Research: Can Facial Exercises Speed Up BOTOX® Injection Results?

According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, the largest professional organization for surgeons within the specialty, BOTOX® injections have consistently been the most popular non-surgical cosmetic procedure. According to the society’s annual survey for 2017, more than 7 million BOTOX procedures were performed, once again making it the most popular overall cosmetic procedure in the United States.

Recent research shows that patients can expedite the effects of BOTOX by doing simple facial exercises. Read further to find out exactly what you can do to see the results from your treatment faster.

A Fast Fix

Aside from the fact that BOTOX provides a non-invasive alternative to facial lift procedures to reduce the signs of aging on the face, one of the reasons it has retained such popularity is due to the short treatment time.

Most BOTOX injection sessions last anywhere from 15 to 20 minutes, depending on the amount of work to be done. In most cases, you will start to see results within a week. This short turnaround time means that if you want to look younger for a specific occasion, such as a class reunion or a wedding, BOTOX could be an optimal choice.

However, if you have a particularly busy schedule, even those three to four days may take too long before you need results from your treatment. Fortunately, a new study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology found that facial exercises may help shorten the time until you see results after your BOTOX treatment.

What Does the Research Show?

In the study, a group of 22 women received BOTOX treatments for forehead wrinkles. Half of the patients were given facial exercises to perform four hours after the injections, while the other half were not given any exercises.

The exercises included raising the eyebrows, as if surprised, and then knitting them together. The exercises were to be done in three sets of 40 repetitions, with 10-minute breaks between each repetition.

When patients were asked about improvement in their facial features, those who had done the facial exercises reported seeing reduced lines and wrinkles two to three days after their BOTOX treatment.

Those patients who did not perform the exercises reported seeing improvements starting three to four days after their treatment.

There did not appear to be any difference in duration of results between those who did facial exercises and those who didn’t. The same results occurred when all the patients came back six months later for another round of BOTOX treatments.

The researchers hypothesized that the facial exercises may strengthen the surrounding muscles, particularly in the cheek area, which could help speed results.

One of the main reasons BOTOX is so popular is that it affords quick results without the invasiveness of a surgical procedure. Furthermore, simple facial exercises could make BOTOX injections an even better choice to make your face appear younger and rejuvenated.

To find out if you are a good candidate for BOTOX injections, contact our practice today.