What to Expect Weeks After Your Botox Injections

Botox is an effective cosmetic procedure that can help reduce the appearance of fine lines and dynamic wrinkles developed with age and repeated facial expressions. Under the hands of an experienced professional, getting Botox is a safe and painless procedure that can help give you a younger-looking appearance. However, that’s not to say that Botox doesn’t come with common side effects. Days or weeks after your injection, you might feel some side effects.

So what should you expect weeks after your Botox injections? You might have difficulty moving your muscles, including when you sip, swallow, or move your lips. You might also notice some bruising and swelling on your lips, and even a dry mouth. Other side effects include headache, nausea, and drooping eyelids. Note that these are normal side effects that will subside with time.

Learn More: How Long Does Swelling Last After Lip Botox Injections?

Discover Your Beauty Potential with Aesthetica

Aesthetica can assist you with all your beauty needs, helping you achieve your maximum beauty and aesthetic potential. Call or contact us today to learn more about our cosmetic services.

book now

Botox Side Effects

Botox is a safe procedure that many men and women use to improve the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles on their faces. However, like many medical procedures, there can be some common side effects that can go away within a few days or weeks after the procedure.

Learn More: How Many Botox Units Are Needed For Forehead Lines And Lip Lines?

Difficulty in Sipping, Drinking, and Swallowing

If you’ve had lip wrinkles, vertical lip lines, nasolabial folds, or mental creases treated with Botox, there’s a chance that your doctor injected Botox close to the muscles surrounding your mouth. This can have a minor effect on the way you move your mouth to talk, sip, drink, or swallow.

Even the most carefully applied injections may result in this side effect as the average Botox dose may be too much for some patients. However, this should subside on its own within the next 10 days of treatment. To help reduce the discomfort, practice the following:

Eat soft foods during your recovery period. Avoid hard and crusty food that is hard to chew.
Take smaller bites of food. Chew your food slowly to reduce the difficulty of swallowing.
Always have a glass of water nearby to help wash food down when you swallow.
Sit up straight when swallowing. If it’s difficult to drink water, try using a straw.

Mild Pain, Swelling, and Bruising

The mild pain that you’re feeling could stem from the needle used and your body’s reaction to the Botox injection. The swelling may be your body’s inflammatory response to the injection. Bruising is common and may be the result of damaged blood vessels from the injection. Pain and swelling can take hours to a few days to fully subside. Bruising can take up to two weeks to fade away. To mitigate these symptoms:

Sit upright and avoid laying down for several hours after your injection.
Apply ice or a cold pack to the swollen or painful area.
Take over-the-counter painkillers to reduce the pain. Avoid aspirin, as this is a blood thinner and can worsen the effects.
Avoid drinking alcohol up to two days after the injections.
Avoid strenuous activities that can speed up your heart rate up to three days after your injection.

Headache and Nausea

Patients may feel headaches and nausea after their injections, especially if you are treating facial muscles near your forehead. This can last between a few days up to two weeks. If you are experiencing this symptom:

Take over-the-counter medication for headaches. Avoid aspirin if you are experiencing mild pain and swelling.
Increase your fluid intake. It’s common to also experience constipation along with these symptoms.
Increase your fruit and vegetable intake. Consume low-fat foods.

Dry Mouth

Many patients report dry mouth as a common symptom after Botox injections. This may have to do with saliva production. A dry mouth can also lead to hoarseness, which can lead to a sore throat and difficulty swallowing. This feeling will go away on its own after a few days.

Drink more water. Increase your average fluid intake and take sips of water more often.
Practice breathing through your nose.

Drooping Eyelids

Drooping eyelids are an uncommon symptom for those treating forehead wrinkles and vertical frown lines. The Botox injected into these muscles can migrate to the forehead or the area between the eyes, resulting in a droopy eyelid. This can take between 4-6 weeks to fix itself.

To avoid this, make sure an experienced medical professional is injecting Botox into that area.

Botox Aftercare

After your Botox injection, practicing these aftercare steps can minimize the discomfort and reduce the risk of complications arising from your injection. These are the steps you should take within the first 24 hours, 72 hours, and the first two weeks.

First 24 Hours

Remain seated for the first four hours after Botox. Avoid falling asleep as this can minimize the pressure and help the Botox settle into the injected muscle.
Avoid consuming alcohol, as this can increase the pain and discomfort of the post-injection site.
Don’t get other skin treatments like facials, exfoliating scrubs, and dermal fillers, as these could affect the effectiveness of the toxin.
Avoid wearing makeup. Rubbing the skin can disperse the toxin from the injected area.

First 72 Hours

Avoid touching the treated area. This is to prevent spreading the toxin onto other surrounding muscles.
Avoid strenuous activities. This is to maintain a normal heart rate and reduce the risk of bruising.
Avoid sun exposure, and other forms of heat exposure including tanning salons, hot tubs, and saunas. When showering, use lukewarm water.

After 2 Weeks

If bruising develops in the injected area, this should go away within two weeks.
If you notice any unusual side effects like muscle weakness, vision changes, and/or poor bladder control, seek medical attention.

Safe and Worry-Free Botox Injections with Aesthetica

woman consulting with aesthetician doctor

Like many medical procedures, Botox comes with a few side effects. However, these are nothing of major concern, as they will go away on their own within a few days. Once the Botox settles in, you can enjoy having relaxed and smoother skin that can make you look younger than your actual age.

Aesthetica has served and satisfied countless clients with our professionally administered Botox injections. Our medical spa takes pride in giving you the best possible treatments suited for your age and skin type, and helping you achieve smoother, younger-looking skin that takes ages off your face. Book an appointment with us today to schedule your consultation.