I had Botox on the forehead 1 wk ago. My lids look droopy but I'm scared to take iopodine drops. Any suggestions?

Question

I want a surgical eye lift in October. How long will this last? I have Hep b, and an autoimmune disease.

Donald B. Yoo, MD, FACS · Answer

Botox is not reversible, but it is temporary and will wear off in 2-4 months. Follow up closely with your surgeon to ensure the best results for your surgical procedure.

Jason Emer, MD · Answer

I suggest seeing an expert if you have eyebrow or eyelid drooping after botox as this will take 2-3 months to resolve, but luckily will fully resolve as botox treatment is temporary. Having an injector with experience is the most important. Best, Dr. Emer

Brian S. Biesman, MD · Answer

When patients complain of drooping eyelids after Botox, sometimes they are referring to fullness in their eyelids resulting from there are eyebrows dropping whereas other times the lid itself may be drooping.  I would recommend evaluation by an expert in facial aesthetics can help you determine why your lids look heavy and what your options may be for treatment.  Best of luck

Michael I. Echavez, MD · Answer

I would recommend waiting a bit more time and then re-evaluate any drooping of your upper eyelids after the Botox treatment to your forehead one week ago.  In many cases, there may be some initial droop that improves fairly quickly with more time.  I would wait maybe 3-4 weeks to see if it gets better.  Botox results usually last about 3-4 months but can last longer for some people.

Jeff Birchall, MD · Answer

The muscle that lifts your eyebrows is the same muscle that causes the horizontal lines of the forehead.  When using Botox in the upper forehead those lines relax but so can the eyebrows causing the "droopy" look you described.  Time is your friend and this will resolve.  Sometimes, treating the muscles in the glabella (between the eyebrows) and the crows feet can counteract the affect.  The forehead is one of the trickiest spots to get the dose "just right".  Too much and the brow droops, to little and you don't see the results you want.  Work with your provider to dial in the right dose for you.

Shaun Patel, MD · Answer

Sorry to hear about your experience. The first thing I would do is determine whether you have eyelid droop or eyeBROW droop. The latter is more common. Iopodine helps with eyelid ptosis but not with eyebrow ptosis. Eyebrow ptosis is commonly seen with over injection of the forehead (frontalis) muscle. This usually indicates poor assessment of the patient and poor injection technique. Either way the complication should resolve in 4-6 weeks in most cases. Iopodine is a safe drug and I would not have any hesitations prescribing it to a patient or myself were it needed.

Steven F. Weiner, MD · Answer

It is important to differentiate between brow and lid ptosis. Both make the eyes look heavy but the brows being lowered is much more common. A lid ptosis will leave the iris less apparent than before the injections. Also, lid ptosis is extremely rare bilaterally. Iopidine only works for lid ptosis. It is a safe drug and causes increased contracture of Meullers muscle and lifts the lid temporarily. It needs to be applied about every 4 hours. Lid ptosis will last up to 3-6 weeks as does brow ptosis.

Alex Eshaghian, MD, PhD · Answer

Thank you for your question Laura7. A rare side effect of Botox treatment is droopy eyelids. This occurs when treatment is performed in the forehead near the eyes. It is caused by movement of the Botox to a nearby muscle which lifts the lid. It is important to distinguish between a droopy brow and a droopy lid because eye drops will address a droopy lid, but not a droopy brow.Droopy eyelids typically resolve on their own within a few weeks after a treatment. It can be treated with apraclonidine (Iopidine) eye drops two to three times daily. The full effects of Botox usually last three to four months. Please consult with your doctor so that he/she can review your medical history and provide specific recommendations.

Jan Zemplenyi, MD · Answer

Hi Laura,The use of Botox in cosmetic surgery such as in your case, is to immobilize nerve impulses from reaching selected facial muscles in the forehead. It is then expected that the skin relaxes, smoothing facial lines and wrinkles in the affected areas. This could have triggered the droopy eyelids as numbness is a common side effect. While the results of Botox are expected soon after the injection, reaction times vary. It’s only been a week since your procedure. I would suggest that you give it some time for the full effect of the drug’s binding to its muscle receptor, to manifest more fully.  As for the iopidine drops, this is typically used for controlling/preventing high fluid pressure within the eye. You should not use it if you’re allergic to any ingredient in Iopidine drops or to similar medicines (eg, clonidine) or if you’re taking or have taken a monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitor (eg, phenelzine) within the last 2 week.

I had Botox on the forehead 1 wk ago. My lids look droopy but I'm scared to take iopodine drops. Any suggestions?

Answers (9)

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