Botox aftercare

After Botox, you can usually continue with gentle everyday activities, but many practitioners advise temporarily avoiding strenuous exercise, strong heat, rubbing or massaging the injected area and anything that places prolonged pressure on it.

The exact advice can differ depending on the treatment area, the reason for treatment and your practitioner's own aftercare protocol. If your clinic has given you a specific timeframe, follow that advice even if you find different instructions online.

Botox is one brand of botulinum toxin type A, although the word “Botox” is often used informally to describe botulinum toxin treatments in general. The effect develops gradually, so you cannot judge the final result immediately after the injections.

For a broader explanation of treatment rather than aftercare, see our Botox guide.

Botox aftercare by timeframe

Immediately after treatment

Small raised bumps, slight redness or tenderness can appear around individual injection sites immediately after Botox. These usually settle rather than becoming progressively worse.

Avoid repeatedly touching the injected area while the skin is still irritated.

Before leaving the clinic, make sure you know how to contact them if you have a question later that day and whether they have given you any treatment-specific instructions.

During the first few hours

Many practitioners advise avoiding firm rubbing, massage or prolonged pressure directly over the injected area.

You may also be advised to remain upright for a period after treatment. There is no single aftercare timeframe that applies to every Botox treatment, so use the instructions given by your own practitioner rather than choosing a different timeframe you have found online.

Accidentally bending over or briefly lying down does not automatically mean that the treatment has failed.

During the first 24 hours

Gentle everyday movement is generally different from strenuous exercise.

Many clinics advise temporarily avoiding activities such as intense gym sessions, running, HIIT, heavy lifting, saunas, steam rooms and vigorous facial massage during the early aftercare period.

If your practitioner has given you a specific restriction because of your treatment area or medical circumstances, follow that advice.

During the first 48 hours

Pay attention to how any redness, swelling, tenderness or bruising develops.

Minor injection-site reactions should generally settle rather than become increasingly painful, hot or swollen. Contact the treating clinic if a reaction is getting noticeably worse or you are unsure whether what you are experiencing is expected.

During the first week

Avoid arranging another procedure that involves firm pressure, intensive manipulation or significant irritation of the same area without first checking the appropriate interval.

Examples can include deep facial massage, microneedling, strong peels and some laser or energy-based treatments.

The person providing the next treatment should know that you have recently had botulinum toxin.

Around days 10 to 14

Botulinum toxin develops its effect gradually. Around this point, the result is usually more meaningful to assess than it was during the first few days.

If you notice persistent asymmetry, unexpected weakness or much less effect than expected, contact the clinic that performed your treatment before arranging additional injections elsewhere.

What can you normally do after Botox?

Gentle everyday activity

Walking, moving around the house and other light everyday activities are generally different from strenuous exercise. You do not normally need complete physical rest solely because you have had cosmetic Botox.

Eat and drink normally

You can generally eat and drink after treatment unless your practitioner has given you a specific medical instruction.

Water and other non-alcoholic drinks are not normally restricted simply because you have had Botox.

Continue light work

Desk work and other work involving normal light movement are often possible the same day.

Your situation may be different if your job involves repeated heavy lifting, significant heat exposure, vigorous physical activity or equipment that presses directly against the treated area.

Shower carefully

A normal shower is generally different from exposure to strong heat or steam.

If the injection sites are still sensitive, use comfortable rather than very hot water and avoid forcefully rubbing the treated area when washing or drying.

Lying down, bending and sleeping after Botox

How long should you stay upright after Botox?

Some practitioners advise remaining upright for several hours following treatment. Others may use a different aftercare protocol.

There is no need to replace your practitioner's instructions with a generic online rule. If your clinic has told you to stay upright for a specific period, follow that advice.

What happens if you accidentally lie down?

Briefly lying down does not automatically mean that Botox will stop working or that the treatment has failed.

If you are concerned because you did something your practitioner specifically advised you not to do, contact the clinic and explain what happened.

Can you bend over after Botox?

Briefly bending down during normal daily activity is different from spending a prolonged period bent forward or performing strenuous physical work.

If your work or exercise routine involves repeated deep bending soon after treatment, ask your practitioner whether they want you to modify it temporarily.

How should you sleep after Botox?

You do not normally need to sleep sitting upright once any upright period recommended by your practitioner has passed.

Some practitioners suggest avoiding prolonged pressure directly against a recently treated area during the early aftercare period. This is a precaution rather than a guarantee of a particular result.

Exercise and physical work after Botox

When can you exercise after Botox?

Many practitioners recommend delaying strenuous exercise during the early aftercare period, often until later that day or the following day.

A gentle walk is different from activities such as:

• running;

• HIIT;

• spinning;

• heavy strength training;

• CrossFit;

• strenuous sport.

Follow the timeframe supplied by your treating practitioner.

When can you return to the gym?

Your return depends partly on the intensity of the session.

Heavy lifting, forceful straining and exercises that keep your head significantly lowered are more intensive than normal daily movement. If your practitioner has asked you to wait until the next day, follow that instruction.

There is no reason to invent a longer exercise restriction than the one your clinic has advised unless new symptoms develop.

Can you do physical work on the same day?

Light work may require little or no adjustment.

If your job involves heavy lifting, high temperatures, repeated bending, vigorous physical effort or protective equipment pressing against the injected area, discuss this with your practitioner before treatment if possible.

Showering, washing your face and wearing make-up after Botox

Can you shower after Botox?

You can generally shower after Botox, although very hot showers and heavy steam are commonly avoided during the early aftercare period.

Wash gently around fresh injection sites and do not direct strong pressure onto the treated area.

Pat the skin dry rather than vigorously rubbing it with a towel.

When can you wash your face?

Gentle cleansing can usually resume once the injection sites have stopped bleeding and the skin is comfortable.

Use clean hands and avoid aggressive rubbing, exfoliating brushes, facial tools or scrubs over freshly treated skin.

When can you wear make-up?

Advice about make-up varies between practitioners.

Follow the timeframe your clinic gives you. When you do apply make-up, use clean hands, brushes or sponges and avoid forceful rubbing over the injection sites.

If the area remains noticeably irritated, swollen or tender, waiting until it has settled may be more comfortable.

Alcohol, heat, travel and other treatments after Botox

What temporary reactions can you see after Botox?

Small injection-site bumps

A small raised bump may appear immediately where the needle entered the skin. These can settle relatively quickly.

Mild redness

The skin around an injection site may temporarily look red.

The important point is how the reaction develops. Redness that is spreading, becoming increasingly painful or accompanied by increasing warmth or swelling should be discussed with the clinic.

Tenderness or mild swelling

Individual injection sites can feel tender or slightly swollen after treatment.

This should generally settle rather than progressively worsen.

Bruising

A needle can occasionally catch a small blood vessel, resulting in a small bruise around an injection site.

A different feeling in the treated muscle

As botulinum toxin begins to reduce muscle activity, the treated area may feel different from normal.

Contact your practitioner if you experience unexpected or concerning weakness rather than assuming it is part of the intended result.

When should you contact your clinic after Botox?

Contact the clinic that treated you if a reaction is getting worse rather than settling, or if you experience something you were not expecting.

Examples include:

• increasing pain;

• redness or swelling that continues to spread;

• increasing warmth around an injection site;

• unexpected weakness or loss of normal function;

• a significant problem affecting a nearby muscle;

• another new symptom that concerns you.

The treating clinic can decide whether you need assessment and what the appropriate next step is.

For a broader explanation of problems associated with treatment, see our guide to Botox treatment complications.

When should you seek urgent medical help?

Seek urgent medical assessment if you develop serious symptoms such as difficulty breathing, swallowing or speaking, rapidly developing generalised weakness or signs of a severe allergic reaction.

Call 999 if symptoms are life-threatening.

For an urgent medical problem that is not immediately life-threatening, use the appropriate NHS urgent-care service for where you live, such as NHS 111 where available.

When can you judge the result after Botox?

Immediately after treatment

You cannot judge the final effect immediately after the injections. Botulinum toxin takes time to reduce activity in the treated muscle.

During the first few days

You may begin to notice a change, but the effect does not necessarily develop at exactly the same speed on both sides.

Avoid assuming that remaining movement during the first few days automatically means the treatment has failed.

Around days 10 to 14

Around this stage, the overall result is usually easier to assess.

Look at the overall movement and whether you have retained the function you expected rather than focusing on very small changes from one day to the next.

If there is still very little effect, persistent asymmetry or an unexpected change in function, speak to the original clinic first.

For more detail about a result that appears absent or weaker than expected, see why Botox may appear not to be working.

What should good Botox aftercare include?

Clear instructions before you leave

You should understand what you can continue doing normally and which activities your practitioner wants you to postpone temporarily.

Instructions should be specific enough that you are not left guessing about exercise, pressure on the area or another treatment you have planned.

A clear contact route

You should know how to contact the treating clinic if you later develop a problem or have a question about your recovery.

Advice about unexpected symptoms

Aftercare information should explain which reactions may occur temporarily and which changes should prompt you to contact the clinic.

Information about urgent problems

You should know what to do if you develop symptoms that may require urgent medical attention outside normal clinic opening hours.

A clear follow-up policy

Ask whether the clinic offers a review, when it normally takes place and what is assessed.

A review does not mean that additional treatment will automatically be needed. It provides an opportunity to assess the result once the effect has had time to develop.

Compare clinics offering Botox

Aftercare is worth considering before treatment, not only after the injections have been performed.

When comparing clinics, check whether you can find clear information about:

• who performs the treatment;

• relevant practitioner experience;

• consultation arrangements;

• how the clinic handles aftercare questions;

• whether follow-up is available;

• clinic location;

• available treatment information;

• reviews from previous clients.

Reviews can provide context about communication, consultation and aftercare experiences, but they do not guarantee that you will have the same result.

Frequently asked questions about Botox aftercare