After a Few Days of Botox Injection in the Forehead and Between the Eyes, is It Okay to Squint Heavily?

Because my eyes are really sensitive to sunlight, I tend to squint and blink my eyes heavily. Is this okay when being injected with Botox a week earlier? Would it cause Botox to be short-lived?

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11 Doctor Answers | Asked by cici99fromcali in Los Angeles, CA

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Squinting after Botox

It takes Botox about a week to take effect. Squinting should not be a problem after treatment. Enjoy.

Steven Wallach, MD

12 reviews

Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

No restrictions after Botox injections

I tell my patients they are free to do anything they choose without restriction immediately after their injections. Within 20 to 90 minutes after neurotoxins such as Botox, Dysport and Xeomin are injected, botulinum neurotoxin type A can be detected inside the motor nerve endings. Therefore the muscles and nerve endings take up the Botox, Dysport or Xeomin very quickly before they can spread far from the injection site. The majority of injectors, I believe, feel there is no advantage or... more

Squinting After Botox

There should be no adverse effect on the activity or duration of Botox or Dysport from using the treated muscles even immediately after injection. I tell my patients they can actively furrow their brow and squint to try to hasten the onset of action, but there is really no evidence as to whether this makes a difference.

It's actually good to move those facial muscles after Botox or Dysport treatments

Great question. I instruct my patients to intentionally move those very muscles that we wish to relax. I have each patient do "facial aerobics" after each treatment. This consists of moving the muscles that we want to relax a few times every 5 minutes for about 2 hours after their treatment. In my experience, this leads to a better result. As far as how long the Botox or Dysport will last is a tough questions. In my experience, typically Botox will last... more

The effect of Botox in between the eyes won't be diminished by squinting

Do not worry about the squinting you're doing affecting the longevity of the Botox effect in the glabellar region of the forehead. There should be no compromise to its muscular relaxation of the frown. see video

Squinting after Botox treatment won't hurt and may actually help!

This is a great question because the natural tendency after you get a treatment to stop wrinkling is to try to help it out by not creating the wrinkles by frowning or squinting, but have no fear! You can't (for better or worse) make the Botox wear off faster by engaging the muscles more, and you can't make it work less well by wrinkling the skin by frowning or squinting. It will take two weeks for the Botox to take its maximum effect and holding your facial expressions flat during this time... more

Squinting after Botox.

I agree that squinting after a couple hours of Botox injection is good as it helps the nerve ending absorb the Botox and give better effects. Waiting a week after will not effect the result.

After a Few Days of Botox Injection in the Forehead and Between the Eyes, is It Okay to Squint Heavily?

No, when you squint you're contracting the very muscles the Botox is trying to relax. The full effects of the Botox takes about 3-5 days to peak however, squinting will make the effects of the Botox shorter lasting. Here's why: Botox blocks the chemicals responsible for contraction of the targeted muscle. When you contract that muscle, it encourages new chemical connections to develop making the Botox effects wear off sooner.

Botox and squinting

In all honesty after Botox you may find it harder to squint because hopefully those muscles have been affected, which is what led you to have the lines in the first place. Also, wear sunglasses always - it helps the squinting and therefore helps avoid some of the wrinkles! But there is nothing wrong with squinting and no, it won't make the Botox go away any faster.

Squinting after Botox

Squinting should not be a problem after treatment. Each injector has different post treatment protocols so ensure that you understand the protocols of your injector. see video

Botox Injections: What to do after.

This is a question that comes up all the time. Clients fear that activity, exercise or something else that they can do will effect the results of their treatment. The fact is there is nothing that someone can do to make Botox any more or less effective. This wive's tale exists to explain poor results. Instead of accepting responsibility for a poor result, injectors will blame their patients. I tell everyone I treat, if we get a result you're not happy with, it is my... more