How long does it take for Botox to smooth out Frown lines?

I have been using Botox for aesthetic reasons since 1991. During that time I believe I have seen the entire range of response times to treatment. For most people this is typically between one to seven days following treatment, and much less commonly in my experience up to two or three weeks to see full effect. On a couple of occasions in the past twenty-five years, I have encountered patients who responded within hours of treatment, but as I said this is quite rare. Botox, as well as its competitor muscle relaxers, Dysport and Xeomin, all work to soften dynamic muscular movement, i.e. the movement of the muscles of facial expression, which in turn can help to prevent or slow the progression in the development of static wrinkles. These agents do not affect static wrinkles, i.e. wrinkles and creases in the skin that remain when the muscles are at rest. So, if lines persist at rest following Botox treatment, these are the creases left after years of emoting 1000+ times per day, every day, for years, and these, if so desired, may be additionally addressed with the use of fillers. Repeated Botox treatments, performed in a series of about four to six treatment sessions spaced at a fixed four month intervals, have been associated with achieving far more prolonged results, considerably longer than the usual four to six months, but they do not deal with wrinkles at rest that have already formed. Those, as I have mentioned, are best treated with the use of injectable fillers.

Thank you for your question. Botox takes approximately 1-2 weeks to full take effect on the treated muscles. It is impossible to say exactly how many Botox treatments will be warranted in order to smooth out the frown lines you are noticing. With that said, for many patients with deeper wrinkles, 1 Botox treatment may not be enough to provide visible improvement. In these cases, I usually supplement the Botox treatment with the addition of hyaluronic acid fillers, which can temporarily fill deeper creases until cumulative Botox treatments soften the lines over time. I recommend discussing these concerns with your injector and he/she may be able to offer other suggestions to address the lines you are worried about. Best of luck.

Botox works by temporarily weakening the muscles. Botox will take approximately 7-10 days before seeing the full effect. This effect lasts about 3-4  months. This should be done in the hands of a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon or Dermatologist with expertise in the use of neuromodulators such as Botox, Dysport, or Xeomin.