How can I sleep well after a botox injection?

What is botulinum toxin in aesthetic medicine?

Botulinum toxin, also known as botox, was originally used by ophthalmologists to treat a disease of the eyelids known as blepharospasm. Doctors found that its use also had the effect of erasing wrinkles from patients’ faces. In 2003, botulinum toxin entered the French aesthetic medicine market. Injected into the face, this product relaxes the skin and helps erase the first signs of ageing: wrinkles. It is an effective treatment that presents no real danger to the skin.

What are the possibilities offered by botox in aesthetic medicine?

Botox injections in aesthetic medicine offer the possibility of treating several facial imperfections:

• Forehead wrinkles, also known as expression lines.
• Frown lines, between the eyebrows, deepened by frowning.
• Eye contour (sagging, puffiness, dark circles).
• Crow’s feet, hollowed out by smiling.
• Chin (bumps, folds).
• Lips (thin or wrinkled lips).
• Neck (folds, sagging skin).

These imperfections can give the face a closed, severe appearance. Botox relaxes the overall facial expression while preserving a natural look.

When are botox injections not recommended?

It is important to note that botox injections are contraindicated for people with the following specificities:

• Neuromuscular diseases (myasthenia)
• Pregnancy
• Breast-feeding (as a precaution)
• Infection of the area to be treated with botox
• Botulinum toxin allergy
• Recent anticoagulant treatment.

Botox should not be injected in people under 20 or over 65.

If you are lactose intolerant, you should seek your doctor’s advice, as botulinum toxin may contain lactic proteins.

How can I sleep well after a botox injection?

In the hours following the botulinum toxin injection, patients are advised not to lower their head, and to avoid as far as possible any position in which the head points downwards. It is also inadvisable to lie down or to sleep immediately after the treatment: you should wait about 3 to 4 hours before going to sleep. On the first night after the injection, it is advisable to sleep with the head slightly raised.

Once this time has passed, there is no particular instruction as to how the patient should settle down to sleep.

Patients may nevertheless experience discomfort, tingling, dryness or contractions at the injection site. This is entirely normal and disappears a few days after the procedure. It is important to avoid taking anticoagulants or aspirin, as these treatments may cause bruising in the area where the botox has been injected.

How long does it take to see the results of botox injections?

The first results of botox injections can be seen as early as 3 to 8 days after the procedure, and are generally optimal after 15 days. This is the time the botulinum toxin needs to act and spread through the treated area. Wrinkles gradually recede and the face relaxes. During these first 15 days, however, the effects of botox can vary, and the face may sometimes look slightly asymmetrical before it stabilises. This may be due to an asymmetry in muscle strength, or to a difference in the dose or the site of injection.

The face quickly looks brighter and more relaxed. The effects of botox last for at least 6 months after the injection, as the botulinum toxin is gradually and completely absorbed by the body. Once this period has passed, the patient can return to the doctor if they wish to repeat the botox injection. To maintain the effects, however, sessions should not be too close together, to avoid the body rejecting the product.