Ever noticed your Botox seems to wear off faster in the summer months? Well it turns out you might be on to something. A recent plastic surgery article showed this was true. The researcher commented that patients with higher sun exposure may need higher doses of Botox[i]. Yikes! Does this mean higher Botox dose which equals higher cost? Instead of asking for a higher botox dose, do you want some quick tips to potentially extend the life of your Botox effect? Stay tuned for our advice to extend the life span of your smooth summer Botox face…
How did we learn that Botox might be less effective in hot summer months?
First, let us explain why you might need more Botox in the summer. “Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery” (PRS, @PRSjournal) is the pre-eminent medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. In this month’s July 2024 edition of PRS, researchers reported a study on Botox in different climates. They compared treatments in hotter, sunnier climates (the Mediterranean in the summer) vs. treatments in cloudier, colder climates (London in the winter). They found that patients in the hot sunny climate required higher doses of Botox to achieve optimal correction. By optimal correction, we mean smoother 11 lines between your eyebrows. On routine follow up, the sunny climate patients were not optimally corrected compared with the winter climate patients. The sunny climate patients also required more additional treatment to result in full correction. Why would this be?
Several factors probably pertain. First of all, the authors thought the effect of direct sunlight might directly affect the medicine. Also, as core temperature and metabolic rate increase, the body could be metabolizing botox away faster. Finally, the reason could be squinting. Forceful squinting causes the “eleven’s” to form in our foreheads. High sun leads to hard squinting. Then, our “11’s” deepen. Imagine using dumbells to make your muscles bigger. That is the same as using your glabellar muscle more in high sun.
Tips to make your Botox last longer in the summer:
Here they are, some ideas for maximizing your summer treatments. If direct sunlight causes decreased botox efficacy, then reducing sun exposure can help. So can some sunscreen. We always recommend sunscreen anyway, to keep those sun damage effects away from your skin. After all, it is your skin that we aim to improve the look of with tox treatments.
But, ok-it’s summer! We get it! The pool is calling! The beach trip is never far from your mind! There are other things that could help. You can also maximize your botox duration by keeping cool. If you’re at that pool or beach, take frequent dips. Splash & enjoy! Stay in the shade when possible. Fan yourself with a fan. Use a cool mister. Stay hydrated with an ice cold drink. Lick a popsicle.
Mainly, using a hat can help. Yes. Believe it or not, using a hat puts that shade on your “glabellar muscle.” The glabellar muscle causes squinting. Bright sunshine is like a work out for your glabellar muscle. Sun causes forceful squinting. This leads to deeper frown lines in your skin, aka, 11’s. Usually, that is not what we want. It is common sense that squinting less will help promote smoother skin between your eyebrows. Therefore, anything you can do to minimize your squinting can help. Hats help. So does wearing shades. You look very cool in your favorite sunglasses, anyway. Now they serve a medical purpose. Hopefully this inspires you to wear them. Take that-glabellar lines! Shades are good for UV sun protection anyway. UV ray protection sunglasses can help protect your eyes.
How long should my botox last, anyway?
The usual duration of effect of botox is three to four months. Here is another Botox Charleston WV tip: Most of our happiest patients make their botox appointments routinely every three months or therabouts. Everybody is different. So this number can vary. Some of our patients can easily stretch out their botox treatments every five to six months. Other patients have a hard time with extending their treatments up to three months. In these cases, we start to talk about other options, like increased dose or a different medicine. We can consider a different formulation, i.e., extended life onabotulinum tox treatments.
A Final Word on Botox Safety:
Botox is a premium treatment. In these days of rampant reports of fake Botox cropping up in some salons & non-physician office-based spas, patients are more interested than ever in ways to extend their treatments. First of all, make sure you are receiving legitimate medication, not counterfeit medication. The latter can be dangerous. The CDC has warned that it is important to receive legitimate product in capable hands. They reported harmful reactions to “counterfeit” product & “mishandled injections.” Counterfeit botox can be problematic. One of our colleagues, Dr. Hidef, has explained why to avoid cheap botox cost. He explained why to make sure you’re getting the real deal in a legitimate medical facility & from a good quality medical injector.
If you are interested in smoother skin, tox treatment might be right for you. Come talk to us about investing in your face with Botox treatments. We can discuss Botox cost, implications, your budget for treatments. We can discuss what botox treatment can do for your face. We are happy to explain a good skin care regimen for in between your tox treatments. We see that our most delighted patients keep up with their botox injections on a 3 to 4 monthly basis. They also take good care of their skin with good medical grade skin care product in between their face injections. Additionally, we offer other non-surgical face treatments to maximize your confidence & freshen up and smooth your face. We offer Botox, Juvederm face filler, lip injections, morpheus8, ellacor, and regenerative medicine options such as biostimulator injections. Do you want to look like a little bit younger & still like you? Not fake? That is our goal for our patients. Come and see us. We would love to explain what different options are out there just for you. Let’s talk about your face!
[i] Plastic Surgery Practice, June 26, 24.
