Specifically, injections on the forehead or between the eyes may spread into the eyebrows and cause the brow to lower, causing a droopy eyelid. In most cases, droopy eyelid occurs between one and three weeks after treatment, and patients typically experience this adverse effect for just a few weeks.
Botox is a temporary treatment. The treatment can last three to seven months, but the droopy eyelids will typically go away in four to six weeks. Apart from waiting, a couple of treatments might alleviate the problem: eyedrops, such as apraclonidine (Iopidine), which can help if the eyelids are drooping, not the brows.
Eyelid droop often happens when the person giving the treatment doesn't have proper training and enough experience. They can inject Botox into the wrong area or use a dose that's too high, which leads to muscle weakness and droop. You could have trouble fully opening your eyes or vision problems.
Because the frontalis muscle is an eyebrow elevator, placing too much product too far laterally in the forehead can entirely block the frontalis muscle and lead to a droopy eyebrow. In patients who are younger, typically in their mid-30s to early 40s, usually this is not a significant consequence.
Anti Wrinkle injections have a long track record for treating forehead lines. However, your forehead & eyelids will feel heavy for a few weeks afterwards. Your eyebrows and eyelids may also appear a little puffy first thing in the morning upon awakening but don't worry this will settle down.
Yes, Botox can cause droopy eyelids if it is injected in the wrong place or if too much is used. Because Botox is a muscle relaxing toxin, if it is injected into the muscles that hold the eyelids or eyebrows up, then this can cause the muscles that pull the eyelids down to be more emphasised.
Spread of Botox can cause changes in vision. This can include double vision, blurred vision, dry eyes, excessive tearing and drooping of the eyelid. If experiencing these symptoms, consult your doctor.
Although ptosis may persist for the whole duration of effect of treatment with botulinum toxin type A, it will usually settle more quickly and eyelid ptosis will often settle within 3 to 4 weeks and brow ptosis within six weeks.
Eyelid ptosis is most commonly seen from inappropriate placement of botulinum toxin. This specific complication can be avoided by staying at least 2‐3 cm above the supraorbital margin or 1.5‐2 cm above the eyebrow while injecting into the frontalis.
Drooping of the eyelid is called ptosis. Ptosis may result from damage to the nerve that controls the muscles of the eyelid, problems with the muscle strength (as in myasthenia gravis), or from swelling of the lid.
If you are experiencing eyebrow unevenness this can also be corrected, and you do not have to wait for the Botox injections to wear off. Eyebrow unevenness can be corrected by injecting a little more neurotoxin into the side that is lower. This will eventually correct the asymmetry.
However, ptosis can also occur as a side effect of Botox treatment. About 2 percent of people who get a Botox injection may experience ptosis, especially when an untrained individual administers the injection. This probability declines to 1 percent when a skilled healthcare professional does the procedure.
Too much Botox in the forehead muscles can cause the eyebrows to droop, making the upper eyelids look very heavy and hooded. The face may look angry or sad all the time. Too much Botox around the eyes can dramatically affect facial expression. The face is simply frozen.
Exercising – Exercising increases the blood supply to all your muscles including your facial muscles and so this can result your Botox to wear off faster.
You can work eyelid muscles by raising your eyebrows, placing a finger underneath and holding them up for several seconds at a time while trying to close them. This creates resistance similar to weight lifting. Quick, forcible blinks and eye rolls also work eyelid muscles.
Botox issues based on injection site
In that area, you generally can't make a droopy eyelid. When doctors inject into the forehead and sides of the eyes (near crow's feet), patients can start getting a droopy eyelid or a droopy eyebrow. In general, you can put about ten to fifteen units in the crow's feet.
Botox Injection Mistakes: Where Not to Inject Botox
Injecting the frontalis muscles (the two main forehead muscles above the eyebrows) instead of the corrugator supercilii muscle (smaller muscles around the eyebrows) can cause a “Mephisto Effect” or “Spock brows” — comically arched eyebrows.
The appearance of peaked eyebrows can be a side effect of a Botox treatment. Fortunately, this can easily be treated.
Because Botox relaxes the muscles of the forehead, any upper eye lid may seem more pronounced than before injections. Once the Botox wears off, any increase of hooding should return to its pre-injection state. There are, however, many minimally treatments to reduce and even eliminate upper eyelid hooding.
Cause and Prevention of Forehead Heaviness After Botox Injection. The majority of upper-face creases are caused by creating facial expressions. Botox calms the muscles in the face that make a facial expression. When the muscles are relaxed, they can't contract vigorously, which can cause a drooping brow.
In some cases, a droopy eyelid may resolve spontaneously. If ptosis is present but not causing any functional problems, a person may not need any treatment at all.
It is not possible to cure ptosis unless the cause is a Botox injection, but treatment can easily manage the condition.