Bad Botox can happen for a few reasons, from provider inexperience to a provider using an inauthentic product. In the best of cases, Bad Botox makes you look a little strange for a few months. In the worst cases, it can be life-threatening. Here's what to look for so you can avoid being a victim of Botox gone bad.
Botox Could Result in Mild Discoloration or Texture
Again, not typical, but Wexler says that with the skin thinning, some patients notice "a visible waviness of the skin overlying the muscles treated," as well as discoloration. "On expression, the forehead may even appear like hills and valleys," she says.
Within First Hour after Botox
Botox takes between 3-7 days for the results of treatment to be fully noticeable. At times, results may look slightly uneven at first, because the Botox may “kick in” at different rates.
One of the aspects that patients enjoy most about BOTOX therapy is its long-lasting results. In general, the effects of BOTOX last about 3 – 6 months, with the average results beginning to wear off after about four months. As with any treatment, of course, the longevity of the results will vary from patient to patient.
Do you see BOTOX results right away? In general, patients can expect to see their BOTOX effects as early as 3 – 4 days after injection. However, it typically takes 10 – 14 days after the procedure for this anti-aging treatment's full effects to take hold.
Botox injections do not work instantly, but you can expect to see positive results quickly from your treatment. Most patients observe significant improvements in the appearance of their skin after just 3–4 days. Patients can expect to see the full effect around 14 days after their botox injection.
In general, you can see the effects of Botox as early as 3 to 4 days after an injection. Dr. Oscar Trujillo, a facial plastic surgeon at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, says most patients will see results within 10 to 14 days but should wait the full 14 days to see the maximum results.
The first thing you'll notice immediately after Botox injections are little bumps and dots of blood that look just like mosquito bites. These go away in 20 minutes to half an hour. But you won't notice the skin-smoothing effects between three to five days (and up to two weeks).
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.
The results of a Botox treatment generally become visible within 24 to 36 hours, with the full effect of the injectable becoming noticeable within one to two weeks. There are several reasons why a Botox touch-up is performed.
After getting Botox, it's typical to have redness, tenderness, and swelling. These side effects usually disappear in 1 day. Bruising is also common. You can apply a pack of ice for relief.
When people see lines forming after BOTOX wears off, they assume treatment made their wrinkles worse. Actually, your face simply returns back to its natural state. No new wrinkles or lines are ever caused by these injections.
What makes Botox look unnatural? While Botox is generally considered safe and can look natural on most people when done correctly, there are a few ways it can go wrong: It can be injected in the wrong muscle, injected unevenly, or over-injected.
As top dermatologist David Colbert, M.D. is quick to note, however, too much Botox and filler distorts the face and as a result will make you appear older.
Botox onset is 5 to 7 days. Botox peaks at 10 to 14 days.
When Botox is applied to problem areas around the eyebrows, the muscles relax and the skin on top of them becomes smoother. The muscles around the eyebrows are pulled upwards, elevating the eyebrows and making a patient's eyes appear more open.
“Pillow face” is a direct play on the puffy, unattractive result of using too much facial filler or transferred fat. Another term often used to describe this overfilled look is “chipmunky.”
This article found that typically patients who used Botox to treat forehead lines and wrinkles were able to see maximum results in just two days. “Improvement in glabellar frown lines at maximum frown was observed in 85.4% of subjects 2 days after administration.
When someone is receiving too much treatment with anti-wrinkle injections, the skin can become extremely smooth and the light bounces off in a uniform way. So, the skin appears shiny, which is why it can look 'frozen'.
For horizontal forehead lines, practitioners can inject up to 15–30 units of Botox. For “11” lines between the eyes (or glabellar lines), up to 40 units are indicated, with higher doses needed in male patients .
Nausea. Redness. Temporary facial weakness or drooping. In rare instances, the botulinum toxin may spread beyond the treatment area, causing botulism-like signs and symptoms such as breathing problems, trouble swallowing, muscle weakness and slurred speech.
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.
There's always the option of strategically adding a bit more Botox where needed, and that usually does the trick. But, sometimes it's just a matter of letting go. Remember: when Botox goes rogue, it's because small portions of the stuff diffused into the wrong muscle.
You may start to see results in as little as 24 hours, although the average time is three days. However, some patients may not see results for as long as five days. The maximum results of Botox can be seen within two weeks.