Preparing for Your Botox Injection Appointment

You might think that your preparation for a Botox or other dermal filler treatment ends when you make the appointment. The opposite remains true whether you go for your first appointment or your tenth. You need to take the right steps to get ready for your Botox treatment.

Following these steps and knowing the botox and side effects of botox improves your results and can reduce the chance of bruising. These simple steps require little work on your part, but they are vital.

Before Botox

Following these steps improves your results and can reduce the chance of bruising. These simple steps require little work on your part, but they are vital.

1. Provide your doctor with a list of herbal supplements, over-the-counter, and prescription medications you take.
2. Apprise your doctor of any medical conditions you have. If you have had a cold sore in the area of your face you will receive Botox, let your doctor know. They will prescribe an anti-viral medication as a preventative measure.
3. Call your doctor to cancel the appointment if you find out you are pregnant before the Botox treatment. You should not have Botox done while pregnant or breastfeeding.
4. On the day of the treatment, wear no makeup. This remains true whether you obtain Botox or a different dermal filler.
5. Consume no alcohol for at least two days before you receive your Botox injections. You could bruise worse because alcohol negatively affects the platelets and blood clotting.
6. For one week before your Botox appointment, take no ginger, garlic, ginseng, Ginko Biloba, Omega-3 fatty acid, fish oil, or Vitamin E since this makes you more apt to bruise.
7. Avoid consuming non-steroidal pain medications like Aleve (Naproxen) or Advil (Ibuprofen) for two days prior to the appointment. You can take Tylenol (acetaminophen) for as long as you are not allergic.
8. Before the appointment, discuss the difference between using needles or cannulas with your doctor. The cannula method reduces bruising risks.

If your doctor suggests using an ice pack on the area to be treated before the injections, do so since it will help the blood vessels constrict and make the injections hurt less. Your doctor may also use a numbing cream before injecting the Botox.

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After Botox

You need to follow a few basic guidelines after your injections, too. This helps you have the best outcome.

1. For 24 hours after the injections, do not rub your face towards your eyes.
2. After the injections, do not work out on the treatment day.
3. Avoid any facial massage or stimulation for 24 hours after the injections.
4. Avoid having electronic facial laser treatments for a few weeks – at least three after the injections.
5. Users of Retin-A should avoid using the medication for 24 hours before the injections. The day after them you can go back to using the Retin-A.
6. Avoid micro-blading the eyebrows on the same day as the treatment.
7. Avoid working out for 48 hours after the Botox injections.
8. Use an ice pack for ten minutes of every hour after your treatment. Do this for as long as you need to for pain and to reduce swelling.
9. Avoid alcohol for 24 hours post injections.
10. Hot yoga, sunbathing, and saunas are a no-no for the 24 hours after the injections.

Remember, Botox does not work instantly. It takes three to five days for it to take effect. It may be two weeks before you see the final results. At the two-week point, you will know if you need a follow-up quickly. If you did not achieve the results you desired with the initial injections, make your appointment for the next appointment at the two-week point and talk to your doctor about improving the results at your next Botox service in Manhattan.