Got Botox injections with makeup still on injection site. Should I be concerned?

It is not necessary to remove your makeup but it is a bit unusual for the injector to not swab the area with alcohol wipes before injecting.  That said, it is doubtful you will have any problems.  If you like the results from the injections and had good rapport with the dermatologist, you should mention this to her or her staff on your next visit.

Thank you for your question. Although it is not necessary to remove all of your makeup before your Botox injections, the site should be cleaned prior administration. However, the chance of this causing any problems or infection is very small. Do not worry, but If you have any problems such as unusual redness or discomfort, contact your provider. You may want to bring this up at your next Botox session, especially if you notice your dermatologist is again not prepping the injection site.

We do not request removal of make up (unless it is very thick) when delivering Botox. However, when injecting fillers we do remove all make up and advice patients not to put make up for 24 h after filler injection. Hope this helps. Goof luck.

Thank you for sharing your excellent question.  For any facial injectable treatment the skin should be prepared appropriately to reduce the chance of infection and other complications. It is routine to remove makeup and skin oil prior to sterilizing the skin.  That said the risks for you are small, but alert your injector to what took place, and if you have any symptoms different than your previous Botox treatments. 

It is best practice for the treated area to be cleaned prior to injection. There is a small chance that not doing so could lead to irritation or infection at the site. I would not worry about it unless you notice concerns.

Your provider should always clean the treatment area before injecting Botox.  That being said, it is very unlikely that your makeup will have any effect on the results of your Botox.  Contact your physician if you notice any unusual swelling, redness or tenderness over the next few days.

Hello. Using some type of skin cleanser is advised, you probably will be OK. But this does point out some concerns, which you must evaluate.Good luck.

We always clean the area before the injections and generally use alcohol for Botox and other more involved cleansers for deeper cosmetics such as Voluma. Please consult a expert in Botox for the best cosmetic injections.  Best, Dr. Green

Thank you for your question katherinetg. I understand your concern. Botox is a purified protein used to address wrinkles associated with facial expression. When injected into the skin Botox will relax the muscles and smoothen out the overlying wrinkles. The most common areas of treatment are in the upper face. These include the horizontal lines seen on the upper forehead when one raises the brows, the vertical lines seen between the brows when one frowns (frown lines), and the crow's feet seen around the eyes when one smiles.
It is difficult to make an assessment without a formal exam where the entire medical history is reviewed. However, I hope the information provided here is useful.In our office we have all patients wash off all makeup completely in the area to be treated before a Botox treatment. Then we clean the area with alcohol. This decreases the risk for infection. Although this risk is higher with fillers, I prefer to be as cautious as possible to avoid any possible infections.The safety record of Botox is well established. The product has been used for over 20 years for a variety of treatments with minimal side effects. Botox is amongst the safest treatments for treating facial wrinkles.

While Botox is one of the safest treatments offered, there are some situations where it is not appropriate. These include anyone who has an allergy to any of the inactive ingredients or who has had an allergic reaction to any botulinum product including Botox, Dysport, Xeomin, or Myobloc. The safety and efficacy of Botox has not been established in women who are pregnant, trying to become pregnant, or breast feeding. Therefore, women in these categories are advised to wait until breast feeding is completed prior to having a Botox treatment. Botox should not be placed in the skin on the site of an infection. Those who are taking an aminoglycoside antibiotic, an anesthetic, D-penicillamine, antimalarials, or immunosuppressants should not be treated, nor should those who have undergone chemotherapy within the previous six months. It is important to avoid blood thinners before and after a treatment. These include both prescription and non-prescription medications such as warfarin (coumadin), aspirin, ibuprofen, alcohol, fish oil, vitamin E, and ginko biloba. Those with conditions that affect muscles and nerves such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease), myasthenia gravis, or Lambert-Eaton syndrome should not undergo Botox treatments.With any injection, there are risks such as pain, bleeding, bruising, redness, swelling, tenderness, and infection. We take special precautions to minimize these risks such as using a painless technique. We also treat bruises with a laser as early as the next day. Bruises usually resolve within two weeks if untreated. After a laser treatment bruises usually resolve in 1-3 days, but may still take two weeks for full resolution. In addition to these risks, with Botox there is also a risk that the product spreads or diffuses to nearby structures. Spread to nearby muscles can lead to side effects such as the temporary appearance of droopy eyelids or a temporary asymmetric smile.

After a Botox treatment, I recommend that my patients avoid heat exposure, alcohol consumption, and strenuous exercise for 24 hours and not lie down flat for four hours. This is because all of these activities may possibly lead to the movement of the product and consequent side effects such as droopy eyelids. Although there have been no definitive studies shown that these actually occur and some physicians do not provide such aftercare instructions, in the absence of data I err on the side of caution and recommend that my patients avoid such activities.

Please consult with a doctor for specific recommendations. Good luck!

Good question.  We generally cleanse the area to be injected with an alcohol wipe first which would remove the makeup.  However, it’s unlikely that there would be any adverse effects from injections through makeup.