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5 minute read · Last reviewed 22 October 2026

Anti-wrinkle injections aftercare: what to do and avoid

After anti-wrinkle injections, stay upright and leave the treated area alone for four hours, avoid rubbing or massaging it for 24 hours, and skip hard exercise, alcohol, saunas, steam rooms and sunbeds for the first day or two. You can wash your face gently the same day and wear make-up after four to six hours. Mild redness, small bumps and a headache are normal; a drooping eyelid or any difficulty swallowing or breathing is not.

Why aftercare matters

The medicine is placed precisely into a small muscle, and in the first few hours it is still being taken up by the nerve endings there. Pressure, heat and vigorous movement could, in theory, spread it into a neighbouring muscle or reduce how much binds where it is meant to. The evidence that any single rule makes a large difference is thin, but the rules cost nothing, and following them means that if something does go wrong, it was not because of anything you did.

The first four hours

  • Stay upright. No lying down, no bending forward for long periods, no face-down massage or yoga.
  • Don’t touch. No rubbing, pressing, massaging or resting your hand or phone on the treated area. Hats, headbands and tight glasses that press on the forehead are best left off.
  • No make-up yet. Give the injection points time to close.
  • Move the muscles if asked. Some practitioners ask you to frown, squint or raise your brows a few times in the first hour, on the theory that it helps the muscle take up the medicine. Others don’t. Follow your own practitioner’s advice; neither approach is wrong.

The first 24 hours

  • Gentle cleansing only. Wash your face with lukewarm water and a mild cleanser, patting rather than rubbing. Skip exfoliants, facial brushes, retinol and strong acids tonight.
  • Make-up after four to six hours, applied lightly.
  • No alcohol. It increases bruising. It does not stop the treatment working.
  • No hard exercise. A walk is fine. Running, weights, hot yoga and anything that raises your heart rate and blood pressure for a sustained period waits until tomorrow. The concern is both bruising and the possibility of moving the medicine.
  • No heat. Saunas, steam rooms, hot baths, hot tubs, sunbeds and strong sun on the face all widen blood vessels. Avoid them today and ideally tomorrow.
  • Sleep on your back if you can. Not essential, but it avoids pressing the treated area into a pillow on the first night.
  • Painkillers if needed. Paracetamol is fine for a headache. Avoid aspirin and ibuprofen for the first day unless you take them for a medical reason, as they thin the blood and increase bruising.

Days two to fourteen

  • Return to your normal skincare and exercise from day two.
  • Avoid facials, facial massage, microneedling, laser and other treatments to the same area for two weeks, so nothing disturbs the result while it develops.
  • Be patient. The medicine starts working at two to three days and is fully in at ten to fourteen days; our guide to how long anti-wrinkle injections take to work goes through it day by day.
  • Attend your two-week review. This is where any unevenness is assessed and corrected.

What is normal

  • Small raised bumps at the injection points that flatten within thirty minutes.
  • Pinpoint redness for a few hours.
  • Small bruises, which fade within a week. Arnica cream or a cold compress (not pressed hard) can help.
  • A mild headache for up to a day or two, especially after forehead or frown-line treatment.
  • A feeling of tightness or heaviness in the treated area in the first week, as the muscle weakens.
  • Slight asymmetry before day fourteen. The two sides often develop at different speeds.

What to call the clinic about

  • A drooping eyelid or a brow that sits noticeably lower on one side. This happens when a small amount of medicine affects a neighbouring muscle. It is temporary, improving over three to six weeks as the medicine wears off, and the clinic may prescribe eye drops that lift the lid in the meantime. Do not let anyone inject more medicine to “balance” it without a proper assessment.
  • Unevenness that is still obvious at two weeks.
  • A result much weaker than you were led to expect.
  • Any rash, swelling or warmth at the injection sites that gets worse rather than better after the first day.

Any registered practitioner will want to hear about these. A clinic that does not give you a way to contact them after treatment is one to avoid next time.

When to seek urgent help

Serious reactions are rare but need prompt medical attention. Contact the clinic and call NHS 111, or 999 if breathing is affected, if in the days after treatment you have:

  • Difficulty swallowing, speaking or breathing.
  • Blurred or double vision, or drooping of both eyelids.
  • Muscle weakness anywhere away from the treated area.
  • Signs of an allergic reaction: hives, swelling of the lips, tongue or throat, wheezing.

Tell whoever treats you that you have had a botulinum toxin injection, which product, and when.

Aftercare for specific areas

Masseter (jaw). Expect the jaw to feel tired when chewing tough food for the first week or two. Soft food helps. Avoid chewing gum and very chewy foods for a few days. Our masseter guide explains what to expect over the following weeks.

Under-eye and crow’s feet. Bruising is more common here because the skin is thin. Avoid eye make-up remover that needs rubbing for the first day.

Gummy smile and lip area. Drinking through a straw and whistling can feel odd for a few days. Avoid lip-area massage.

A printable checklist

Clinics are welcome to link to this guide from their own aftercare emails. The short version:

  1. Four hours upright, hands off.
  2. No alcohol, hard exercise, heat or sunbeds for 24 to 48 hours.
  3. Make-up after four to six hours, applied gently.
  4. Paracetamol for a headache; avoid aspirin and ibuprofen on day one.
  5. Expect nothing for three days and everything by day fourteen.
  6. Call the clinic about drooping or unevenness; call 111 or 999 about swallowing, breathing or vision.

When can you exercise after anti-wrinkle injections?

Wait 24 hours before strenuous exercise, including running, the gym, hot yoga and anything that makes you sweat heavily. Clinics give that advice for three reasons: raised blood flow and heat may move the product while it is binding in the first hours, sweat and a headband or hand mean rubbing the treated area, and lying face-down or inverted (some yoga and stretching positions) is discouraged in the first four hours. A walk, light housework or a gentle cycle on the day is fine. After 24 hours there is no restriction, and there is no evidence that regular exercise shortens how long the result lasts, although very intensive training is sometimes blamed for it.

Sources

Common questions

Can I drink alcohol after anti-wrinkle injections?

Best avoided for 24 hours. Alcohol widens blood vessels and makes bruising at the injection sites more likely. It does not affect how well the medicine works.

When can I wear make-up after anti-wrinkle injections?

Wait at least four hours, and six is safer, so the tiny injection points have closed. Apply it gently with clean fingers or a clean brush rather than rubbing, and avoid pressing on the treated area for the rest of the day.

Can I lie down after anti-wrinkle injections?

Stay upright for four hours. Lying flat or face down in the first few hours could, in theory, let the medicine move from the muscle it was placed in. After four hours you can sleep in any position, though many practitioners suggest sleeping on your back the first night.

Can I fly after anti-wrinkle injections?

Yes. Flying has no effect on the treatment. Just avoid resting your face against the window or your hand on the day.

What is the four-hour rule after anti-wrinkle injections?

Stay upright, do not lie down or bend forward for long, and do not rub or press the treated area for about four hours. The idea is to keep the medicine in the muscles it was injected into while it binds. The evidence behind the exact number is thin, but the advice is standard across UK clinics and costs nothing to follow.

Why no retinol after anti-wrinkle injections?

Retinol, acids and other active skincare can sting and inflame the tiny injection sites for the first day, which is also the window in which rubbing the area is discouraged. There is no interaction with the medicine itself. Most clinics say to go back to normal skincare after 24 hours.

What should you not do after anti-wrinkle injections?

For four hours: do not rub, press or massage the area, lie down or bend forward for long, or wear a tight hat or headband. For 24 hours: no strenuous exercise, alcohol, saunas, steam rooms, sunbeds, facials or active skincare such as retinol or acids. Make-up can go on after the injection sites have closed, usually a few hours. Then live normally and come back for the two-week review.

What does no one tell you about anti-wrinkle injections?

That bruising is common and can last a week; that the result is judged at two weeks, not two days, and one side often comes in before the other; that the first treatment may need a top-up to find your dose; that a heavy or tight feeling in the first days is normal; and that the clinic's top-up policy (free within two weeks, or charged) is worth asking about before you book.

This guide is general information, not medical advice. Speak to a qualified professional about your own situation.

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