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Botox Under Eye Has Caused Huge Bags and Wrinkles

asked 9 months ago by RaeCat in Western Australia
Latest answer by Ronald Shelton, MD
Question viewed 1,099 times
Tags: under eyes, wrinkles, female, eye bags, longevity, unsatisfied

My cosmetic doctor injected botox underneath my eye at the outer corners. As soon as I felt the botox take effect checked in a mirror I was horrified to see that I had massive bags and wrinkling under the eye. I went back to her 2 days later and she told me that it was a side effect that should get better within 7-10 days. Now I'm reading information online that it could actually take months? What has gone wrong and how long will it take to right itself?

19 answers to Botox Under Eye Has Caused Huge Bags and Wrinkles

Bags under eyes after Botox

We are curious if you returned to your physician after the suggested waiting time to determine if there was improvement or helpful feedback from her. Without knowing the details of your treatment, it would appear that the technique/dosing used may be responsible for your negative outcome. For example, we do not inject below the lower eye muscle because of this concern. Although it doesn't offer much comfort in the present, time will improve your condition. more

Harold J. Kaplan, MD
Los Angeles Facial Plastic Surgeon

www.celibre.com

Botox can work great around the eyes but can cause new "bags" to appear under the eyes as well

Botox is excellent for frown lines and crow's feet that appear around the eyes. For wrinkles of the lower eyelids, they may be from over-active muscles called the orbicularis oculi muscles. However, treating under-eye wrinkles with Botox can also make bags bigger. The lower eyelid is made up of skin, muscle, fat then a layer called the orbital septum then fat. If the septum is already weak, the only thing holding back the lower eyelid fat from bulging is the muscle; weaken that muscle... more

Steven J. Pearlman, MD
New York Facial Plastic Surgeon

Too much Botox (Dysport) at sides of eyes can cause under eye bags and new wrinkles.

RaeCat, I am so sorry to hear you are suffering with this unwanted Botox side effect. It is true that many doctors misunderstand the value and limitations of these treatments, and can cause unintended problems. Luckily, though it may not wear off in 7 to 10 days as you were told, at least it is not completely permanent. The orbicularis oculi muscle (the muscle that controls eyelid closing and opening) is a circular band of muscle that goes all the way around the eye. If part of it is... more

Jessica J. Krant, MD, MPH
Manhattan Dermatologic Surgeon

www.ArtofDermatology.com

Botox under eyes made lower eyelid bags worse, now what?

Botox injected into the lower eyelid wrinkles can weaken the orbital septum resulting in a temporary (3-4 months duration of Botox effect) worsening of the appearance of the lower eyelid bags. IMHO, just wait until the effects of the Botox wears off before doing anything further including lower eyelid surgery.

Francis R. Palmer, III, MD
Beverly Hills Facial Plastic Surgeon

Botox under eyes has caused huge bags and wrinkles

The lower lids are a very tricky area. Botox should be injected only if the snap test is positive (by lowering the lid and releasing it: a prompt return is a positive test) otherwise, an ectropion (prolonged downward pulling of the lid) occurs. Also, not more than 1 or 2 units per lower lid should be injected. If you have a large amount of fat deposition in the lower lid, any relaxation of the muscle of the lower lid will allow the fat to herniate forward and downward... more

Eugene Mandrea, MD
Chicago Dermatologist

Pelleve for eyelid area after botox induced temporary wrinkling

Without seeing you in person and examining you before and after the treatment it is not fair for any physician to comment on your specific situation. You did not state that the doctor injected below the eyelid, but at the corner of the eyelid. This is a common location for many physicians to inject but we don't know exactly how far from the orbital bone the insertions were.It is possible that you have unique anatomy so that the normal treatment given by many expert physicians who have... more

Ronald Shelton, MD
Manhattan Dermatologist

Botox Under Eye Has Caused Huge Bags and Wrinkles

Unfortunately, some injectors who have limited knowledge and experience, seem to use botox as the answer to everything. This is a common pitfall. Remember, botox targets muscles not wrinkles, and some muscles support our anatomy, and a lack of understanding of the dynamics between muscle groups can result in sagging, when inexperienced injectors try to tackle the wrinkle without knowing the effect. Your only option is to wait it out, and seek someone with more... more

Peter Malouf, DO
Dallas Dermatologist

mytotalskincare.com

Botox may relax the lower eyelids and make them look more baggy.

Botox may relax the lower eyelids and make them look more baggy. In your photos the lighting is not the same. The light is straight on in the before photo and coming from above in the after photos. This accents the appearance of the bags. You may even benefit from a lower eyelid blepharoplasty with fat pad removal. see video

Mark Taylor, MD
Salt Lake City Dermatologic Surgeon

www.gatewaylasercenter.com

Botox & "Puffy eyes"

Dear RaeCat in Australia, Botox relaxes the muscle that it is injected in. There is a muscle [orbicularis oculi], that surrounds the eye & causes " crow's feet", through repeated contraction over the years. This same muscle also pumps fluids away from the eyelids area. When Botox is injected into the muscle, crow's feet lessen. However, as in ur case, some people notice extra puffiness , as a result of loss of the pumping action of the muscle, leading to fluid... more

Khaled El-Hoshy, MD
Detroit Dermatologic Surgeon

www.elhoshy.com

Eyelid

Injecting the lower eyelid is risky. Very little botox should be used to avoid loss of function of the lower lid constrictor. It probably take longer than 7-10 days sorry

David A. Bray, Sr., MD
Los Angeles Facial Plastic Surgeon

Botox Under Eye Has Caused Huge Bags

Regarding: "My cosmetic doctor injected Botox underneath my eye at the outer corners. As soon as I felt the Botox take effect checked in a mirror I was horrified to see that I had massive bags and wrinkling under the eye. I went back to her 2 days later and she told me that it was a side effect that should get better within 7-10 days. Now I'm reading information online that it could actually take months? What has gone wrong and how long will it take to right itself?" I am... more

Peter A. Aldea, MD
Memphis Plastic Surgeon

Botox unlikely to cause lower eyelid wrinkles if no ectropion is caused.

The photo in natural light: you don't say if you are smiling or not. The slight smiling and wider smiling photos show more wrinkles in the wider smiling photo and this is simply because you are elevating your cheeks more and thus crowding tissues up into the lower eyelid. I think your need is for skin tightening and this can be done with lower blepharoplasties (surgery), fractional lasers and some of the tried and true acid peels. I do not think the Botox has caused these lines (could be... more

Harlow Hollis, MD
Victoria Plastic Surgeon

Botox under the eyes

One must be careful treating the wrinkles around the eyes. The area of the Crow's feet (lines radiating from the side of the eyes) are typically safely treated in experienced hands. Treating the area under the eyes should be done in very small doses to assess the response as in some people there can be accentuation of undereye swelling related to reduced muscle pump action around the eyes and the resulting lymphatic fluid buildup.

Benjamin Barankin, MD
Toronto Dermatologic Surgeon

This will improve with time...

But until it does, there are a few things that might help, like keeping your head elevated while sleeping so that there is less pooling of lymph fluid. The pre-procedure photos show a lot of excess skin under the eye, which is corrected by volume enhancement or surgery. The loss of muscle tone from the Botox has created lymphatic stasis (pooling), so blinking your eyes more frequently than you normally do might help some, but it will take time for the botox to wear off. ... more

Laura Skellchock, MD
Palm Beach Dermatologic Surgeon

Botox under the eyes

The good and the bad with Botox is that the effects are temporary so any problem that results from it will also resolve. Injecting under the eyes can be tricky. I usually stick to the crow's feet area until I see how my patient responds. If he or she has some under eye wrinkles that seem to be caused by muscle action rather than from redundant skin, I will place a few units of Botox under the lid. No two people are alike!

Sheri G. Feldman, MD
Beverly Hills Dermatologist

Botox causing wrinkles

If neurotoxin is injected in the muscle that causes crows feet, in some people who already have redundant skin under they eyelids, large cheeks, and protruding fat pads, there can be an accentuation of the "bags" under the eyes. This is best treated with blephroplasty or resurfacing. The botox did not cause the problem, but accentuated the issue that was there. The good news is the neurotoxin wears off in 3-4 months.

Purvisha Patel, MD
Germantown Dermatologist

That usually resoves after a few weeks. Maybe you need a bleph

If you have Botox again for crow's feet make sure the doctor stays at the corner and away from the eyelid. This happens sometimes and is quite annoying. Those wrinkles in your lower eyelids are NOT the dymamic wrinkles that Botox can treat anyway. You have extra sun-damaged skin, which is best treated by blepharoplasty of chemical or lasser resurfacing, or a combination.

Jeffrey Schiller, MD
New York Oculoplastic Surgeon

Bags under the eye after Botox

Hi RaeCat, Sorry to hear about the problem you are experiencing. Although not common this can sometimes happens with the use of Botox around the eye. This can happen becasue of the decreased muscle tone of the Orbicularis Oculi muscle. Sometimes this leads to protusion of the fat pad and accumulation of fluid that would normally be cleared with muscle contraction that is now lost. All effects of Botox,both good and bad, resolve as the neuromuscular function... more

Ted Brezel, MD
Long Island Dermatologist

Looks like festooning

Looks to me like you have festoons, but the pre and post treatment photos are difficult to compare because of the differences in lighting. Festooning in most common in older individuals, in particular those with laxity of the lower eyelids made worse by smoking and/or sun exposure. Festooning is thought to result from changes in the activity of the muscle pump around the eyes which pumps lymph fluid out of that area. This can happen when the orbicularis occuli [lateral +/- inferior... more