Botox usually lasts 3 to 6 months after treatment. This is a rough estimated but in a lot of cases Botox can still wear off faster or stay effective longer in some patients depending on these factors:
Let’s visit each one of these points separately…
If you’ve had your lips injected with Botox in the past or had a Lip Pop, you might have noticed that the result of that Botox didn’t last as much as the rest of the Botox you had on the same day. But don’t worry, it’s not you, and it’s not the Botox, but rather it’s due to the nature of the area treated. This muscle is very active! Forcing it to contract consistently when we talk, eat, or drink, will force Botox to wear off faster. Repetitive movement = increased blood supply… This is the exact same reason why fillers don’t last as long in the lips as they do in the nasolabial folds for example!
Generally speaking, the more Botox you have injected in one are, the longer it will last. This is mostly because the receptors will be saturated with Botox and it will take the body longer time to clear this Botox out. This means that although you might receive satisfactory results injecting the crows feet with 2 units of Botox in each injection spot, injecting it with 4 will likely give you longer lasting results.
But you might wonder? what happens if I inject the same area with even more Botox, say 10 instead of 4, would that save me a trip to the medical spa for another year? The answer is NO! There is a limit to when the muscle will get saturated with Botox. After that, whatever Botox is lift, it will be eliminated almost immediately! Besides, you don’t want to inject too much in one area to limit the possibility of the drug migrating to other muscles!
We have noticed during our years of practice that older ladies hold on to their Botox much longer than younger ones. This could be attributed to the fact that older ladies have weaker muscles to begin with, they exercise less, or they learned how to control their facial expressions better!
Have you tried to get your grandmother really excited about something recently? Not that easy, trust me!
Men typically have stronger muscles than women. That is still true for the facial muscles especially the glabellar and forehead muscles. What this means is that they need more Botox to achieve the same cosmetic effect if the same area was treated in a female. Also, it was noted that since the muscle is stronger, it is likely to recover faster from Botox injection.
Do you exercise? What kind of exercise do you do? Do you exercise to the point that you have to stop and gasp for air? Do you sweat too much or you face turns really red?
Exercising increases the blood supply to muscles all over your body. In general, mild to moderate exercise should not have any effect on your Botox. But if you exercise for too long or too aggressively, there is a chance that you will be clearing more Botox from the treated areas faster. But hey! This shouldn’t be taken as an excuse not to exercise. Your skin benefits way more from you exercising that loosing few days of active Botox treatment.
Although the relationship between smoking and Botox is still under studies. We have noticed over the years that it takes smokers longer to start feeling the Botox, and their Botox wears off quicker. In addition, smokers tend to form wrinkles easier and hence would result in higher requirement of Botox every time.
Using Botox regularly may cause the effects to last for longer periods of time with each use. Botox paralyzes the muscles so you can’t use them. If muscles aren’t used, they get shorter and smaller. You don’t use it, you lose it! Which in the world of Botox, is a good thing! This means that you may need fewer Botox treatments overtime to get the same effect.
So it’s very important to stay on top of your Botox treatment. This will prevent the treated muscles from getting stronger hence needing less Botox every time.
Learn more about What Causes Botox To Wear Off?
