After many years of considering whether or not to do it, you’ve finally decided to receive a Botox injection. Congratulations!
As you may have heard from other people, there are certain dos and don’ts that you’ll have to observe while you’re recovering. That means certain activities are off-limits for a time after the procedure.
One of the biggest things is knowing when it’s okay for you to start exercising again. It can be a detriment to the Botox if you return too early.
Here is everything that you need to know about exercise after Botox and how to make sure it’s working effectively!
1. Try Not to Wipe the Sweat Away
There are two types of workout people: those that constantly wipe their sweat away with a towel, and those that let it drip.
If you would consider yourself to be the former, then you need to be especially careful about when you return to the gym.
You might be thinking to yourself: “But why would that play a factor in when I can exercise again?” Because wiping the sweat is actually a form of massage, which might cause the Botox to move from the area you had it treated for.
Even if you’ve waited the appropriate amount of time before returning to the gym, try to kick the habit of wiping sweat from your face for a week or two.
Be sure to read this article on Botox aftercare for a more detailed list of dos and don’ts after you receive an injection.
2. Wait for 5 to 7 Hours to Pass Before the Gym
One of the most crucial things to do after receiving a Botox injection is knowing when you can return to your life activities that are particularly strenuous.
Although one of the biggest benefits of receiving Botox is that there isn’t a recovery time, there’s still a bit of time that it needs to settle.
Generally, experts will tell you to wait for a minimum of 4 hours after the Botox injection before working out. However, even 4 hours might be pushing it.
For that reason, try to wait for anywhere between 5 to 7 hours after receiving the injection before you hit the gym. The longer you wait, the better. However, unless you enjoy working out late at night, you probably won’t want to wait too much longer.
3. Avoid ALL Workouts Before the 5 to 7-Hour Window
Some patients make the mistake of thinking that “hitting the gym” only refers to the particularly-strenuous workouts such as weightlifting.
As a result, they decide to hit up a cycle class or a yoga class before the 5 to 7-hour window is up.
These classes will still cause you to do things such as hanging your head below your heart for certain yoga poses or stretch routines. Doing so can once again cause the Botox to move from its intended area, which will send you back to your specialist for an emergency.
Any type of workout that causes your blood pressure to spike might lead to swelling in the area you received an injection. However, if you wait only a few hours more, then you won’t have to worry.
4. Plan Out Your Day Ahead of Time
One of the healthiest practices for Botox patients is to plan out the days that they’ll be receiving an injection a few days ahead of time.
The point of this is to make sure you’re keeping busy enough for several hours after the injection to avoid any activity that can interfere with its progress.
Better yet, you can show the schedule that you’ve made to your specialist and see if there’s any activity on your list that they wouldn’t recommend.
For example, say you have an appointment to receive a Botox injection at noon next Monday. You should be in and out of that appointment within an hour or two at the latest.
So give yourself a 5-hour window’s worth of activities from 2 pm to 7 pm that day. It could be things such as grocery shopping, meeting with clients, grabbing coffee with a friend, picking the kids up from school, etc.
Better yet, commit yourself to an exercise class that’s after the 5-hour window. Sign yourself up for a yoga, cycle, or Crossfit class at 8 pm that day. It will be at least 6-hours after your procedure, and will still allow you to get a sweat in.
5. Make Many Different Faces
If you’ve done enough research on Botox recovery, then you’ve probably heard this recommendation before.
You want to get your face adjusted to the new treatment that you’ve given it. Because of that, it’s helpful to make as many faces as you possibly can.
Try to smile as wide as you can, frown, make a crying face, make a laughing face, closing your eyes, raising your eyebrows, etc.
While this might feel silly to do, it helps the Botox to naturally move into the facial muscles that you’re using. The more that you do them, the more the Botox will settle in.
Exercise After Botox: Don’t Try to Be a Hero
Try to remember that as painful as it might be to skew away from your normal routine, Botox injection day should be made with an exception.
Exercise after Botox can destroy the entire injection process that you went through only hours ago. There’s nothing wrong with working out that day, just make sure you’re taking precautions and waiting enough time before doing so.
Be sure to browse our website for more articles on cosmetic procedures, as well as many other helpful topics.