Did you know that you shouldn’t drink alcohol after or just before a Botox treatment? Keep reading to learn why.
What is Botox?
Botox is a purified protein used to treat wrinkles caused by facial expressions. Common areas treated with Botox include the frown lines between your eyebrows, horizontal forehead wrinkles, and crow’s feet, the lines you see around your eyes when you smile or squint. Botox works by relaxing the muscles that cause these wrinkles. Botox is supplied as a powder and reconstituted and used as a liquid before use. The Botox is injected into your skin using a tiny needle. With any injection there are risks. These include bleeding, bruising, swelling, amongst others. These are not limited to Botox, but also include fillers used to restore volume, Kybella for stubborn fat, Qwo for cellulite, and other non-cosmetic injections. Of course, no one wants any of these (or other) side effects and there are a number of things you can do to decrease your risk of side effects.
Risks of drinking alcohol before or after a Botox treatment
Alcohol is found in many beverages and people consume it all the time. It can help you relax. But you should avoid drinking alcohol for about a day before and after your Botox treatment. This is because alcohol has other effects that can interfere with your Botox treatment.
Bruising
Alcohol can thin your blood. This will increase your risk of bruising, which can happen from other things like bumping your hand against something. And it certainly will increase your risk of bruising when getting injected. Alcohol also dilates (or widens) blood vessels. This makes them larger and brings more blood to your skin. This makes it easier for a Botox needle to puncture the blood vessel, which can cause bleeding or bruising.
Swelling
Dilating your blood vessels increases the amount of fluid that is brought to your skin. This will increase the amount of swelling. Although bruising and swelling are easy to hide on your body, on your face it can be difficult or sometimes even impossible to hide with makeup.
Dizziness
Some people get dizzy after a Botox treatment. This can happen with any injection. Drinking alcohol before or after your treatment may exacerbate these effects because alcohol can make you dizzy or drowsy too.
Dehydration
Alcohol can dehydrate your body. This is partly why some people get dizzy after drinking alcohol. If your body is dehydrated, your skin will not get enough water to do its job because it’s dry. Your skin may appear wrinkled, dry, or dull. Although this is not good in general, it’s also important because it makes it more difficult for the Botox needle to get through your skin, which will also increase the risk of bleeding and bruising.
Drinking alcohol will increase your risks of side effects, but not necessarily to 100 percent. And even if you don’t drink alcohol before or after your Botox treatment, you can still have these side effects. But avoiding alcohol (and other blood thinners) for a day before and after your Botox treatment will decrease your risk. Cooling your skin before and after your Botox treatment can also decrease these risks.
Dr. Alex has performed over 10,000 cosmetic treatments with many satisfied patients. Contact us to schedule an appointment for a free consultation with Dr. Alex in our Encino, CA office.