Botox - How Long Before Numbness and Drooping Wears Off?

Fortunately the results are completely reversible...be patient and you will return to normal. There are eye drops that may help temporarily to stimulate your upper eyelid muscle to contract and raise your eyelid if the droopiness is due to a direct effect on the eyelid muscle. If, however, it is due to an imbalance of your eyebrow raising/lowering (forehead) muscles, then the drops will not work.
You may have the impression that you cannot "feel" your lip, but Botox does not effect the nerves that carry sensation, rather only the nerves that carry the signals to muscles to move.
You don't have to give up on ever having Botox again, just be sure that you discuss your recent results thoroughly with your (next) treating physician.

The good news is that this is NOT permanent, and you will likely NOT have to wait 8 months...You are discussing a number of symptoms so let's discuss each:In terms of the lip function (whistling, eating, drinking, etc.) -- although it usually takes 3-4 months for the effects of the Botox to wear off,  it typically tends to last less around the mouth.In terms of the eyelid droop, this too does not last as long as the full duration of the Botox.  It should return sooner.  Fortunately, the eyelid droop tends to last shorter because the full Botox dose doesn't usually diffuse into the muscle that elevates the eyelid.In terms of the forehead and lip sensation, it feels weird because the muscle function in that area was targeted by the Botox.  Botox, in and of itself, does not affect the receptors that govern sensation.  It may "feel weird" in that area because the muscles are paralyzed by the Botox, but the surface skin sensation should be normal.So what options do you have in treatment...A droopy eye-LID due to Botox can be treated with Apraclonidine eye-drops which can provide a small (2mm) improvement -- Apraclonidine 0.5, 1-2 drops, 3 times per day. Make sure you put in one drop at a time, tilt your head back, and close your eyes to make sure none of the eye-drop leaks out.Be sure your prescribing physician discusses all the potential side-effects of the drops, such as "adrenaline-like" symptoms like anxiety or heart pounding; you may also experience eye irritation, eye dryness, and eye pain, amongst other symptoms. If these symptoms occur, you will likely need to take some lubricating eye drops, lower the dose, switch the eye-drops, or stop the drops altogether...In the future, be sure to seek the services of an experienced physician injector. I think the key with Botox lies in truly understanding the anatomy of the injected area, and more importantly the variability in the anatomy between patients -- for brows, the forehead, and anywhere else you plan on receiving a Botox injection. This includes having a firm understanding of the origin, insertion, and action of each muscle that will be injected, the thickness of each muscle targeted, and the patient variability therein. As an aesthetic-trained plastic surgeon, I am intrinsically biased since I operate in the area for browlifts and facelifts, and have a unique perspective to the muscle anatomy since I commonly dissect under the skin and see the actual muscles themselves. For me, this helps guide where to inject and where not to. However, with that said, I know many Dermatologists who know the anatomy well despite not operating in that area, and get great results.Good luck.

Botox
injections are associated with high levels of patient satisfaction and low
complication rates. Unfortunately complications related to migration of botox
can occasionally occur. Migration of 
botox can result in a droopy upper eyelid and weakness of the upper
lips. Botox only affects motor nerves, it doesn't affect sensory nerves. For
this reason, numbness of the forehead and lip can't be explained by the use of
botox.

When eyelid and
lip symptoms occur following the use of botox it usually takes about 4 to 8
weeks for spontaneous resolution. This varies depending upon the amount of
botox given and the strength of the underlying muscles.

When patients
are unwilling to wait for spontaneous resolution several options are available.
These include eye drops which partially reverse the impact of botox. These
include the eye drops Alphagen and Lodysine. Both are associated with excellent
clinical responses and high levels of patient satisfaction. Unfortunately,
there are no treatments currently available for lip weakness.

If you've
developed eyelid sag and lip weakness following botox it's important to consult
a board-certified plastic surgery. This surgeon should be able to make an appropriate recommendation.

I’m sorry to hear that
happened to you. For your eyelid droop,
there is a prescription eye drop (Iopidine 0.5%) that you can get from a physician to help
alleviate the droop within a few weeks to a month. About your upper lip, because the Botox
causes the muscle in your upper lip to relax, some people find it difficult to
drink, whistle, and eat certain foods that require you to purse your lips. The
effects of Botox in the upper lip often resolve sooner than 3-4 months, because
we use our mouths non-stop throughout the day. Some people do experience a sensation
of numbness from the Botox, and this should also resolve completely, but it may
take 3-4 months for this as well.

The great thing about Botox is that it always goes away.  The bad thing is that it may take several weeks to months.  Please make sure that you are injected by an experienced board certified physician.  Good luck.

Botox has very few side effects; however, one of the most troubling to patients is when an eyelid droops. This side effect is rare and happens less than 1% of the time. The drooping eyelid syndrome is not permanent. It will most likely wear off before the Botox does. If eyelid drooping starts three to four days after the injection, it will most likely last three to six weeks. If the drooping begins four to six days after the injection, it should go away faster. In the time it takes to wear off, the doctor might prescribe a medication by way of an eye drop that may reduce the drooping.

full function should return in about four to five months maximum after drooping from Botox being placed too low on the forehead. The lip will elevate sooner probably but still around three months after the injections. I have not heard of numbness from Botox.

Hi Shawneesbrat. It sounds like the practitioner that just injected is lacking in the experience column. The good news is that you will not have to wait 8 months for resolution of your problem.
We have found that Botox wears off most quickly around the mouth, so we think that you should have feeling and movement back in about three months. The droopy eyelids may take a bot longer, but they too will respond before 8 months, more likely returning to normal in about 4 months.

Sorry to hear about your results. When BOTOX Cosmetic is administered correctly by a trained and experienced injector, there should be a very low chance of adverse results. From what it sounds like, I would check the credentials of this new injector and see what type of experience they actually have with the use of BOTOX.

 

Because BOTOX affects motor nerves, it is rare to have numbness following treatment. The droopy eyelid might be able to be treated depending on whether it is a drooping eyelid or a drooping brow. You should see the treating physician and have he/she address this. If they are not comfortable treating this adverse outcome, ask them to recommend someone who is. As for the drooling, treatment around the mouth can be tricky and overtreatment can lead to inability to form a tight seal of the lips and, ultimately, drooling. This will fortunately wear off but it may take several weeks to a few months to see a difference. One thing that can be useful is to have a small amount of Juvederm or Restylane injected around the borders of your mouth to effectively stiffen the lip somewhat. This can sometimes help with closure.

I am not aware of Botox causing numbness. These symptoms that you describe are due to the effects of Botox done badly. It will wear off completely in 3 months. Sadly there are no quick fixes.