Botox stays only where injected, it does not roam through the body. "If I inject it in your face, it's not going to work [or show up in] your toe," says Rowe. "It does not have a systemic effect." However, it may migrate up to 3 cm from where it was injected.
Botox aftercare and sleeping
Botox® takes a few hours to settle into place, so lying down straightaway could cause it to migrate to other muscles in your face and increase the risk of complications.
Avoid lying down or bending over for several hours after the treatment to help prevent facial swelling and migration of the toxin. If possible, avoid lying down until bedtime.
There are two signs you've had a bad Botox injection: Unusual results such as facial asymmetry (one side doesn't match the other), overarching eyebrows, a drooping eyelid, or not being able to move the forehead at all.
bruising, swelling and redness where the needles went in the skin. a frozen look – you might not be able to move the muscles in your face if too much botulinum toxin is injected. temporary weakness and droopiness in your face – for example, your eyelids or eyebrows may droop if the botulinum toxin moves into these ...
[7] Injection too superficial or too deep can lead to inadvertent injection of the wrong muscle, potentially causing an opposite effect from the desired outcome. The muscles of facial expression are innervated by terminal branches of the facial nerve.
While it is possible for Botox to shift to unintended areas before it has time to settle, the risk is low. In the first 24 hours after treatment, try not to bend over repeatedly, like yoga for example, and you should be fine.
Many times, simply waiting two weeks will allow all of the muscles to be relaxed and the result will be perfect. If at two weeks your eyebrows are still peaked, a small amount of Botox (1-2 units per side) can be placed in the outer eyebrows. This will correct the peaked appearance.
Is it normal to have a large lump on your forehead after Botox? Swelling at the injection site is common following Botox treatment, and typically resolves after a few days. Large, hard lumps which are present at the injection site are usually caused by some trauma to a local small blood vessel.
Applying pressure to the treated area can cause the Botox to spread to unwanted areas. Not only will this make your treatment less effective, but it could also result in the relaxation of unintended muscles in other areas.
Your Botox will be injected into your facial muscles, so until it settles into the muscle tissue, it has a greater chance of migrating to unwanted areas. Exercise can raise your blood pressure and induce sweating, which can make the Botox migrate.
“If you are too high or too lateral when injecting this point, your toxin could spread to the frontalis and result in brow heaviness or ptosis,” she warns. “Conversely, if you inject the lateral corrugators too deeply, toxin may migrate down, affecting the levator palpebrae superioris muscle.
In most cases, droopy eyelid occurs between one and three weeks after treatment, and patients typically experience this adverse effect for just a few weeks. According to Dr. Holman, “It's important to remember that, like Botox treatments, a drooping eyelid is usually temporary. The effect will wear off after a while.
Avoid heat exposure for 24 to 48 hours, which includes hot showers, tanning beds, hot tubs, and saunas. While alcohol consumption after Botox is not usually a risk, it is recommended you not drink alcohol for 24 hours as a precautionary measure. Alcohol is a blood-thinner, so it could potentially exacerbate bruising.
Spock brows happen when Botox is injected only at the central part of the upper forehead, leaving the sides untouched. When the central forehead is weakened and the outer sides remain active, it causes the central brow to drop and the outer brow to appear like it's lifted too high. The result: Spock brows.
Heavy brows and the feeling of drooping.
This feeling and look comes from treatment of the forehead muscles called the frontalis. These muscles move the brows up and in certain cases after Botox treatment, the relaxed muscle then makes the brows drop.
Botox, an injectible muscle relaxer can be used to weaken this muscle and relax the “crows” feet as you desired but will also relax the pull along the outer brow and allow another muscle, the frontalis to raise the skin unopposed creating a rounded arch or occasionally a more “peaked” arch.
Don't lay down for the first 4 hours after having Botox
You might be sore or a little tired after having Botox injected, but you should avoid laying down for the first four hours after the injections. Both bending and laying down could spread the toxin and lead to bruising at the injection site.
If Botox spreads away from the injection site to other parts of the body, this is called botulism. Botulism can occur hours, days, or even weeks after a Botox injection.
After Cosmetic Botox, Be Sure to Sleep on Your Back
Sleeping on your stomach or side can cause Botox to migrate to other areas of your face. This can result in uneven results or even bruising. Sleeping on your back, however, minimizes the risk of it migrating and ensures it stays where it is supposed to.
You should avoid injecting botulinum toxin into the frontalis muscle, which is the muscle that raises your eyebrows and arches your forehead. You should also try to not inject botox into several other facial muscles, such as those that allow you to smile or chew.
Can bad Botox be reversed? It depends. While the Botox that was already injected cannot be "uninjected" after the fact, a skilled plastic surgeon may be able to strategically add more Botox or dermal fillers to other areas of your face to create a more symmetrical and balanced appearance.
Get More Botox Injections
Another option if you are unhappy with the results of your Botox injection includes having more Botox injections in the same area in order to achieve a more desired look.