The following list includes five things that you should do when getting Botox and five things you should not do. These suggestions are just the tip of the iceberg with this procedure. However, following them gives you a good start by creating a safe and efficient environment for your recovery. They also help promote smoother healing.
The Five Things You Should Do
This list will contain five things that you should do to improve your Botox treatment. Some must be done before your treatment, others during, and even more after the procedure. By following these guidelines, you can create a successful Botox experience.
1. Talk to Your Doctor
The first thing you need to do is talk to your doctor about any medications, supplements, or herbal items you are taking. You also need to discuss any diseases you may have or medications you regularly take. These considerations are crucial because they can influence the success of your Botox treatment. And if you are pregnant or considering conceiving, do not get Botox until after this experience is over.
2. Avoid Blood Thinning Medications
It is crucial to stop taking any blood-thinning medications a week or so before your Botox injections. Why? These medications often interact with Botox in a way that causes severe bruising. Medications to avoid include Aspirin, Ibuprofen, and Excedrin. Supplements to avoid include ginseng, fish oil, St. John’s Wort, and ginkgo.
3. Use an Ice Pack
One of the best ways to avoid swelling and blistering from Botox is to use an ice pack. This application can occur before, during, and after your procedure. An ice pack helps eliminate bruising and swelling by constricting excessive blood flow. Talk to your surgeon about this step to ensure they approve it.
4. Keep Your Hands Off
It’s hard for many people to avoid picking at or itching the area treated with Botox. This action is a major mistake because it can cause complications. For example, it can cause swelling that can be difficult to manage. It may even cause the Botox to break up and move beneath your skin or even get into your bloodstream. Just keep your hands away from this area for at least 4-5 days.
5. Add Concealers
A light application of concealers can be an effective way to mask any bruises or swelling that occurs after you get a Botox injection. While these side effects should go away in no more than a day or two, concealer helps make them less noticeable and prevents you from having to have annoying conversations explaining the bruises.
The Five Things You Should Not Do
Now that you have a good idea of a few necessary steps to take with Botox, it is important to understand five things that should not be done. These give an insight into the kind of behavior that will be problematic for your recovery.
1. Avoid Sleeping on Your Face
Do you sleep on your side or even face down? You need to change that habit right away if you are getting Botox injections. Laying on the treated area for 8-10 hours a night can cause severe and even permanent damage. So find a way to adjust to sleeping on your back for at least a week or two. Though this may be hard for many people, it can be done.
2. Exercise is Off-Limits
While exercise is likely an important part of your health routine, you need to avoid some types of exercise for at least a day or so after treatment. This activity includes any bending or strenuous running or stretching activities. Failure to avoid this excessive activity could result in your Botox moving around excessively under the skin.
3. Stop Smoking and Drinking
If you are a regular smoker and drinker, it is important to kick these habits for at least a week or two. Smoking will increase your heart rate and potentially thin out your blood. It can also cause damage to blood vessels on your face as you inhale on the cigarette. Drinking alcohol will also thin your blood or cause you to behave in ways that injure the treated area.
4. Keep Your Treatments Minimal
People who get Botox often think that multiple treatments are better than one treatment. That is a serious mistake. You should always take time between injections and get no more than are recommended by your corrective surgeon. Too much Botox can cause your face to tighten up too severely and create a look that makes your treatments more visible. Less is more with Botox.
5. Avoid Overestimating Its Effects
Sometimes, people get disappointed with Botox because they have a fantastic idea of its effects. While Botox can eliminate wrinkles and make you look younger, it is not a miracle cure for aging. You need to be patient with this treatment and understand that it may take up to two weeks for its effects to appear. So wait at least that long before assuming it didn’t work or that you need another treatment.
A Final Word
As you can see, many of these suggestions are simple or may even seem obvious. However, other ones may go against what seems like common sense. That’s the thing about treatments like Botox. While people often think they have a good insight into how it works, they are often in the dark about effective maintenance procedures.
Don’t be ashamed if you suffered from any misconceptions about Botox. You wouldn’t be the first person to misunderstand this treatment, and you won’t be the last. Just make sure that you follow these tips carefully. In this way, your Botox experience can be useful, and you can avoid causing damage that could set your treatment back or even make corrective surgery necessary.
