McKeown Medical
167 Bath Street, Glasgow, G2 4SQ
Date posted — 21.10.24
Aftercare instructions following anti-wrinkle injections can be confusing because everyone says something a little bit different about what you should do following your treatment. I want to explain to you why there is so much variation and how I personally approach aftercare instructions for our patients.Â
When the cosmetic effects of anti-wrinkle injections were first discovered, doctors worried about the drug spreading to nearby tissues and having unwanted side effects. We knew pretty early on that the spread of anti-wrinkle injections into the levator muscle of the eye caused eyelid ptosis (or drooping), and so people came up with a whole range of well-intentioned but perhaps overly cautious rules on how to minimise the risk of that happening. The consequence of this is that we now have all sorts of wildly cautious ‘rules’ published all over the internet that make anti-wrinkle aftercare instructions somewhat confusing! “You must not fly for two weeks following treatment”; “You mustn’t lie down for twelve hours”; “Don’t go to the gym for a week”.
The good news is that anti-wrinkle injections have been used for cosmetic purposes for over three decades now, and we have a much better understanding of how they work. Many of the original precautions doctors came up with have turned out to be somewhat unnecessary. So, you can relax a little when it comes to aftercare. To all intents and purposes, you can get back to normal life activities immediately following treatment.Â
Anti-wrinkle treatments are neurotoxic proteins used in aesthetic medicine to reduce wrinkles and fine lines, and they are especially effective in the upper part of the face.
It works by blocking nerve signals in the muscles where it is injected, causing a temporary reduction in muscle activity. This leads to a smoother and more youthful appearance. anti-wrinkle injections are commonly used to treat forehead lines, crow’s feet, and frown lines, but they also have therapeutic applications, such as treating excessive sweating and migraines. Understanding the function and applications of anti-wrinkle injections is the first step towards effective aftercare.
The first few hours following an anti-wrinkle treatment are the most important for ensuring optimal results. During this period, the anti-wrinkle substance is being absorbed into the muscles. After the drug is absorbed into the muscles, there is very little you can do to change it – even if you want to!
During the first few hours, you want to avoid unnecessary touching, massaging, or applying pressure to the treated areas. This helps prevent the anti-wrinkle treatment from spreading to unintended areas, which could lead to undesired effects. Likewise, avoiding activities that raise your blood pressure is also sensible for a few hours – so don’t leave your anti-wrinkle appointment and go directly to the gym or sauna/steam room. Most people have their treatment performed during office hours, and if you want to go to the gym later that evening, so long as it’s been a few hours since your treatment, that should be safe. If your appointment is later in the day, then you should probably skip that evening’s exercise class – but you will be fine to get back to it the following morning.Â
A lot of doctors talk about avoiding alcohol consumption following anti-wrinkle treatment. I agree that avoiding alcohol before treatment is important because you cannot give consent to treatment if you are under the influence of alcohol. Having alcohol in your system at the time of injection may also increase your risk of bruising. But after the injection is over and any bleeding has stopped, it is not going to start bleeding again and bruise more if you drink alcohol, so I’m happy for my patients to have a glass of wine with dinner that night!Â
The first night after anti-wrinkle treatment often gets special attention. It’s recommended to sleep on your back to avoid putting pressure on the treated areas. Whilst this may sound sensible, in reality, it is very difficult for a lot of people to sleep on their back, and so long as it’s been a few hours or more since your treatment, then the drug should be absorbed and the position of your head should not, at this stage, impact the effectiveness or results – so you can relax and enjoy a good nights sleep, even on your side.
Masseter anti-wrinkle, a treatment targeting the jaw muscles to treat tooth grinding as well as to slim the fact, may require specific aftercare instructions. The masseter muscle plays a crucial role in chewing and speaking, so it’s essential to be mindful of these activities post-treatment.
Avoid excessive jaw movements, such as chewing gum or grinding teeth, for a few hours after the procedure. This helps the anti-wrinkle treatment settle into the masseter muscle without disruption. Remember, each patient’s aftercare may vary based on individual factors. Always follow the specific instructions provided by your aesthetic medicine practitioner for optimal results.
Post-anti-wrinkle treatment, some very mild discomfort, swelling, or bruising may occur. Ice packs can be a simple and effective tool to reduce these symptoms – although most people do not feel they are required.Â
Around 1 in 10 patients get a temporary headache following treatment. This is common and you can relax knowing that it will likely resolve on its own pretty quickly. If you want, you can take simple over-the-counter pain medication like paracetamol (or Tylenol if you are in the US!) – although most patients do not find it severe enough to do this.Â
You can resume your normal skincare routine later that night, so long as its been a few hours since treatment.
In the first few hours post-anti-wrinkle treatment, certain activities should be avoided. These include strenuous exercise, which can increase blood flow to the face and potentially spread the anti-wrinkle to unintended areas.
You should also avoid touching, massaging, or applying pressure to the treated areas. This can disrupt the placement of the anti-wrinkle and affect the results. However, after a few hours, when the drug has been absorbed, you can get back to most normal activities.
Heat exposure, including hot showers, saunas, and hot tubs, should be avoided in the first few hours post-anti-wrinkle treatment. Heat can increase blood flow and potentially spread the anti-wrinkle to unintended areas. If you want to use the sauna or steam room the day after treatment, that should not cause any problems.Â
Sun exposure is generally harmful to your skin and should be avoided. However, sun exposure should not pose additional risks following anti-wrinkle treatment.Â
Maintaining a healthy diet and staying hydrated will improve your overall health and well-being. Consuming a balanced diet rich in vitamins and minerals can aid in skin health and recovery. However, there is no correlation between a bad diet and bad anti-wrinkle results, so if you want to go ahead and visit McDonalds after treatment, it will not harm your results!Â
After anti-wrinkle injections, it’s crucial to understand what side effects are normal and when to seek medical attention. Typical side effects include minor swelling, bruising, or redness at the injection site. These typically resolve very quickly. Within 20 minutes or so, the initial swelling and redness have usually gone, and you can get back to normal activities without anyone being able to tell you just had treatment.
As the treatment begins to take effect, it is quite common for one side to react faster than the other, resulting in mild asymmetry. This usually resolves itself as the treatment takes full effect, which is why it is best to wait for a full two weeks to assess the outcome before deciding if any touch-ups or adjustments are required.Â
If you experience severe pain, difficulty swallowing, or muscle weakness, you should contact your healthcare provider immediately. These could be signs of complications – although it would be exceptionally rare for these side effects to be caused by cosmetic use of anti-wrinkle injections.Â
Maintaining the results of your anti-wrinkle treatment requires a consistent skincare routine. Sun protection is crucial. Regular use of sunscreen can preserve your skin health and anti-wrinkle results.
Remember, anti-wrinkle injections are not a one-time solution. Follow-up treatments are necessary to maintain the desired results effect over time. Most patients find they need a repeat treatment every 3-4 months, although it does vary from person to person.
Anti-wrinkle treatment aftercare is a critical part of the journey to facial rejuvenation. By adhering to the aftercare plan provided by your aesthetic medicine practitioner, you can optimize your results. The good news is that the aftercare does not need to be as onerous as doctors once thought!Â
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We are well and truly into filler season now with all of our patients planning ahead for weddings and summer holidays.
This is one of our patients who wanted to treat her jowls and facial sagging, but didn’t want surgery so we opted for our signature non-surgical volumetric facelift using filler injections only. This is her a couple of weeks later looking, and feeling, fabulous.
What do you think?
In case you missed it, here’s Dr Rhona and Dr Iain’s live Q&A discussing everything to do with periods and heavy menstrual bleeding.
Thanks to everyone who joined and asked questions. We’ll be doing more of these so keep an eye out for the next one!
And if you’d like to know more about the treatments we can offer for heavy menstrual bleeding, check out the link in our bio!
Thank you to our incredible patient for allowing us to share these pictures with you.
This patient has been with me for years but the thing we have always struggled with has been the texture of the skin around the mouth and lower face which has had a lot of sun over the years.
We’d tried less invasive options but ultimately when the skin changes get to this level the only thing that makes a dramatic improvement is full field resurfacing.
There is literally no other treatment capable of undoing sun damage like this. The patient is only a few weeks post-op and still a bit red so she is wearing make up to hide the redness, but already obsessed by the texture of her new skin.
What do you think?
If you`d like to know if you`d benefit from this treatment send us a DM with some pictures or visit the link in our profile for more information on full laser resurfacing.
We`re going live on Wednesday at 7PM! Join Dr Rhona and Dr Iain (@driainmartin) on Instagram live, where they`ll be discussing everything about periods and heavy menstrual bleeding including:
What is “normal” when it comes to menstruation
Heavy periods - what is a heavy period and what might be causing it
Myths vs facts - getting the right information and the right treatment for period problems
They`ll also be answering your questions live, so if there`s anything you`d like to ask, leave a comment or head to our stories. We hope you can join us!
Since we are now in full swing filler season, I’m very grateful to this patient for allowing us to share her pictures to demonstrate how much lift we can achieve just using filler.
Discover more about our method at the link in our bio.
Summer is almost here! If you’re putting off wearing your favourite summer dresses and shorts because of varicose veins, now is the time to think about treatment.
Varicose veins aren’t just a cosmetic concern - they can ache and throb, as well as make us feel self-conscious, especially as the warmer weather approaches.
With so many treatments available, it can be difficult to know where to start. Here’s our lovely Dr Alex with a quick overview of how we can help reduce discomfort, improve appearance and boost your confidence in time for summer.
If you, or someone you know, have been thinking about treatment, now is a great time to explore your options with plenty of time to feel the benefits before summer - check the link in our bio for more details.
Now that spring has finally sprung we are very much in peak time for filler treatments in the clinic.
So many patients would benefit from filler, but are scared of them because of the horror stories so I wanted to share a few examples this week of what filler looks like - in the correct hands!
Here are some examples of the natural looks we achieve with the McKeown Method.
Discover more about our method at the link in our bio.
What a difference a week is! This is one of our patients just a week out from her deep plane face and neck lift by the ever so talented @bramhallplasticsurgery.
The deep plane technique is the most technically challenging facelift to perform and Russell remains the only surgeon in Scotland performing this procedure, which involves going much deeper into the face to reposition the tissues rather than just pull them tight.
The outcome is a much more effective rejuvenation, even in unflattering poses when your head is bent forward, and a result that lasts much longer than a traditional facelift.
What do you think?
Thank you so much to our wonderful patient for allowing us to share her before and after pictures. She’s around 6 weeks after full field resurfacing.
One of the great things about this treatment is that, in addition to wiping wrinkles away, it also gives some pretty impressive skin tightening too. If you look at her forehead, upper and lower eyelids you can really see how much tighter the skin is.
The stubborn forehead lines and lines through the eyebrows have gone and, of course, the lines around the mouth are significantly reduced. These will continue to improve for up to six months as the skin continues to heal. She’s still a little pink, which will fade over the next few months, but with a little tinted moisturiser you’d never know. The patient is over the moon.
What do you think?
We can now offer full laser resurfacing with sedation and you can see more about the procedure in the link in our profile.