Why Does Exercise Cause Botox to Wear Off Faster?

I have had several anecdotal cases of Botox wearing off sooner than expected in patients that perform excessive, vigorous exercise. One example that comes to mind is an aerobics instructor and her mother. I injected both of them the same day with the same vial: 50units to each patient. The aerobics instructor's Botox started losing significant effect in 6 weeks, but her mom's Botox-effect lasted the expected duration.

Fortunately this has not been a common occurrence, and I'm not sure why it may occur.

There is no viable evidence to suggest that Botox wears off faster in patients who lead a more active
lifestyle. As with any other procedure, however, it is advisable that a recovering patient allow 6 hours
healing time before resuming physical training. There have been no scientific studies proving that
exercise deteriorates Botox treatments.

I am not certain if this is a widely held belief but it does appear that the botulinum effect does dissipate faster in areas of increased muscle activity such as around the eyelid muscles.

I am not aware that exercise will make Botox wear off more quickly. We ask our patients not to exercise immediately after the Botox is injected to minimize bruising and potential shifting of the product in the first several hours.

Exercise does not cause Botox to wear off faster. I ask my patients not to perform vigorous activity after Botox or Dysport injections to avoid dispersion of the substance into unwanted areas. From El Paso. 

At this time there are no studies, investigational or otherwise, that has revealed a compromise in Botox longevity with exercise. There are post-procedural recommendations which include exercise restrictions in the immediate time after treatment so as to prevent migration of the toxin to other muscle groups that are not of interest.


Be healthy and be well,James M. Ridgway, MD, FACS

The answer is that there is no proof showing that exercise affects Botox longevity.  Botox duration of cosmetic benefit is typically 3 months.

Hi Detroit.  We have not heard that exercise will cause Botox to wear off faster.  Where did you get this information?

What we do tell our patients is that strenuous activity for several hours after injection may induce dispersion of the Botox to a larger area that is intended so we ask our patients not to work out vigorously immediately after their injections.

There is no evidence that Botox wears off faster in those who exercise. Botox commonly lasts 3-4 months. Overall, the longevity results depend on each individual or patient’s genetic makeup.

As far as I know, there are no published studies to support the notion that exercise has an adverse effect on botox duration.