Extremely Painful Botox Injections Doctor Answers, Tips
Botox: Q&A
Ask a Question

Extremely Painful Botox Injections

I had my first ever botox injections yesterday and the injections were extremely painful! Is this normal? I read in different fora that they are not supposed to be very painful. The pain I had while getting the injections was penetrating and sometimes even extended to the head. Is it possible that the young doctor who did it was not experienced enough or injected the botox too fast? Please enlighten me. Thank you.

Tags:
12 Doctor Answers | Asked by 19103 in Ugong Norte, F2
+1

Botox should not be very painful

Several factors may have caused your pain. Since it was your first time, you may have been anxious. Women are more sensitive to pain during their menstrual cycle. Methods your doctor can use to relieve discomfort include: using preserved saline for reconstitution of Botox using a very small, sharp needle slow, more superficial rather than deep injections pre-treating the areas with ice applying an anesthetic cream a few minutes before the... more
+1

Prevent painful Botox injection

If you consider having another Botox treatment, you may ask your doctor to rub an ice cube on the injection site for a few seconds to briefly numb it up.
+1

Botox and "Beauty" Pain

Overall Botox injections are not very painful.  A very small needle is used and most patient tolerate the procedure extremely well.  There is a very small percentage of patients that do not  tolerate any pain well.  For these patients pretreatment with a topical anesthetic might be necessary.  It is very uncommon, but a few people require it even for the most minor procedures.

You might also like...

Real Stories

Botox Treatment - Day One - Mclean, VA

This is my first treatment. My Doctor used 20 units to treat the vertical lines between my...

Before + After Photos

View 430 Botox photos
+1

Should Botox Hurt?

Hello 19103.  Generally speaking our patients do not have trouble with pain from Botox injections.  As has been suggested by another practitioner, it may have something to do with the gauge (size) of the needle, normally very small needles are used for Botox.  We also periodically have a patient that uses a cold pack for a few seconds at the injection sites and this helps numb the area temporarily before the injection. A steady and gentle hand can also help minimize... more
+1

Botox and pain

Everyone repsonds differently to botox injections. Most patients tolerate it very well without topical anesthetic.  Still some require topical and still feel uncomfortable. But I would say in the majority they do not complain that it was painful.
+1

Botox injections should cause minimal discomfort

Botox injections should not be painful. Pain during the injections may be due to cold temperature, improper technique (injecting too deep or a rapid injection), or a large needle. I use a 31 gauge needle, and my patients never experience any discomfort with Botox injections. Delivering a pain-free treatment is part of the 'art' of Botox injections.
+1

Botox not very painful if done gently

Several factors will lead to a fairly comfortable experience. First the needle should be very small. Injections should be slow and NOT deep onto the bone. In addition - botox is refrigerated, and the syringe should be brought closer to body temperature immediately prior to its use. Having said that, pain tolerance is very subjective and there is some degree of uncertainty.
+1

Painful injections of botox

Botox injections can be painful due to several reasons: large needles (the ones to use are 30G needles), too deep of injections (Botox injections should be injected in the upper part of the muscles not against the bone), too rapid of an injections (slow injections of a small volumes are less painful than large volumes of Botox), and finally if the needle did hit a small nerve the pain can radiate to the top of the head. Your doctor should know the path of such nerves to avoid hitting... more
+1

Botox injections typically are not very painful

slow injections, small needles and not too deep an injection should make botox injections not very painful.  If the bone were touched by the needle deeply, or the injection very quick or the needle larger than necessary then the injections might be more painful. botox should be diluted prior to use and if the diluent used was not the water that should be but some other solution, then maybe it hurt more for that reason.
+1

Painful Botox injections

There are several reasons for this. Occasionally the Botox can be refrigerated and cause pain due to the temperature difference. Other reasons include the dliuent; the preservative in the saline and buffered preparation may actually make it less painful. Numerous smaller volume injections versus larger bolus injections may also diminish the pain. In any event, it is possible to irritate a nerve which can cause pain that radiates to the forehead or scalp.
+1

Botox should not be painful

Painful Botox injection most likely due to a dull needle. Often when drawing up the injection, the needle can be dulled, which adds to the discomfort of the injection.
+1

Painful Botox

Everything  that you mention is possible. Every time you have a stick even with a tiny needle bleeding occurs under the skin and muscle. This bleeding afterwards causes pain and swelling.  Furthermore it is possible to have heavyness and tightness  all over your head after botox injections. It is also possible that you may have bruised by now as well.  It is also possible that it was your first time and you were too sensitive to it. Anyhow things wil get better in a... more
Doctors will not see your comments on their answers. If you'd like to follow up, please go here to ask another question.

Comments (3)

botoxpain 12 Sep 2012
Yesterday I received botox injection for my crows feet. I have had several other botox treatments but this was by far the most Painful!! Why? What the botox not mix correctly? Can it be attributed to the wrong dilution?
botoxpain 12 Sep 2012
Yesterday I received botox injection for my crows feet. I have had several other botox treatments but this was by far the most Painful!! Why? What the botox not mix correctly? Can it be attributed to the wrong dilution?
almian 3 Aug 2012
I found your post while searching for the same answers. I just had my second botox session and it was extremely painful!! I've had two brain surgeries and would rather do them again than another botox session. My doctor has been doing them for ten years so I don't know why it hurts so badly. I know it's frustrating reading that they aren't 'supposed to' hurt. I hurt my husband because I squeezed his hand so hard during the injections. I don't know why it hurts so much for some people but you are not alone.

Ask a Question

Welcome Back

Sign in with Facebook

Your information remains private and will not be posted without your permission.

Forgot your password?

Don't have an account? Create one now.

Join RealSelf

Join with Facebook

Your information remains private and will not be posted without your permission.

Please enter a valid email address
 Did you mean ?

By creating an account, you are indicating that you have read and accept the RealSelf Terms of Use.

Already a member? Sign In.

Retrieve your password

Enter your username or email address and we will send you a link to login.

Check your email

Check your email. We've sent you a link to reset your password.

Ok