How long after receiving Botox do you see the full benefit? Also, how many times can one receive this? I know it is every 4 months, but is there a limit to how long one can keep getting botox?
Botox selectively inhibits acetylcholine release at the neural synapse. When injected, the botox binds to the receptor and prevents the release of acetylcholine. However, there is still remaining acetylcholine that has already been released. It takes about 5 days for the remaining acetylcholine to be used up. So, it takes about 5 days for the effects to take effect.
For most patients, the effects of Botox become apparent in terms of diminished muscle activity within 2-3 days. The effects gradually wear off over the following 2-3 months, and generally there is no residual muscle paralysis after 3-4 months. For this reason, most patients return every 3-4 months for re-treatment.
Some patients seem to require less Botox at subsequent treatments, perhaps because there is some muscle atrophy as a result of loss of nerve stimulus due to the Botox. There is no limit as to how long a patient can continue to receive Botox treatments.
Usually, Botox results can be seen after several days. To be safe, the product should be in full effect after 1 week.
As for the amount of times that you can have Botox, there is no limit currently. Botox has a better safety record than Aspirin, but there have been cases where a patient will grow resistant to Botox after repeated use. There is no harmful effects in these cases, just a lack of results.
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