What to Avoid After Botox: The First Hours, Days and Weeks
Updated: 13 hours ago
Medical editor: Dr. Semih Yıldız, plastic, reconstructive and aesthetic surgeon (FEBOPRAS) · Last updated: October 2026
For the first 4 hours after Botox, stay upright, do not touch, rub or massage the treated areas, and avoid strenuous exercise. For the rest of the day, keep away from heat, alcohol and anything that presses on the treated skin. After that, normal life continues, and the most useful thing you can do is wait about 2 weeks before judging the result.
These steps are simple, but they make bruising less likely and help the toxin stay in the muscles where it was placed. They apply to the treatments described on our page on Botox in Istanbul, with a few extra notes for the jaw and underarms further down.
The first 4 hours
Stay upright: avoid lying flat, napping or bending forward for long periods, for example during yoga or heavy housework.
Hands off: no touching, rubbing, pressing or massaging the treated areas.
No hard exercise: skip workouts, heavy lifting and anything that makes you strain or flush.
The reasoning is practical. In the first hours, before the toxin has fully attached to the nerve endings, pressure, massage and a sudden increase in blood flow could in theory move some of it towards neighbouring muscles. The risk is small, but these precautions are easy and help to avoid unwanted effects such as a heavy brow or a drooping eyelid. Dr. Semih Yıldız places each injection according to how your muscles move, and these rules help the effect stay where it was planned.
Sitting at a desk, walking, eating, reading or using your phone are all fine, and you can go back to work the same day.
The rest of the first day
Once the first 4 hours have passed, you can carry on with most things. A few habits are still worth postponing until the next day:
Heat: saunas, steam rooms, hot baths, sunbeds and hot yoga widen the blood vessels and can increase swelling and bruising.
Alcohol: it also makes bruising more likely.
Exercise: keep activity light and return to your usual workouts the next day.
Pressure: tight caps, headbands or swimming goggles that press on the treated areas can wait.
Make-up: wait at least 4 hours, ideally until the next morning, and apply it gently with clean hands or a clean sponge.
From the evening you can sleep normally. If you usually sleep face down, sleeping on your back for the first night is a sensible extra precaution.
Painkillers and other medicines
Botox rarely hurts afterwards, but a mild headache can occur, particularly after a first treatment of the forehead and frown lines. Paracetamol is usually suitable. Aspirin and ibuprofen can make bruising more likely, so avoid them on the treatment day if you can.
If you take a blood thinner prescribed for a medical condition, do not stop it before or after Botox without speaking to the doctor who prescribed it. A small bruise matters far less than the protection that medicine gives your heart or circulation.
The first two weeks
From the next day you can wash your face, use your usual skincare and exercise as normal. What remains is patience:
Days 2–5: the effect starts to appear. One side may relax a day earlier than the other, which is normal at this stage.
Days 5–14: the effect continues to build. Leave facials, facial massage, peels, microneedling and laser treatments on the treated areas until after the two-week check.
Day 14: the full effect is visible. This is the right moment to judge symmetry and decide whether a small touch-up is needed.
Small raised marks at the injection points usually flatten within an hour, and redness fades the same day. Small bruises, if they appear, usually fade within a week or so and can be covered with make-up from the next day. A feeling of tightness or heaviness in the forehead is common in the first weeks and usually eases as you get used to it.
Jaw and underarm treatments
After masseter Botox, chewing hard or chewy food can feel tiring for a few weeks while the muscle relaxes; this is expected and settles. The slimming of the lower face appears gradually over several weeks, so it is judged later than the forehead.
After underarm treatment, the same first-day advice on heat and exercise applies. The reduction in sweating develops over the same two-week period as facial treatments.
When to contact your doctor
Most side effects of Botox are mild and pass on their own, because the effect itself is temporary. Get in touch with the team if you notice:
a drooping upper eyelid, or a brow that sits lower or feels heavier than before, without any of the emergency symptoms described below. Both are uncommon and temporary. Eye drops prescribed by a doctor can lift a drooping eyelid slightly while the effect wears off, but they do not raise a low brow;
an eye that does not close fully or becomes very dry;
a clearly uneven result at the two-week mark;
redness, warmth or swelling at an injection point that increases after the first day.
Rarely, the effect of the toxin spreads beyond the treated area. Signs of this typically begin 4–8 days after treatment and can appear up to 4 weeks later, so you may well be back home by then. If you develop double vision, difficulty swallowing, speaking or breathing, or general muscle weakness, with or without a drooping eyelid, treat it as an emergency wherever you are: call 112 in Turkey or your local emergency number, and say that you had botulinum toxin injections, when and in which areas. The same applies to swelling of the face, lips or tongue with a rash. These reactions are very rare after cosmetic doses, but they should never wait.
For the two-week check, send clear photos of your face at rest, frowning, raising your eyebrows and smiling, taken in even daylight. These photos, or a video call, are used to judge whether anything needs adjusting.
A short summary of the aftercare timeline and how to prepare is also on our Botox page.
Frequently asked questions
Can I fly home after Botox?
Yes. There is no medical reason to delay a flight after Botox, and the usual stay in Istanbul is 1 day. If you fly on the day of treatment, follow the 4-hour rules: stay upright in your seat, avoid resting your face against a headrest or travel pillow and do not rub the treated areas. The two-week check can then be done remotely.
What if I accidentally rub the area or lie down too soon?
A brief touch or a few minutes lying down is very unlikely to change the result. The precautions reduce a small risk rather than prevent a common problem. Simply return to the normal advice and avoid repeated rubbing or massage. Judge the outcome at the two-week check, and get in touch sooner if you notice a drooping eyelid or brow.
Can I have Botox on the same day as fillers or other treatments?
Yes. Botox can be combined with fillers or other treatments planned during the same visit, as long as the plan takes the aftercare of each into account. For example, an area treated with Botox should not be massaged on the first day. If surgery is planned during the same trip, the timing and the areas are agreed in advance.
If you have questions about your own treatment plan or aftercare, you can send us your photos for a free online assessment.
This article provides general information and does not replace a medical consultation. Results vary from person to person.
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