Exercise after botox is one aftercare instruction that will be given to people who have undergone botox treatment. Botox is a dermal filler gotten from botulinum toxin type A, it is used to treat facial wrinkles and lines around the eyes, lips, eyebrows, cheeks, chin and jaw. The injection is also used for medical purposes like treating migraines.
After using the filler for cosmetic purposes, there are many things you will be asked to avoid for some period of time, one of them is exercise. Exercise is a very healthy lifestyle that should be adopted by everyone healthy. In fact, it has become a regular routine for some people and they cannot stay without exercising their body. This can be difficult for them if they had botox injection.
CAN YOU EXERCISE AFTER BOTOX
It is not advised to work out or exercise your body especially if your exercise routine involves rigorous activities. After getting a botox injection, your doctor or beauty expert will recommend that you stay away from strenuous activities. One of the reasons why you will be asked to avoid exercising is because botox takes time to settle in the skin, so any strenuous activities or exercises will make the botox fillers to move to other areas of the face or even to diffuse. Any exercise or activity that makes you to sweat, apply pressure, run, jump or even make your heart beat to increase should be avoided for some period of time.
WHY CAN’T YOU EXERCISE AFTER BOTOX
Everyone knows that exercising the body is very good and important but there must be reasons why you are asked to stop exercises especially rigorous ones after you have gotten a botox injection. Some of the reasons are:
1. Exercises Increase Blood Flow
Exercises make your blood to flow very well, this is good for your cardiovascular health but not for the botox injection. Engaging in strenuous exercises will make your heart to increase pumping blood and make more blood to flow to various parts of the body but this increase in blood flow can cause the botox injected into the face to move to other parts that are not targeted. As the botox move to these areas, the muscles around them are frozen temporarily as well. Also, the increase in blood flow can cause the injection sites to bleed and swell.
2. There is Pressure on the Injection site
Any pressure on the sites where the injection was given will cause the botox fillers to move to other areas. Apart from diffusing the botox, putting pressure on the sites can make you to feel pain and discomfort.
Exercises will make you to sweat and cleaning off these sweat will cause pressure on your face without you knowing. Also, exercise like biking requires that you wear a head gear for protection, this gear pits pressure on your injection sites too.
3. Exercise Causes you to Move too Much
Exercises like dancing and yoga requires that you move parts of your body including your face many times. These constant movements affects the botox and makes them to diffuse to other unwanted parts.
HOW LONG SHOULD YOU WAIT TO EXERCISE AFTER BOTOX
You should wait for at least 4 hours after your botox injection before engaging in any exercise including bending your face. Although your doctor can give you a longer time depending on how severe your treatment was. The best time to wait before doing any form of exercise is 24 hours, this will give your body enough time to absorb the filler very well. Some injectors recommend that their patients stay up to a week before any exercise so as make the muscles so relaxed.
WHEN CAN YOU EXERCISE AFTER BOTOX?
For people who included rigorous exercise in their daily schedule and athletes as well, every exercise both light and rigorous must be avoided after 24 hours. Three days after the botox must be free of strenuous exercises, you can do light work outs that do not require you to jump, bend, run or bounce. If your exercise routine is only light and modest work outs, you can avoid total exercise after 24 hours and go back to your light or modest routine after 48 hours. Remember you are avoiding exercises to make your botox settle very well and give you the best results.
EXERCISES YOU SHOULD AVOID AFTER BOTOX
These exercises are considered strenuous and not good for you few days after your botox injection. These exercises are:
1. Running
Running is one exercise that makes your heart rate and blood flow to increase while it dilates your blood vessels. Running involves so many movements including moving your face.
2. Swimming
Apart from moving your face sideways, the swimming gear you wear on your head for protection puts pressure on the injection sites. The swimming goggles presses the areas around the eyes and can move the filler.
3. Aerobics
Aerobics make your heart rate to increase and can cause your face to bleed and swell.
4. Yoga and other Floor Exercises
Yoga and other floor exercises require your body to move in different positions. You will also bend your head downwards or move it sideways which is not good for your botox injection.
EXERCISES YOU CAN DO AFTER BOTOX
24 hours after your botox injection, you are free to only do light and mild exercises that do not need your face to bend or require pressure to be applied on the injection sites. Some of these exercises are:
1. Walking
Walking is an exercise that needs little or no movement of the head. It is encouraged for botox patients but you should not walk fast and brisk. Do not expose your face to sunlight to avoid sweating and dilating the blood vessels. You can walk in the evenings or during the early mornings.
2. Gardening
Gardening may not seem like an exercise but it is and also safe for botox patients. You should not bend your head, put any form of pressure on your face or make swift movement with your face to avoid irritating the filler.
3. Stretching
Stretching and other light yoga that requires that you are straight and not lying or bending down are recommended as well. This is because limited and slow movements are made and you may not sweat profusely.
FACIAL EXERCISE AFTER BOTOX
Facial exercises are those light movements that involves only the face, they do not make you sweat or increase your heart rate and blood flow. You do not need to use your hands on your face to engage in these exercises.
These exercises can be:
- Knitting your eyebrows
- Raising the forehead
- Wrinkling the eyebrows
- Smiling
- Pursing the lips
- Squinting
- Frowning
These movements can look silly or seem like they have no meaning but they are actually good for botox. A study conducted by the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology showed that facial exercises can smooth out your wrinkles and make the botox injection to have effects quickly than they were supposed to. In fact, the wrinkles start to disappear from the first day instead of the normal three or four days. This is possible because doing facial exercises can make the process of binding nerves and relaxing muscles to become faster.
EXERCISE AFTER BOTOX SIDE EFFECTS
Apart from diffusing the fillers on your face, there may be side effects if you do not adhere to the instruction of staying away from exercises especially rigorous ones for at least two days after your injection. The side effects can be mild or serious.
Mild side effects can be:
- Headache
- Pain
- Dry eyes
- Swelling of the face
- Bruises
- Excessive tears
- Flu like symptoms
- Severe side effects can be
- Droopy eyes
- Drooling
- Crooked smile
CONCLUSION
Exercises are good for the circulatory system and body bit not so good for botox. The few days after botox are considered delicate because any activity can diffuse the fillers and give you no results. So, the best way to get maximum result is to adhere to every aftercare instructions. One of those instructions will be to stay away from exercises especially rigorous ones.
The first day after your treatment should be void of any exercise whether light or strenuous. Your body needs enough time to absorb the filler and get them to work. Even if you are a devoted workout person or an athlete, you must avoid any form of exercise. After about two days or more, you can start with light cardio like walking, gardening and yoga positions that do not require bending your head.
The most important fact that most people are not aware of is that there are facial exercises and they are of great benefits to botox. They fasten up the process of smoothening wrinkles and lines the effects of the injection faster than they should normally be. You can do more of facial exercises and less of rigorous activities.