How Long Do Tox Injections Take To Start Working, and How Long Do They Last?
The difference between good and great results with a botulinum toxin revolves around education – that of the injector and the patient. After all, having realistic expectations about the tox regimen and results helps us adjust now and in the future for the best longer-term results. This article aims to educate patients on how quickly the toxin begins to paralyze the muscles, the progression, and, ultimately, how long it lasts.
How Soon Should You Start Seeing Results?
Here at Revive Skin Care Clinic, we use Jeuveau toxin, which, like other tox brands, contains Botulinum Toxin A. There are a few reasons for this. First, we find that the Jeuveau is purer than BOTOX, with cleaner proteins in the mixture. Second, we have found that the time of onset and results are, in many cases, significantly quicker. And third, we found that it tends to last slightly longer again when compared to BOTOX.
Day Three
Once you’ve had the injections in the appropriate facial structures, you will feel the beginnings of function around day three. Everybody experiences a slightly different progression, but you will start to feel that the musculature is not moving quite as much. Depending on your perspective, this feeling is sometimes described as fullness. During this time, you will still have some movement in the muscles that have been injected, but you will begin to see that the action is compromised. Surrounding musculature will still have full function. BOTOX, for example, may take longer to start working – up to a week. Dysport may work more quickly.
Day 10
By day 10, you will see and feel the full effect of the toxin injection. The treated area will be visibly smoother, and no matter how hard you try, you won’t be able to make those 11s appear. By this time, any sensations of fullness you may have felt earlier probably disappeared. Surrounding structures that were not injected may still have movement. This is likely blunted because the toxin has spread somewhat to nearby musculature.
How Long Does It Last?
As mentioned above, we have found that Jeuveau is one of the longer-lasting toxin options, and we expect that patients will enjoy the benefits for between three and five months. On average, with a regular injection regimen, patients can expect a more cumulative effect and longer-lasting results with time and multiple treatments.
The transition back to normal muscular function is slow. In other words, the wrinkles don’t come back all at once. You will start seeing more movement in the muscles, and eventually, your lines will return to how they were before treatment. It’s worth noting that getting subsequent treatments while the muscles are still partially paralyzed helps maintain the longevity of the tox injection by inducing muscular atrophy. You can liken it to going to the gym. If you’re constantly working the muscle, it will get bigger. However, once you lay off the gym for a few weeks or months, the muscles start to shrink; this is the same with any muscle in the body’s facial structures.
Of course, the dosage will also affect how the muscles react and the degree to which the muscles are immobilized. Dr. Boger typically starts with a lower dose of toxin to see how the patient reacts. Depending on those results, we can always increase the amount of tox used to best match our patients’ expectations.
It is important to remember that patients will react differently to different brands of toxin, not because of the active ingredient but rather the protein used to mix with it. If one toxin brand seems to work better for you, please speak to your injector about your options. Generally, Jeuveau seems to have a wide range of benefits for most patients, giving them a nice balance of effectiveness and durability of function.
We encourage you to contact our office for a free consultation and discussion about a toxin regimen.