Written by: Brielle Kirk, PA-C
The amount of units injected into the muscles determine how well the Botox is going to work and how long the Botox lasts. More times than not, a person is underdosed, especially if the patient still wants some movement. More movement = less longevity. Allergan recommends typical dosing of a patient for treating glabella, forehead, and crow’s feet to be 64 units, 20 units in glabella, 20 units in forehead, and 24 units in crow’s feet. This is the amount of units that was studied and deemed to last a person 3 months. When I tell people this, they are shocked and say it seems like a lot. Well, it isn’t and sometimes individuals may need more than this if they have strong muscles! Please leave it to your injector to dose you appropriately. It is common to need 2 week touch ups when seeing a new injector until they get to know your face, so be sure to return to the office at 2 weeks if you are still having unwanted movement.
2. Metabolism
If you have a high metabolic rate, you will not get 3 months out of your Botox. This holds true for athletes, marathon runners, and those who love to exercise.
3. Full muscular contraction at 3 months
Botox is supposed to last 3 months, period. This means that you will have the ability to make full facial expressions at the 3 month mark. This unfortunately does not happen overnight. It occurs gradually, so at around 2 months you may start to see some movement begin. Although the slightest movement may bother some, I recommend trying to wait q 3 months for Botox treatment so that the body does not develop tolerance and resistance to Botox.
Another RARE reason your Botox may not be working is because you have resistance to it. Meaning you can inject as much Botox as you want in a certain area, and it will not work at all. You may need to switch to another neuromodulator if this is the case.
Hope this helps and would love to consult with you further at L-aesthetics!