Is Botox Ever Permanent?

I have never seen the effects of botox to be permanent. Anything is possible but this is highly unlikely and in most instances, its effects should be competely dissipated by 6 months.

Botox effect lasts three months.  Although BOTOX itself is out of your body in a few hours, it takes about three months for the nerve endings to rebuild their ability to stimulate muscles.  Thus the effect of BOTOX is never permanent

Botox does not achieve permanent results. In a month or two, your pre-treatment smile will return so you don't have to worry!

Botox always wears off.  Different patients have different durations, but typically it wears off between 3 and 6 months.  Be patient for a while longer. 

Please don't be concerned. Botox is not permanent. If you had a significant number of units in the levator muscles of the upper lip to minimize the gummy smile effect, it may take up to four to even five months but it should resolve 100%.

The science of Botox is that it is a protein molecule that irreversibly binds to receptors used for muscle contraction. Theoretically, then, Botox should indeed be "permanent," right? Actually, every person's body makes new receptors, at slightly different rates, which is why Botox "lasts" longer for some and not others--those who make new receptors faster find their Botox "lasts less long," whereas those who make receptors more slowly have their Botox effect for a month or two longer.

You will eventually return to completely normal! This may take up to two or three more months, but should gradually get better over time as your body repopulates the receptors around your mouth. Next time, use less!

Hi Mistral.  We agree with the other practitioners that your smile should be back just as it once was as soon as the Botox wears off.  

We usually see less duration in the area you are speaking about, the upper lip.  Normally the Botox we inject in this area only lasts about 6-8 weeks, but it may be that we are injecting much smaller doses and hence the upper lip weakness you show in the after picture.  

Give it some more time and everything should work at as hoped. 

The effect of Botox to relax muscles is a temporary one. However, the longevity of the effect is dependent on a number of variables. The amount of Botox used can influence longevity, different patients have variable responses, different muscle groups recover function at different rates and to a lesser extent the technique of how the Botox is administered can influence the duration of effect. Using Botox in the lower portions of the face and neck can be very effective and worthwhile but requires more discussion, expert judgment and a good understanding of the potential benefits, limitations and side effects. This consultative approach is particularly important for treatments around the mouth because as you have experienced, small changes to the movement of this region are more noticeable to you and others. In some cases, the Botox effect may only last a few weeks where in others it can last 6 months or longer. We see similar variability in muscles around the eyes and for treatment of the neck muscles. The changes to your smile should recover over the next few months at which point you can consider whether you want to have this repeated and if so what changes to the treatment can be made to reduce or reproduce the effect.  Be patient and stay in touch with your Plastic Surgeon or Dermatologist.

Dr. Mosher

Very unlikely.  We tend to see longer duration with full dosage and one needs to get Botox 2-3 times per year where as Dysport seem to last longer in our practice. About twice per year. 

Botox provides only temporary results.  Rest assured that the results of Botox are NOT permanent.  The typical duration is 3-4 months.  Any side effect from Botox will be temporary and will resolve.  That's one of the reasons why Botox is such a SAFE treatment.  For most cosmetic patients, Botox should be the cornerstone of an effective and safe anti-aging treatment plan.