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Why Didn't Botox Work on my 11's?

asked 10 months ago by veggieeater in Hamburg, NY
Latest answer by Kris M. Reddy, MD, FACS
Question viewed 630 times
Tags: 1 month post-op, 11s, glabellar lines, not working

I've had botox three times within a six week period. Today my dr. injected a sronger dose, and told me if this amount doesn't work then it's not worth my time or $$. What do you think is happening? I only wanted my 11's to relax.

16 answers to Why Didn't Botox Work on my 11's?

Botox Didn't Work, What to Do?

Hi VE. There are a couple of possibilities, but assuming your injector is capable and there is a suitable does of Botox injected, it could be that the lines are too deep for Botox alone. In some instances, using Botox alone will not completely resolve the frown lines you noted as the "11's". In these cases both Botox (or Dysport) and a dermal filler like Restylane or Juvederm is required. When the vertical lines are too deep, the Botox is often not enough... more

Harold J. Kaplan, MD
Los Angeles Facial Plastic Surgeon

www.celibre.com

You may need something in addition to Botox!

How frustrating for you that the Botox did not work to remove your 11's. Remember that Botox treats dynamic wrinkles (those created by muscle activity) rather than static (the wrinkles present at rest) ones. Eventually, dynamic wrinkles become static ones over time. If your 11's are static wrinkles now, you may need a filler in addition to Botox to correct the lines in this area. Good luck.

Mikel Lo, MD
Tucson Oculoplastic Surgeon

Antibodies to botulinum toxin can prevent it from working

Since botulinum toxin type A is a protein produced by bacteria, it is possible to become immune to it by developing antibodies. If that occurs, neither BOTOX(R) nor Dysport(R) would work for you. There is another drug, botulinum toxin B (sold as Myobloc in the US), that would still work, but it is quite expensive, and I don't know any plastic surgeons who use it. If you can, please post the number of units used with each treatment, the dates, the areas treated, and a... more

James Nachbar, MD
Scottsdale Plastic Surgeon

Botox on my 11's

Assuming that the botox was well stored and the injector was expert, then the problem may be with the wrinkles themselves. Botox only works with dynamic wrinkles rather than static. If the wrinkles are now static, then you will need filler in addition to or in place of botox.

Kris M. Reddy, MD, FACS
West Palm Beach Plastic Surgeon

www.drkrisreddy.com

Botox for the glabellar forehead 11

If the muscle is not moving at all when you frown, but the lines are still there, then adding more units of botox will not make your "11" go away. With some deep glabellar folds, we see that they continue to improve for months (they've been created by years and years of muscle activity) and it can't go away "overnight" so you maintain botox injections before they wear off every 3 to 4 months and the deep folds start to relax after a few cycles. Other patients will... more

Ronald Shelton, MD
Manhattan Dermatologist

Very Deep lines may not Disappear with Botox Alone

Botox dosing requires a certain degree of titration from patient to patient to match the physical changes and expectations present. I inform patients that my goal is to achieve a relaxed look at rest, which still allows for some motion. If a patient desires "no motion" in the glabella, a higher dose of Botox is administered. However, in some patients, these hyper dynamic lines are so deeply etched that Botox alone is insufficient. Various Fillers can potentially... more

Stephen Prendiville, MD
Fort Myers Facial Plastic Surgeon

Botox doesn't work on my 11's

I have used Botox for over 20 years and it is does dependent which means some people get a great result with small doses while others require quite a large dose for the same effect. If you really hate the Glabellar lines, there's enough Botox to get rid of them, just increase the dose.

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

Botox

Try and frown. If the muscles move then they have not been injected enough. If they don't move and the lines are still there then they are etched into your skin. you will need some filler and repeated botox treatment to softent them.

Michael L. Schwartz, MD
West Palm Beach Plastic Surgeon

Botox not working

If you have had Botox injected three times with no effect then you may not be receiving the correct treatment for your issue. If you post pictures of your face we may be able to give you more specific advice. Botox works on dynamic wrinkles - meaning wrinkles caused when muscles contract. If your "11s" are severe enough that they are also there at rest, then you may have dermal atrophy requiring treatment with a dermal filler such as Juvederm. For static... more

David Shafer, MD
New York Plastic Surgeon

www.ShaferPlasticSurgery.com

Relaxing the 11's with Botox Cosmetic

Botox relaxes the facial muscles which contribute to the 11's, or vertical wrinkles in-between the eyebrows. Botox may take up to 2 weeks before the maximum effect. While most patients respond to typical doses, some patients require more Botox than others. Lastly, Botox may not completely eliminate the facial wrinkles and complimentary treatments such as Restylane or Juvederm may be required. Other options may include skin care, subcision, dermabrasion, or chemical peel. Only after... more

Houtan Chaboki, MD
Washington DC Facial Plastic Surgeon

Why Didn't Botox Work on my 11's?

There are a small subset of patients'11's that need additional Botox therapy and filler to teach the area. There is a stronger muscle component and deep set creases in the dermis working in unision. So treatment should include Botox + filler for the higher chances of success.

Darryl J. Blinski, MD
Miami Plastic Surgeon

Botox for "11" lines

Without an exam it is hard to say. How is it being injected, what is the problem the depressions are still there? IS the muscle moving? These are some of the things I would like to know. Sometimes with very deep lines, the botox blocks the muscle but these deep dermal depressions that are etched do not flatten too much. These can take a series of treatments and sometimes "off-label" use of a filler may help.

Steven Wallach, MD
Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

Botox effect on the glabellar area

There are several reasons that your Botox was not as effective. Your lines may be engrained in your skin and will take successive treatments. The best way to tell if the Botox is working or not is to try and scowl or frown. If you cannot make that movement while looking in the mirror, then the Botox indeed worked but it may take repeated injections for the lines to eventually fade out. Another option would be to consider some filler in there in addition to the Botox to maximize the effect.... more

Scott Trimas, MD
Jacksonville Facial Plastic Surgeon

A photo would be very helpful for answering this question.

Dear Veggieeater First if you just got more BOTOX, you should wait another 10 days before throwing in the towel. Also you have not stated how much BOTOX you reiceived. This is measured in units, not areas, or syringes. The fact that the doctor reinjected you suggests that they are not being totally straight forward with you. FInd out how much BOTOX you have actually be treated with. Also there are some people who don't just have a muscle line but they... more

Kenneth D. Steinsapir, MD
Los Angeles Oculoplastic Surgeon

Botox only works for a certain type of wrinkles

Botox works by relaxing muscles. Any lines that you have that get worse when you make an expression (like furrow your brows) should be better with a proper Botox treatment. However it only improves the lines back to their relaxed state. In other words, if you have lines when not making the expression, that line will not be improved with Botox. Many people with lines between their brows (11's) have a combination of problems. They have lines when they are relaxed, but they get worse... more

Marc Cohen, MD
Philadelphia Oculoplastic Surgeon

Botox should work for 11's

I am sorry to hear about your personal and financial frustration with your treatment. There are multiple reasons for a poor result: injection technique, reconstitution method (adding the saline to the Botox bottle), dose, and a few others. Without knowing the dose or the technical approach, I would say it is difficult to know exactly what the problem is. You may want to consider a second opinion or if you trust the person you are working with, it may be a bad bottle or you just... more