How Long Does It Take For Anti-Wrinkle Injections To Work

Anti wrinkle injections harness the transformative power of botulinum toxin, a neuromodulator that works to smooth out fine lines and wrinkles by relaxing muscles in the face. The injections typically start working 3-5 days after your injections, when the target muscles have begun to relax.

This article will further explore the benefits of anti wrinkle injections and help you understand how long it takes for the treatment to take effect.

At the CREO Clinic, all anti wrinkle injections are performed by our experienced, doctor-led aesthetic team in London, who have helped countless patients reduce the appearance of wrinkles and smooth out their facial skin using purified proteins.

Book a consultation at the CREO Clinic today and see how our aesthetic team can use anti wrinkle injections to give a youthful smoothness to your skin.

How Long Does It Take Anti-Wrinkle Injections To Work? How Quickly Will I See Effects?

Medically reviewed by Dr. Gina Schoeman MB.ChB, MBA, Dip. Derm, MRCGP, MBCAM

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What is Botulinum Toxin?

Botulinum toxin, is a purified protein that can be used in targeted injections that help reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. It does this by blocking nerve signals and relaxing the facial muscles, thereby preventing certain types of dynamic wrinkles such as frown lines, marionette lines or forehead lines from forming.

Areas Anti Wrinkle Injections Can Treat

Anti wrinkle injections can treat many problem areas around the face, such as:

Crow’s feet – Small wrinkles that fan out from the corner of the eyes and look similar in appearance to a bird’s foot.
Forehead lines – Lines that appear horizontally across the forehead, usually two or three depending on the shape of your face.
Perioral lines – Lines around the mouth, such as ‘bunny’ lines that run vertically down from the sides of the nose or ‘marionette’ lines that run down from the corner of the mouth towards the chin.
Frown lines – They are small vertical lines that are found in the space between your eyebrows, caused by the repeated muscle contraction in the area.

How Quickly Do Anti Wrinkle Injections Start Working?

While the timeline of anti-wrinkle treatment results can differ from person to person, the process of relaxing the targeted muscles usually begins 3-5 days after your treatment. The relaxation of the muscles should prevent new wrinkles from developing and also reduce the appearance of any existing wrinkles.

Factors That Affect How Quickly Botulinum Toxin Works

There are an array of factors that can impact how quickly and effectively anti wrinkle injections work:

Skill of practitioner – The precision of anti wrinkle injections is very important, so it is crucial to look for an experienced Aesthetic Doctor who can administer accurate, well-placed anti-wrinkle injections.
Strength of muscle – Stronger muscles may respond more slowly to anti-wrinkle injections, and may require slightly higher quantities of botulinum toxins to achieve the same impact as with the weaker muscle.
Age – As younger people tend to have stronger, more active muscles, this may have an impact on how long it takes for the injections to take effect. The effects may appear more slowly in older patients.
Lifestyle choices and health – Some personal habits such as smoking or regular sunbathing may affect the quality of your skin, which can impact how responsive you are to anti-wrinkle injections.

Is There Anything You Can Do To Speed Up Results?

To optimise the speed with which anti-wrinkle therapy works, try to ensure you maintain good hydration, a healthy diet, abstain from smoking, and try to avoid long exposure to UV rays. Taking these steps can have a modest effect on speeding up results, but the most important step you can take is to choose an experienced aesthetic doctor to perform the injections – precisely injected, thoughtfully planned out injections are the best way to see high-quality results.

Why Do Anti Wrinkle Injections Need Time To Work?

The effects of anti wrinkle injections take time because the botulinum toxin has to reduce contractions of the muscle, preventing them from producing folds in the facial skin. The contractions of the muscle in the face wind down gradually, and the facial wrinkles only begins to smooth out once the target muscles have started to contract at a much lower rate.

Average Timeline For Results

The anti-wrinkle injection procedure takes between 15-30 minutes and you should see an improvement in the appearance of the targeted fine lines and wrinkles within 3-5 days. Maintenance injections are usually required at around the three-month mark – by this point, most of the effects of your initial injections will have subsided.

Does the Treatment Area Impact The Time it Takes for Anti Wrinkle Injections to Work?

The area treated with botulinum toxin injection can change the time it takes for the muscles to relax. This is due to differences in the muscles – some muscles in the place are thicker and more active, such as those in the perioral area (i.e. the area of marionette lines and bunny lines) and can therefore take a little longer to respond to the treatment.

Who’s A Good Candidate For Anti Wrinkle Injections?

Any adult interested in preventing and reducing fine lines and wrinkles on the face without pursuing a more invasive procedure can be a good candidate for anti wrinkle injections. Ideal candidates should be:

In good physical and mental health
Experiencing mild to moderate skin laxity
Looking to avoid a surgical facelift
Have realistic expectations of results
Interested in reducing the appearance of dynamic lines on the face

Who’s Not A Good Candidate?

While botulinum toxin injections are generally safe and very well tolerated, some people may not be a good candidate for the treatment, such as:

Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding
People have had allergic reactions to botulinum toxin or albumin
People with certain neuromuscular conditions, such as myasthenia gravis or other neurological issues that could affect muscle function or muscle paralysis

It is important to note that our Aesthetic Doctor will read through your medical history and discuss it with you during your initial consultation. It is important not to leave out any pertinent information at this stage to ensure your safety.

How Long Do Botulinum Toxin Injections Last?

In general, anti wrinkle injections will require maintenance treatments around three months after your initial injection. By the three-months mark, most of the effect of the botulinum toxin will have worn, but top up injections will restore the effect.

Tips to Increase Longevity of Anti Wrinkle Injections Results

The best steps to ensuring the longevity of anti wrinkle injections are to choose an experienced Aesthetic Doctor who understands the importance of precision injections, then follow their post-treatment instructions to the letter. Following a practitioner’s instructions will help optimise and secure the quality of your results.

Can Stress or Other Factors Affect Anti Wrinkle Results?

It is possible that excess stress can lead to muscle tension in facial areas where botulinum toxin is commonly used, such as the forehead, or space around the eyes. Muscle tension may reduce the longevity and effectiveness of anti wrinkle injections.

Lack of sleep, poor eating patterns and a sedentary lifestyle can all have a negative impact on your botulinum toxin results, so building in healthy habits in the lead up to your treatment is important.

Anti Wrinkle Injections Treatment Process

Initial Consult

Before your treatment you will sit down for an initial consultation with an Aesthetic Doctor at the CREO Clinic – they assess your medical history for neuromuscular disease and aesthetic goals, then develop a treatment plan based on your needs.

What Should You Ask During An Anti Wrinkle Consultation?

During the initial consultation our aesthetic team will give detailed instructions and advice surrounding the procedure and aftercare, but we encourage all patients to ask our Aesthetic Doctor any questions you might have about the treatment.

You may want to ask about the experience and qualifications of the aesthetic team, about the finer details of the treatment plan or to request personalised advice regarding your after care – take this opportunity to ask anything you wish to understand more clearly before the treatment.

Anti Wrinkle Injection Procedure

Anti wrinkle treatment is made up of several small injections targeting various muscles around the face. Our aesthetic team finds the specific muscles that need relaxing so as to reduce the appearance of static facial lines. The injections are then administered in a process that usually takes ten minutes or less.

Expected Recovery Timeline

Immediately after your anti-wrinkle treatments you’re likely to have some small raised bumps where the injections were made. Generally, these will dissipate within 30 minutes, sometimes leaving mild bruising – this should also subside within the next three days.

Most patients feel comfortable returning to their daily routine immediately, but it is advisable to avoid strenuous exercise for at least 24 hours after the injections.

Aftercare Guidelines

While downtime and aftercare needs for anti wrinkle injections are minimal, note that you should avoid strenuous exercise, alcohol, and excess pressure on the injection sites for at least 24 hours after your treatment.

Are There Complementary Treatments Available?

There are treatments available that can complement anti wrinkle injections, such as:

Fotona 4D facelift – This non-invasive facelift uses both Er:YAG and Nd:YAG lasers to target fine lines, wrinkles, and lax skin in all key areas around the face that are susceptible to visible signs of ageing. Where botulinum toxin works to reduce static wrinkles, a Fotona 4D facelift helps to increase collagen stimulation and tighten up the skin, improving its appearance overall.

Dermal filler – Precisely placed dermal filler can help to remodel and enhance the shape of the face, picking out areas such as the nose, lips, or jaw line to smooth out nasal bumps, provide fuller lips, or address facial asymmetry.

Botulinum Toxin FAQs

Will I need to plan for any downtime after anti wrinkle injections?

Anti wrinkle injections require very little downtime – most patients find they are able to return to their daily activities immediately, although it is advisable to avoid strenuous exercise and alcohol for 24 hours.

How many injections sessions will I need?

This can differ between patients, but most will not need more than one session of anti wrinkle injections every three months.

Are there side effects associated with botulinum toxin?

Anti wrinkle injections are usually very well tolerated, but some relatively common side-effects such as swelling and bruising at the injection site should dissipate within a few days after the treatment.

Does it hurt to get anti wrinkle injections?

With each injection you will likely feel a small scratching sensation, but otherwise the treatment should be pain-free – no more painful than your typical yearly flu vaccination.