How Long Does Botox Last?

Are you considering using Botox as an anti-aging treatment? Well, there’s good news and bad news. The bad news is, of course, that the effects don’t last forever. You have to keep using it to keep the wrinkles away. The good news is, it’s not in short supply. It will be around for a good long time, no worries. And if you happen to get a treatment from someone and don’t like how it turned out, you only have to wait a few months for your skin to return to normal after the effects wear off.

Exactly how long do the effects of Botox last? It depends on how much was used and how much of it was applied to the treatment area. The dose will vary by person, and that may be a factor as well. It may last longer for one person than it does another.

You might think that it would be accurate to simply guess how many vials would be needed for the face, but each area requires a certain number of vials and everyone is different. There are 43 muscles in the face, to be exact. So it is not accurate to make an educated guess.

To show you an example of this, the tiny lines at the outer corner of the eyes (crow’s feet) will usually require 8 to 14 units for each side. The group of muscles around the forehead (the area between the eyebrows) called the glabella area – usually require 18 to 36 units to smooth them out.

The effects are different for everyone. If you have thicker muscles, you will most likely require more than someone with thinner muscle. It is not acceptable to go deeper when injecting someone with thick muscles. Every injection must be precise and meet the same standards of quality.

The effects may wear off faster for those who tend to be more athletic. People who are active will heal quicker and therefore it will be eliminated out of their system faster as well.

Repeated Treatment Yields Better Results

Some more good news is that regular use of Botox produces better results and the effects last longer. Every time an injection is given it relaxes those muscles in the treatment area allowing them to get weakened from not being used which makes the Botox work even better. The effects last longer and new wrinkles are prevented since those muscles are not in use.

If you don’t see the results you want it may be because you are not taking the right number of treatments. The more it is used, and the more consistently it is used, the better the results will be. Botox is best for fine lines and wrinkles around the eyes and mouth area. Deep-set wrinkles may not respond the same way as the lighter ones.

So then the question, how long does Botox last? When it is administered properly and injected into the right places, you can expect to see results lasting 3 to 4 months. Again this will vary from person to person, and it may last longer with consistent use. It is a good estimate to say between 3 – 6 months for most applications.

Some things that can affect how long Botox lasts includes:

● Metabolism
● Your age
● Treatment area
● Dilution of the product

If you received Botox treatment that did not last as long as you expected to take the initiative to try and find out why. It may be because the doctor didn’t use enough or it was not properly injected into the muscle tissue.

Many patients notice some minor results within three to five days after treatment, and then get the full effect after 14 days. This may vary slightly as it depends on how quickly your body metabolizes the Botox. Your doctor may request a follow-up appointment to see your progress.