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Is It Normal for the Forehead to Bulge Slightly After Botox Treatment, or is This Residual Swelling? (Photos)

asked 8 months ago by Ruca in Hayward, CA
Latest answer by Ronald Shelton, MD
Question viewed 770 times
Tags: forehead, female, normal, swelling

Had 1st injections Wed.: 20 units in Glabulla, 12 in forehead. Thurs. morning had throbbing pain + swollen to the point of disfigurin. It's now Sat.: pain mostly gone, forehead evened out, but clearly a mild bulging--does not look/feel natural (outline of treated muscles is visible). Is this residual swell, or is Botox supposed to add 'fullness' to treated muscles? I dislike this look, & want forehead flat. I still have a lot of movement, mostly lateral brows, where there is no bulging at all.

10 answers to Is It Normal for the Forehead to Bulge Slightly After Botox Treatment, or is This Residual Swelling? (Photos)

+1

Is bulging from the Botox?

If this outcome continues beyond several days, it would be best to have your injector evaluate you. As Dr. Blinski suggested, your photos appear to indicate that you may benefit from additional Botox to key msucles that may have become hyperactive. "Bulging" is quite different from swelling, and you may find that a much smoother, natural appearance may be achieved by returning to your injector.
Harold J. Kaplan, MD

Los Angeles Facial Plastic Surgeon

www.celibre.com

+2

Combination of swelling and need for additional injections

Hi Ruca, I agree with most of the advice you have been given here. While swelling can certainly be present after botox injections it is typically located only in the areas where the needle is inserted. While a hematoma (collection of blood under the skin) is possible it is not very common and unlikely to be the case when looking at your photos. i think there is a good chance that by the time you read this the "bulging" will have settled itself out but if not please do... more
Kamran Jafri, MD

New York Facial Plastic Surgeon
+2

Botox relaxes muscle

Botox is injected into the muscle. It can be common to sometimes see slight swelling at each injection site, resembling a mosquito bite. The swelling subsides after minutes and typically does not last for days. By looking at your photos, it looks as though your lateral brows are still quite active and may need a touch-up dose of Botox to relax them. This may help transition the area you are seeing between the treated and un-treated areas on the forehead. more
Boris Volshteyn, MD, MS

Reno Plastic Surgeon
+2

Bulge

All of my Botox patients see a bulge at the injection site that only lasts about 20 minutes. My guess is that you have a little bleeding causing the swelling and that should go away. Don't expect to see the results you want for 4-10 days
David A. Bray, Sr., MD

Los Angeles Facial Plastic Surgeon
+2

Is It Normal for the Forehead to Bulge Slightly After Botox Treatment, or is This Residual Swelling? (Photos)

Dear Ruca, Botox injection normally causes mild swelling of the treated area that usually dissipates within several minutes. Bruising is also possible but relatively uncommon. Botox injection does not add fullness to the treated area nor should it cause any other swelling. Looking at your pictures, it appears that you may need additional treatment of your lateral forehead. I would suggest returning to your physician for an evaluation and possible touchup. Botox is a simple... more
Larry Fan, MD

San Francisco Plastic Surgeon
+1

Swelling after botox

Swelling after Botox on the forehead, is usually minimal and centers around the needle insertions but it is very rare to swell a lot. Some factors for increased swelling may be more trauma, more dilution volume, technique, or your personal immune system's reaction (some people have excessive swelling to slight stimuli, dermatographia, pressure urticaria) but swelling goes away. If too much of the forehead is treated, then the "mask"-like forehead can take four months to... more
Ronald Shelton, MD

Manhattan Dermatologist
+1

"Bad Botox" - Bulging Forehead After Botox Treatment, or is This Residual Swelling? (Photos)

Facial Animation, the expressions which makes us human and convey the full range of sadness, anger, curiosity, joy, happiness and sexuality derive their name from ANIMA or soul. In being able to convey expression we manifest that we have a soul and have the full range of human feelings. The goal of Botox is NOT to erase our ability to express emotion but ONLY to smooth out certain wrinkles while still retaining others along with a human appearance. When being treated by an injector with... more
Peter A. Aldea, MD

Memphis Plastic Surgeon
+1

It can happen.

Hello, Depending on the dilution of botox used, one can have residual swelling for a short time. Your forehead looks fairly still in your photos except for the lateral brow where no botox was placed. Several possible explanations for your experience could be: mild bleeding with swelling, residual swelling that will resolve, relaxation of the muscles into a more expanded position making forehead look fuller, etc. I would just give it time to see what happens. After... more
Manish H. Shah, MD

Denver Plastic Surgeon
+1

Fort Lauderdale Botox

Placement is an art. I feel that a touch up is definitely due, however I feel that your frontal is in the most medial portion was over treated resulting in visualization of the underlying frontal bone.
Will Richardson, MD

Fort Lauderdale Dermatologic Surgeon
+1

Is It Normal for the Forehead to Bulge Slightly After Botox Treatment, or is This Residual Swelling

Sorry I disagree with the previous expert posters. If the "bulging" is more noticeable on contraction of the forehead muscles (frontalis) than it bulge is the lateral residual muscle functioning causes the appearance of a bulge. This is shown by the series of posted photos. Therapy is either more BOTOX, laterally, or allow the injected BOTOX to wear off.
Darryl J. Blinski, MD

Miami Plastic Surgeon

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