How Long does Botox Last?
How long your Botox results last has a lot to do with the area of the face you are treating. In general, the more units you do, the longer your results will last. This doesn’t mean you want to go overboard and get treated beyond the amount of units necessary to get the desired effect, because that could result in you having a “frozen” or expressionless look.
Here is a guideline for how long Botox treatments last
There are currently four different FDA approved brands of Botulinum toxin on the market, and the longevity of results between all four are very similar. I’ve done comparative split face studies that you can check out by clicking here.
Why baseline photos are important
It’s very common for people to think that their Botox is not lasting as long or working as well as it used to. This is because people’s reference point changes. They get so used to seeing themselves smoother that they forget what they used to look like. This happens a lot with Botox or other wrinkle relaxers (Dysport, Jeuveau, Xeomin). That’s why it’s so important that your provider and you keep your baseline photos to compare.
Reasons that your Botox could wear off faster:
You are doing a smaller amount of units than average. For instance, you do not want to completely get rid of your ability to frown but instead just want to “soften your 11’s” or “soften” your crows feet. I do this a lot for my patients who are actresses or actors, because they still want to show expression. In these instances, where less units or a lower dosage is used, your muscle movement will return quicker and the results will not last as long as if you were doing a higher amounts of units.
You work out a lot (Keep up the good work because your health is more important!)
You have very strong facial muscles
A way to possibly make your Botox last longer
In 2010 a small trial found that supplementing with zinc and phytase may increase the efficacy and duration of botulinum injections. Zytaze is a patented supplement available for sale which cotans 25mg of zinc citrate and 1500mg of phystase.
The thought is that zinc helps Botox do it’s job in paralysing the muscles. Phytase is an enzyme that breaks down phytates. Phytates prevent zinc absorption, so the idea is to try and destroy any phytates so that zinc can be fully absorbed.
Directions for use are to take 2 capsules daily for 4 days before and the day of your treatment. Being that the product sells at $69 and includes only 10 capsules, 1 bottle will get you through one treatment of Botox. That’s a bit pricy, and I’m not sure how effective it is as some have criticized the studies. It may be best to wait for the newer longer lasting “tox” to hit the market which you can read about below.
A longer lasting Botox
There is a new wrinkle relaxer coming to the market later this year that will be the longest lasting. Treatments can be expected to last for around 6 months. They designed this toxin so that people can have longer lasting treatments. Expect to get treated twice a year as opposed to 3-4 times a year. This “toxin” (wrinkle relaxer) doesn’t have a name yet but you can read more about it by clicking here.
This blog will be uploaded as new wrinkle relaxers come to the market so be sure to check back.