invasive way. After-Botox care is an essential part of ensuring that you achieve your desired results. We are always happy to answer your questions and provide medical help to ensure that you have a positive experience with this cosmetic procedure.

If you’re looking for Botox or cosmetic fillers to achieve a smoother appearance and improve your wrinkles, look no further than our team at Metropolitan Skin Clinic. Our experts proudly serve those in Minneapolis, St. Paul, and the surrounding areas. We encourage you to schedule an appointment with our Botox specialists today!