Delayed Bruising After Botox?

Bruising after Botox may occur and it can appear a dya or two or even three after the procedure.  It will get better with time.

Bruising can occur after cosmetic Botox injections around the eyes. The onset can be immediate or delayed. I usually prescribe an over the counter Arnica based medicine such as Bruise Stick, Bruise Pak, or a Boiron Arnica supplement.

I do a considerable amount of Botox injections. The cause of the delayed bruising is due to the needle hitting and cutting a deep capillary (most likely). A small drop of blood spills, and about 3 days later, it migrates to the surface. It should start to fade by the time you read this.

When Botox is injected it is injected somewhat deeply into the muscle. Any time muscle is violated it tends to bleed because they are very vascular. This bleeding is very minor and bruising is prevented by holding pressure on the injected site for several seconds. However, if the minor bleeding is not stopped a bruise will develop. Because this bruise is deep to the skin it may take several days until it is visible at the surface. This is a common finding in liposuction So no worries... more

Waschke, The bruising actually occured at the time of injection of your Botox. It merely took 3 days for it to surface. This is not uncommon, even though most bruising appears in 1-2 days. At any rate, it will resolve over the next few days. Before the next treatment ask your plastic surgeon what you can do to minimize your risk for bruising (stop aspirin, advil, motrin, vitamin E, etc.). Good luck!

Dear Waschke, Whenever an injections is administered, bruising can occur. The bruise results from the needle causing a small opening in a blood vessel and some blood leaks out staining the tissues. The bruise usually lasts about a week to 10 days. During treatment, some bleeding may be noticed after an injection. Pressure can be applied immediately to decrease the amount of blood that leaks from the blood vessel. This can reduce the amount of bruising. Generally, the risk of bruising is... more

Dear Waschke Any time you get poked with a needle, you can bruise. Often these bruise are immediately evident. When your treating doctor starts mushes their thumb down on your face, you can be sure they have spotted a little bleeding that they are looking to stop before it becomes a bruise. In West Los Angeles, bruises are a big cause for concern. I am not sure if it is because we need to look or best or we are concerned that someone will think our spouse hit us (or our spouse might... more

Hi Waschke, Sometimes patients have delayed bruising after facial injections.  I find that many of these patients either work out vigorously (in the gym or bedroom), or party with alcohol.  Just a couple of factors to consider.  Good luck and be well. Dr. P

Hi!   If the Botox needle happens to hit a tiny vein, you will get a little bleeding, which looks like bruising and swelling.  It can certainly show up on the third day.  It always goes away in a few days.  So you can relax.

Most bruising from Botox injections will occur at the time of the injections. Such bruising usually occurs in the "crow's feet" areas and the forehead. If the crow's feet area were bruised that would definitely occur immediately. Perhaps, a forehead injection caused some bleeding at the time, but ice and pressure squelched it until a few days later. If you were to continue to get bruising and you had other problems with bleeding you should see your family physician to make... more

Most bruising from botox seems to appear almost immediatelty after botox injections and can be limited by ice and pressure. Very rarely if an injection is performed at a very deep level, the bruise may “rise” to the surface and appear a few days after the injections.

Sometimes bruising does not appear for a few days. We see that with injections as well as with surgery. The bruising may take a couple of weeks to resolve. It does not sound like you are having any problems, but if you have any concerns, do bring them up to your doctor. There are some over the counter remedies that can help bruising and swelling and your doctor can advise you on these.