Botox after care? What are the true after care instructions with Botox? why can't you lay your head down and no exercise?

I have never restricted my patients from dong anything after botox and nothing bad has ever happened.  Best, Dr. Emer.

The
only after care is not to exercise or get your heart rate
above 100 for the first 90 minutes. After that you are able to do anything you
want.There
are a lot of myths about not lying down and not exercising for a couple of
days.

Each Plastic Surgeon or Dermatologist may have different post injection protocols.  We do not have patients activate or exercise their facial muscles any more.  We do not want them to massage the treated areas, or do any vigorous exercise for 24 hours after the injection.  The risk is that the Botox could migrate or spread from the injection site, so anything that can reduce the spread for the first 24 hours or so is a good idea.Best!Dr Bengtson

Thank you for this question.  I would say that chances are you will be fine to lay down after Botox.  However, the reason most people will say don't lay down for four hours afterwards is to minimize the chance of the product spreading.  I tend to use a very concentrated form of Botox and Dysport to minimze the change of spreading.  I tend to emphasize to may patients to avoid things that will make them hot or sweaty such as strenuous activity, hot tubs, saunas, sun bathing, alcohol, etc.. to minimize the change of bruising.

Thank you for your question.  After Botox, I recommend for all my patients to try not to exercise or bend over for 4 hours after to prevent spreading of the Botox.  A gel pack applied to the site after the injection will help with the swelling.  Make sure you go to an expert Board Certified Physcian for your injection. best wishes

Basically,  it is recommended that you do not lie down without a pillow or two for 4-8 hours.  If the area injected is swollen or bruised to apply a cool pack to the area for 5-10 minutes.  Probably not a good idea to exercise within a few hours of Botox.  Otherwise, there are few restrictions.  There should be minimal, if any, migration or movement of the Botox once it is properly placed.  

We all have a little different aftercare for the Botox injections. We do like our patient to stay upright for 4 hours after the treatment. This is  still in  the Botox insert. It is felt to keep the product from migrating.We do ask you to move the muscles a few times after the treatment during the first hour. to be honest the patient probably does this a couple of times before they forget. To me the most important  things to do  is NOT to massage the treated areas. The doctor  may do a slight massage in certain areas...just let us do the massage. In addition I do not want the patient to do any physical exercise  the rest of the day after the treatment. i don't want the product to migrate or spread.

I find all the Botox after care protocols amusing.  I tell my patients that there are no restrictions after Botox because if one understands the pharmacokinetics of the product, they would not worry about reclining, exercising, taking a shower, wearing make-up, etc.  The complications related to Botox are almost exclusively due to poor injection technique and not to post-treatment activities.  I wouldn't advise running a marathon but a "normal" work-out is not a problem. After injection, Botox doesn't spread much from the injected area.  If it did then why does it take multiple injections into very small muscles to have an effect?  If it spread a lot, wouldn't one injection into the forehead take care of all the wrinkles there?  Everyone worries about the eyelid droop which is a true phenomenon but caused by injecting too low into the brow area above the eyelid where some of the Botox diffuses into the levator muscle of the upper lid.  So how does it follow that lying down is bad when in fact standing up should cause more gravitational drift into the upper eyelid?  Go ahead and lie down or go to the gym after Botox and you'll see that everything will be fine (provided you've been injected properly).

Remain upright and do not lay down for 4 hours after the treatment.
Avoid makeup for 2 hours to the treated area and apply gently for the rest of the day. Exaggerate facial expressions (30 times) in injected areas for 1 hr (squint, frown, raise eyebrows, smile).
Do not participate in any strenuous activity (straining, heavy lifting, vigorous exercise, saunas) for the rest of the day.
Feel free to shower (avoid hot showers) and go about most other regular daily activities.
Do not massage, scratch, apply heat or manipulate injection sites for 24 hours after your treatment. This includes facials, peels and microdermabrasion.
Cold compresses may be used immediately after treatment to reduce swelling only if needed. This may be applied for 3 minutes, 3 times per day, for up to 3 days. This is best done with a bag of peas in a zip lock bag. Only apply light pressure to the area. Only take Tylenol if you get a headache or migraine.

For about 4 hours after Botox, this is what I tell my patients:No hot tubs or saunasNo exercisingDo not rub areaDon't wear a hat if forhead injectedDon't get a massage where you head is in a doughnutIt might be beneficial to move the muscles more vigorously than normal in the ones you are trying to affectAfter that, no restrictions.