What Happens After Botox Cosmetic Wears Off?

asked 4 years ago by anon
Latest answer by Kris M. Reddy, MD, FACS
Question viewed 6,871 times
Tags: long-term, results, wear off

One of my girlfriends told me she heard that Botox Cosmetic can actually make your wrinkles look worse after the Botox injections wear off. Is this true? I've never experienced this, but a lot of people I know are saying it.

11 answers to What Happens After Botox Cosmetic Wears Off?

Does Botox make wrinkles worse?

Botox will not cause your wrinkles to worsen after injection. If anything, I think your friend's memory may be the culprit. We have had a few patients say to us that they think they are worse off after their Botox wears off until they see their before photo. Once the before photos are evaluated, this is never the case. Botox may actually have you looking better even after it's worn off because it can cause some muscle shrinkage in the injection areas which in turn can lead to wrinkles that... more

Harold J. Kaplan, MD
Los Angeles Facial Plastic Surgeon

www.celibre.com

Botox is temporary

Botox is wonderful but temporary. You will never look worse after Botox wears off. I find that patients often get used to how wonderful they look when they have Botox and after it wears off they are dissappointed and think that they "look worse" when it really is only their original wrinkles returning.

Michele S. Green, MD
New York Dermatologist

Botox will NOT worsen your wrinkles

That’s not the case. Unfortunately, when your Botox wears off after 3 to 6 months, your wrinkles will start to reappear slowly. You should ask your physician to see your before botox pictures. It’s amazing how quickly we all forget how we looked prior to any cosmetic treatments.

Bruce Katz, MD
New York Dermatologic Surgeon

BOTOX after it has worn off

I have heard this concern from a few patients and can't quite figure out where this is coming from. There is no basis whatsoever for this comment. BOTOX begins wearing off after 3-6 months, and the wrinkles slowly begin to return, though less and less with each treatment session. I have heard the same comment/concern regarding fillers and it is baseless here as well.

Benjamin Barankin, MD
Toronto Dermatologic Surgeon

Botox is not known to worsen wrinkles

There is no logical reason why your wrinkles would look worse after the Botox wears off. It is most likely that the individual has become accustomed to the relaxed appearance of the Botox treated face (and forgot what the wrinkles looked like) and when the product has dissapated they are suddenly shocked by the reappearance of their wrinkles.

Otto Joseph Placik, MD
Chicago Plastic Surgeon

What happens when Botox wears off

After Botox wears off in 3 to 6 months, wrinkles will reappear. Patients start to view themselves with the improved manner, and get a jolt when they return to their pretreatment state.

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

www.drkrisreddy.com

After Botox Wears Off

After Botox wears off, the original wrinkles remain in the original depth and size. If the wrinkles do look worse, it is most likely due to sun damage as opposed to the Botox injection. Excessive exposure to UV rays will damage the collagen that is responsible for keeping the skin firm and elastic. If the skin has received a substantial amount of UV exposure during the 3-4 month period, then yes, it is likely that the skin will look worse once the Botox has worn off. more

Sanusi Umar, MD
Redondo Beach Dermatologic Surgeon

When Botox wears off, facial muscles will regain activity

In most people the effects of Botox treatments last approximately 3 months. When the effects wear off, the muscles will regain activity and function as if you had never had the treatment in the first place. If you had a wrinkle that was visible before you had Botox, it may have smoothed away during the time that the Botox was working. When it wears off that line may be gone, but it will eventually return. In that respect, you may look better after your Botox, but because the aging... more

Jordana Gilman, MD
New York Dermatologic Surgeon

Botox Cosmetic treatments do NOT worsen wrinkles

The line "One of my girlfriends told me she heard ..." is as cliche as "It was a dark, cold night... and as worn out. Botox causes a temporary paralysis of the muscle areas into which it is injected. Since the muscle CANNOT shorten, it cannot wrinkle the overhead skin and that is how the wrinkles are smoothed. When the nerve endings re-attach to the muscle, nerve impulses resume, the muscle shorten again and wrinkles re-appear. BUT the longer the period of paralysis lasts, the les more

Peter A. Aldea, MD
Memphis Plastic Surgeon

Botox will not worsen wrinkles after the blockade wears off.

In the time that the muscles are blocked by botox, their bulk tends to wither, so quite the converse, the wrinkles should not get worse. We've seen this effect many times, as individuals treat with Botox and either use less units (and come the same number of times per year) or use the same number of units but come less frequently. The underlying muscles never reattach to the overlying skin to produce the depth of the wrinkle, unless you only try Botox once. Hope this helps. Good luck.... more

Lavinia Chong, MD
Orange County Plastic Surgeon

Not true!

This is simply not true. When the Botox wears off the expression lines will of course return. But they should be no worse than they were before the treatment was given.