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Before we get into what you should and shouldn’t do after Botox, it’s important to know how you’ll feel post-Botox. In the immediate aftermath of your injections, you might experience some mild side effects:

• Bruising: The most common side effects of Botox injections are small, light bruises — especially in the laugh line area, where there are a lot of blood vessels. “Bruising occurs when the injection inadvertently hits a minor vein, which bleeds a little bit underneath the skin,” Dr. Zins explains.
• Swelling: You can reduce swelling by holding a cool compress or an ice pack wrapped in a towel to your injection site. This should only be done for 10 minutes at a time.
• Headaches: Some people say they get a headache right after having Botox injections. But because there are so many possible causes of headaches, Dr. Zins it’s hard to say for certain whether the two are related.

“The side effects that can happen after Botox are really quite mild, but it’s still important to be aware of them,” he says.

Botox recovery time

You’ll probably leave your provider’s office with an ice pack or a cool compress to tackle these immediate side effects like redness, swelling and soreness, and to prevent bruising.

But for the most part, Dr. Zins says that you’ll get your injections and be on your way — no negative side effects to be found.

“Usually, you come in, you have it done and you go about your business,” he says. “There’s no downtime afterward because of pain or any other issues.”

You also won’t see the desired effect of your Botox injections right away. They can take anywhere from a few days to a week to appear.

What shouldn’t you do after Botox?

For the most part, you can go back to your regular life almost immediately after your injections. Though there’s a lot of internet chatter about what you should and shouldn’t do after being injected, Dr. Zins says that if your injections are done properly, almost no special aftercare is required.

But there are a few best practices to abide by:

• Don’t lie down just yet. Try to stay upright for three to four hours after Botox.
• Don’t massage the area. Botox is liquid, and liquid can spread, although only by about half an inch. Still, that can make a difference in the way it settles, so don’t massage or rub your face for 12 hours after Botox.
• Avoid certain substances. It’s best to skip happy hour on your Botox day, and avoid NSAIDs like aspirin, ibuprofen and naproxen sodium. They can raise your blood pressure, which may promote bruising.

In general, Dr. Zins says that most lists of post-Botox do’s and don’ts are based more on your comfort than on the likelihood of something going wrong.

“There are a lot of myths out there, as far as aftercare is concerned,” he continues, “but most of the untoward effects we might see with Botox are because of poor technical injection, not because the patient has done anything wrong.”

Can you touch your face after Botox?

Touch, yes; rub, no. For the first 24 hours or so, avoid rubbing the spots where you’ve been injected, which could cause the Botox to move slightly from its intended location.

“We ask people not to massage the area because we don’t want to diffuse the Botox,” Dr. Zins says.

How soon can you get a facial or massage?

Facials and massages involve rubbing and, well, massaging, so wait at least 24 hours after your injections to schedule that type of self-care. If you have bruising or swelling, you may want to wait longer, for your own comfort.