You booked the appointment. Then you opened your phone at 11:40 at night and typed what should I not do before Botox.
We see you. And we can save you the scroll.
The prep list is short, the logic behind it is simple, and by the end of this post you’ll be the most prepared first-timer in our waiting room. Quick note on names: like most med spas, we treat with Dysport and Daxxify. “Botox” is just the brand that became the household word, the way Kleenex did.
First, some perspective.
The injections themselves are quick: a series of tiny pinpricks, no numbing needed for most areas. The appointment around them takes as long as you need it to.
We never rush that part. Your injector will sit with you, ask what’s bothering you, and watch how your face actually moves before any needle appears. That conversation is the treatment plan being written, and it gets the time it deserves.
The week before: five small things.
1. Ease up on the bruise-makers.
Aspirin, ibuprofen, fish oil and high-dose vitamin E all thin the blood a little, which raises your odds of a bruise at the injection site. Skip the optional ones for several days beforehand if you can.
One firm rule: never stop a prescribed medication for a cosmetic appointment. If you take a prescription blood thinner, ask your prescribing doctor first, and tell us either way.
2. Skip alcohol for 24 hours.
Same logic. Alcohol dilates blood vessels, and dilated vessels bruise more easily. One dry day is cheap insurance for your face.
3. Check your calendar before you check in.
Results appear within 2 to 5 days and settle in fully over about two weeks. If you have a wedding, reunion or big photo moment coming, book at least two to three weeks out.
That window isn’t arbitrary. It leaves room for the result to settle and for a touch-up if anything needs balancing.
4. Don’t stack facial treatments that week.
Save the peel, the facial and the massage for another week. Fresh injection sites want to be left alone, and so does freshly exfoliated skin.
5. Bring your annoyances, not a wish list.
Before your visit, look in the mirror and make three faces: frown, raise your brows, squint into a smile. Note what bothers you when you move.
That specific list beats “I want to look refreshed” every time. If you’re not sure whether your lines are even a neurotoxin problem, our mirror test guide sorts that out in ninety seconds.
Day of: what actually happens in the chair.
Come as you are. Makeup is fine; we cleanse the treatment areas before we start.
Your injector will ask you to make expressions while they watch, then map out placement based on how your muscles actually fire. Every forehead is different, and treating them all the same is how faces end up looking identical instead of refreshed.
Then, the part you were nervous about: a few pinpricks per area. Most first-timers say the same thing after: that was it?
You’ll also make one choice: by area or by unit.
We offer both, and it’s worth understanding the difference before you’re in the chair.
By area keeps it simple: a set structure per treatment zone, and it includes a complimentary touch-up within two weeks if anything needs balancing.
By unit tracks exactly what your anatomy requires, which can suit smaller, targeted treatments. Touch-ups on unit pricing are simply dosed as their own visit.
Neither is a trick. Your injector will tell you plainly which structure fits your plan, and current pricing lives on the Neurotoxins page.
After: 48 boring hours, on purpose.
Aftercare for neurotoxin is mostly about not relocating it while it settles.
- Stay upright for about four hours. No face-down naps.
- Don’t rub, massage or press on the treated areas for a day or two. Gentle cleansing is fine.
- Skip hard workouts, saunas and hot yoga for 24 hours.
- Hold off on facials and face massages for a few days.
- Feel free to frown, squint and raise your brows on purpose. Moving the muscles is fine; pressing on them isn’t.
A tiny bump or pinpoint redness right after is normal and usually gone within the hour. A small bruise, if you get one, covers with concealer and fades in days.
When you’ll see it, and how long it lasts.
Softening starts within 2 to 5 days. Give it two full weeks before you judge the result; that’s when everything has settled.
Standard results last up to about three months. Daxxify typically carries you 4 to 6 months or more. Your calendar, your metabolism and your dose all nudge those numbers.
At your two-week mark, look again in good light. If something feels unbalanced, that’s exactly what the touch-up window is for. Say something. We’d rather refine it than have you quietly live with it.
The night-before checklist.
- No alcohol since yesterday
- Optional blood-thinners paused for several days (prescriptions untouched, doctor asked)
- No peel or facial booked this week
- Big events at least two weeks away
- Your list of the three expressions that bug you
- Questions written down, because chair-brain is real
When to hold off.
Skip the appointment for now if you’re pregnant or nursing, if you have an active skin infection near a treatment area, or if your big event is inside two weeks. None of those are forever. They’re just not today.
And one thing we’ll say plainly: neurotoxin belongs in a medical setting. If the venue is a living room and the deal is too good, the answer is no. What’s in the syringe, who’s holding it and what happens if something goes wrong all matter more than the discount.
Three questions every first-timer asks.
Will I look frozen? Not if it’s dosed well. Frozen is a dosing decision, not a side effect. We treat the muscle that’s creasing, preserve the movement around it, and start conservative on purpose.
Can I go back to work after? Yes. You might have a few small bumps for an hour and, occasionally, a coverable bruise. Nobody in your afternoon meeting will know.
What if I don’t like it? Then you wait, and it wears off. That’s the built-in safety of neurotoxin: nothing about it is permanent. It’s also why we’d rather under-dose your first visit and see you at two weeks than guess big on day one.
One last thing about the goal.
A good first treatment doesn’t announce itself. You look rested. You still look like you, and you can still make every face you made last week, just without the creases digging in.
That’s deliberate. We’d rather start you conservative and add later than send you out overdone, because adding is easy and waiting out too much is not.