Botox under Eyes: Everything you need to know

Botox is an effective, preventative measure against crows feet and wrinkles.

A global market worth almost USD seven billion in 2020, Botox is an increasingly popular option for those with prominent wrinkles, under-eye bags or swelling. It can also be injected to treat twitching nerves.

Before you get Botox under your eyes, is it the right thing for you? You need to ask yourself several questions.

What is Botox under the eyes?

Botulinum toxin, more commonly known as Botox, is a protein produced by bacteria. It was originally used to treat patients with overactive muscles due to conditions such as cerebral palsy..

In regards to appearance, it is now used to help get rid of and reduce lines and wrinkles.

Botox can help with the following when applied under the eyes:

Under-eye wrinkles.
Eye bags.
Crow’s feet.

How does it work?

The science

Botox works by temporarily blocking nerve signals to the muscles under the eyes, which relaxes and smooths the area, resulting in fewer lines and wrinkles.

The phrase ‘we smile with our eyes’ has some truth to it: there are six main muscles around the eye that are used for making expressions, as well as focusing on everything from reading to watching TV. Because these muscles are in constant use, under-bags and wrinkles often develop in this part of the face.

Before the treatment

The doctor will ask you to do some facial exercises during your consultation so they can see how your muscles move naturally. That way, they’ll know where to inject the Botox.

In order to avoid any complications, a full medical history will be taken before Botox is performed under the eyes. Prior to treatment, the following instructions may be given:

Retinoids, glycolic acid, and other anti-ageing creams can actually do more harm than good.
Make sure to abstain from alcohol and smoking for at least seven days before your session.

During the treatment

After your clinician identifies the injection areas, they will cleanse your face.
Next, the clinician will inject the Botox under your eyes with a fine needle. As there is usually minimal discomfort, local anesthetic is generally not needed; though a numbing cream may be used to make you more comfortable.
We then use ice and pressure at the injection sites to bring down swelling.
The average treatment time is 20 minutes, after which you can go home immediately.

Aftercare

Although no clinical recovery time is necessary after getting Botox, your clinician will usually go over some aftercare instructions with you, such as avoidance of: