For many people, the temporary nature of BOTOX® is both a blessing and a curse. BOTOX® offers a lot of risk-free flexibility—You can stop getting the treatments any time if you want to return to how you looked before, for instance. There’s also little chance of serious side-effects and no prolonged recovery to deal with. At the same time, however, knowing when to “update” your treatment can pose challenges: Getting BOTOX® too seldom can potentially give wrinkles a chance to set in, but getting BOTOX® too often can result in an obviously “BOTOX®ed” look. Indeed, many of the frozen-looking celebrity faces that put people off getting BOTOX® altogether are a result of too-frequent injections. So, how much BOTOX® is too much? Read on to find out:
Creating a BOTOX® Treatment Plan
Because BOTOX® is temporary, you should make sure to ask your cosmetic surgeon about a follow-up treatment plan. Most surgeons will choose to start with a low dose of BOTOX® for your first session, both because BOTOX® is more effective on first-time patients and because this lets patients “test” how it will make them look. If you’re happy with the effects of BOTOX®, the surgeon will usually recommend a follow-up treatment in 3-4 months. In general, it is recommended that you wait at least three months between treatments. While it’s true that you may be able to see subtle fine lines returning before this point, getting treatments more often than this can produce an overly “smooth” look and increase the risk of side-effects.
After your second treatment, you may be advised to wait a bit longer before your third and fourth treatments, respectively. (Once again, this is done to help prevent side-effects.) Many surgeons will recommend that you have your third treatment 4-5 months after your second one and have your fourth treatment 6-9 months after your third.
In order to support your youthful look in between BOTOX® treatments, you can choose to have a range of complementary procedures performed, such as facial fillers and chemical peels. Facial fillers (which essentially plump up the skin) can “fill in” stubborn lines, while chemical peels force the skin to rejuvenate. Chemical peels remove age spots, fine lines, and small scars, leaving a fresh, glowing surface behind after healing is complete. Complementary procedures like these can form the basis for a safe, effective, and non-invasive comprehensive treatment plan.