Too Much Botox in Smokers Lines - No Movement, Cannot Speak Properly

I usually only recommend 1-2 units of botox (which is a very small amount) in each quadrant around the mouth.  It sounds like your injector might have been a bit too generous with the amount.  It will settle with time, but I'm not aware of any particular treatments to make it go away more quickly. Hang in there!

 

All the best

If you just want to get rid of wrinkles then Botox may help. Very few units are required. If too much is administered incorrectly, the movement of the lips will be affected and the result will look abnormal and you'll have difficulty moving your lips. Fortunately, you'll find that your lips will assume their natural movement as the effects of the Botox wear off. 

No worries, the botox effect will begin to lessen. Often for the first week or two movement can feel funny. Lip lines are challenging. Because they are caused by muscle movement , botulinum toxin injections are one means to work on them.

 Fillers are the other option, and sometime I will use them both. Laser resurfacing if you are fair may be a longer term option as well.

 Hang in there

It is possible that you were over-injected, but it is a little unusual that you would be experiencing such dramatic changes at 24 hours.  It usually takes a little longer than that.  That could be good or bad for you.  Some of our patients report a feeling of numbness and heaviness on day one that resolves over the coming days.  If that is your case then your results may still be OK.  If however you have only partial onset of the results and they are going to increase over the next few days the symptoms may get worse.  Luckily whatever the result it will be temporary.  In regards to your overall question, botox is rarely the answer for smokers lines.  It is a good treatment in addition to fillers or skin resurfacing, but rarely suffices by itself.  That may not be that good of news either, but at least its honest. 

I would agree with the other physicians and say that you were probably over-injected in your lips.  The good news is that the effects should resolve; the bad news is that it may take several weeks to a month for this to happen. 

Some injectors have actually gone back and added a little filler to the lips to increase stiffness which may help.  Otherwise, the only thing to do is to be patient and let it wear off.

I hope that helps!

G'day Hails,

The lip should only recieve about one unit of Botox in each of the four quadrants for the treatment of smokers lines.  Even at top price, 4 units of Botox may run about $60.  Sounds like you have been given too much Botox in your lips.  Unfortunately nothing to do until it wears off, but should give you ample time to find an injecting physician who knows what they are doing.

Good luck and be well

Dr. P

The lip muscle is very sensitive to Botox and it takes very few units to make it move less. When I inject Botox into the lip for improvement in the vertical lines, I do not do it to make all the lines go away, but use it to minimize the contraction of the muscle so the fillers last longer. I do not inject it in actors, public speakers, singers, wind instrument musicians, etc. Unfortunately, you probably will develop more immobilization in the next week. You will need to hold up your upper lip with one hand when trying to brush your teeth. Your upper teeth won't show when you smile. It will be hard for you to drink, eat, kiss, pronounce several letters and whistle. The good news is that it will go away and it's not permanent, the bad news is that there's nothing medically available that's suitable as a treatment to make it go away faster.

Well, this is the reason why I caution so much against Botox around the month unless done very sparingly and only by Botox experts.  Filler and Botox are not equivalent.  Botox is great around the eyes, between the eyebrows and in the forehead to reduce dynamic (moving) wrinkles.  Filler are great for increasing volume and smoothing moderate and thin wrinkles.  At this point, rest assured that Botox is always temporary but it may take several weeks to months to wear off.  

 

Good Luck.

Unfortunately, your post describes why Botox in the upper lip is not a great idea.  Although it can minimize the vertical upper lip lines if performed properly, it often comes with functional compromise, tilting the risk/reward ration in the wrong direction.  Although fillers are more expensive, they typically lead to a very nice result without adverse sequellae.

Botox does not usually cause numbness. However, it can weaken the muscles that purse the lips and cause or aggravate the smokers lines. A small amount about 4-6 units in the upper lip is a good starting dose. You may have recieved more. There is no way to reverse it.