When Does Botox Peak? How Long for Results and to Wear Off

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If you’re planning on getting Botox injections, it’s a good idea to have a sense of when they start to take effect and when they wear off. (and the same goes for Dysport, or Daxxify, or Xeomin, or whatever.)

But in between, at some point, you’re wondering, when does Botox peak? At what point am I seeing the maximum effect of my Botox treatment, and when does that start to wear off?

And, of course, like everything else, the answer is kind of…it depends.

Before we get into it, take a look at some of my other posts in the intro to Botox series:

Okay — when does Botox peak? Let’s figure it out.

If you’re timing your Botox around a big event, then let me save you some reading:

Time your injections for one month before the event for maximum results, and ask for a conservative injection so you don’t have a frozen face in your wedding photos.

If it’s humanly possible for you to do so, try to get at least one round of Botox before the one you do before the event. (That was a terrible sentence, ugh. I mean the one that you get before your event shouldn’t be your first one ever.)

Unfortunately, side effects and inflammatory response issues do happen, so you want to be sure you like your Botox results before your big event!

If you’re still interested in learning about when your Botox actually peaks, let’s keep going!

How long does Botox last, and when does it peak?

Okay, so the ‘peak’ of your Botox treatment is the point where it has fully taken effect but has not yet started to wear off. So, the onset of Botox generally takes 1-2 weeks, depending on the person. Sometimes it can be as long as three weeks.

During those first two weeks you’re going to see a reduction in your muscle contractions and less ability to make facial expressions. Fewer muscle movements mean fewer wrinkles. So those dynamic lines are going to drop off quickly in that time period.

(Dysport takes effect more quickly than Botox, so your specifics will be a little different here.)

And then typically Botox and Dysport will last you 3-4 months at the beginning, with your time between appointments getting longer if you stay consistent with your treatments. So you’re going to see movement start to return to your face about halfway through the life of your injection (whatever that is for you). This ends up being quite individual. Two people who get their toxin done together could each have a different length of time that their Botox lasts!

This comes down to your metabolic rate — younger people tend to go through Botox faster, for example. But you won’t know your rate until your first injection.

Concentration/units per injection site affects peak time

The other thing that effects how long your Botox lasts and when it peaks is how much Botox you put in each area that you’re treating. If you put more units of Botox or Dysport in an area, you’re going to get a longer-lasting result there. However, the tradeoff with more units is that you get less natural-looking results!

But I do think it’s important to note! The lower dosage in units that people get in those Baby Botox procedure things are basically signing up for having to come back in just a couple months. (And maybe for the first time you feel like it’s okay that it’s a tiny amount of Botox while you decide if it’s a good choice for you!)

So every person needs to kind of find a balance between getting enough units that they get a decent life out of their treatment but not so many that they get a look that they’re not happy with. The number of units you get is the difference between “fresh and youthful” and “wax statue”. This is where you want to be sure you have an initial consultation before your first appointment, and why it’s so important to go to an experienced practitioner, at least in the beginning. Medical professionals are the way to go. There are some excellently qualified people working in medspas, but you have to be sure.

(The other consideration with picking a place — Botox comes as a concentrate, and the facility has to mix it themselves. So you want to go to a place where you feel sure they aren’t going to cheap out and overdilute your Botox. Reputation matters here!)

Your metabolism and Botox history affects peak time

So, for your first treatment, you’ll see movement return to your treated area or areas faster than any later treatment. So, you’ll see those forehead lines or crow’s feet pop back up sooner after that first appointment. If you keep on top of your treatments, you’ll find that the full effects of Botox start lasting longer. How long Botox lasts is going to depend on your metabolism, your age, and the amount of times you’ve gotten a treatment in the past.

So, the newer you are (or the less consistent you are), the shorter your “peak Botox” will last. You’ll have more muscle strength in the treated muscles, and your younger-looking appearance will last a shorter amount of time. How well the treatment works and how long it lasts will depend on these factors.

In some ways this is kind of nice! If you hate the results of Botox, you can just wait for it to wear off. And even if it’s a little annoying to see that it wears off too soon even with the proper dose, it’s better than developing a resistance to it, where you would need more and more Botox over time. So try to stay positive with it!

The peak of Botox wears off slowly

Even for your first appointment, you’re going to find that the appearance of fine lines and dynamic wrinkles returns super slowly. You’ll see really subtle changes in specific muscles appear slowly. It’s not like one day it’s just gone and you suddenly look ten years older.

This means that you have plenty of time to schedule a follow-up treatment or your next Botox appointment! You don’t need to make your second appointment at the time you get your first Botox. You don’t know how long it’s going to last you yet, so don’t jump into making an appointment ten weeks later. Your treatment (and your more youthful appearance) may last you sixteen weeks!

When does Botox peak?

Okay, now that we’ve gone through all the technicalities:

Botox is going to peak about two weeks after your injection, and that peak is going to last about five weeks if you’re new to Botox, but might last as much as ten weeks if you’ve been getting it for some time.

Obviously there are a ton of variables here and every person is different. But your best results are going to be from about week two to the end of the second month, if you’re new.

I would definitely recommend that you put your first appointment in your phone calendar. Then, when you start to see some facial lines or forehead wrinkles coming back, you can go back into your calendar and figure out how long it’s been since the appointment.

(And remember — your peak will get a little longer after every additional injection if you’re consistent. But it’ll give you an idea of how far apart to schedule later appointments! Especially if you’re like me and you can not actually be trusted to make an appointment later like you say you’re going to.)

What can I do to extend the life of my Botox?

Okay it’s cliche but it’s true:

Sunscreen.

(I know you’re like, okay, mom. But it’s true!)

In the same way that sunscreen prevents the DNA damage that degrades your skin, it also prevents UV rays from degrading the Botox or other botulinium toxin type. So, sunscreen: great for preventing wrinkles, great for extending the life of the thing that’s going to smooth out the wrinkles you already have.

(Same is true of smoking and vaping, and I say that as a former cigarette smoker. I’m glad I quit and you can too.)

You should also avoid very aggressive or abrasive scrubs. (Hello St. Ives!) Something like microdermabrasion is fine — you just shouldn’t be aggressively or frequently scrubbing the skin. It’s too harsh, and it will degrade the toxin and make it wear off faster.

I wrote more about this here: Can I Eat After Botox? Toxin Aftercare to Maximize Results