Anti-wrinkle injection aftercare, from the first hour to your review

What anti-wrinkle injection aftercare involves

Aftercare after wrinkle-relaxing injections (sometimes called anti-wrinkle injections) is short: for the rest of the day avoid rubbing or massaging the treated areas, stay upright for a few hours, and skip saunas and strenuous exercise, then let the effect build over about two weeks. Most treatments go smoothly, and the commonest after-effects are small bumps, a pinpoint bruise, tenderness and a mild headache.

The injections place small amounts of a prescription medicine into chosen facial muscles. It temporarily blocks the nerve signals that make those muscles contract, so the muscle moves less and the line above it softens. Aftercare aims to keep the medicine working in the muscles where it was placed, and to limit bruising while the tiny injection points close.

At SkinRev Lab, wrinkle-relaxing injections are a medical treatment performed by Dr Sin Yong after a consultation. He watches how your face moves, checks brow and eyelid position, reviews earlier treatments and takes photos at rest and in motion before deciding where to inject. The usual areas are:

• frown lines and forehead lines;
• crow's feet at the outer eye corners;
• other uses assessed case by case, such as jaw slimming, a dimpled chin, a gummy smile or a lip flip.

This guide describes the general pattern after treatment of the face. If Dr Sin Yong gives you different instructions on the day, follow his, because they are based on the areas and doses used for you.

Timeline: from the first hour to your review

Small bumps usually settle within 15 to 30 minutes, softening usually starts within a few days, the full effect is usually reached at about two weeks, and movement gradually returns over about three to four months. The table shows what to expect at each stage and what to do.

Softening does not arrive evenly. One side, or one area, often relaxes a day or two before another, so some asymmetry in the first week is not a concern on its own. The review at about two weeks is the point at which the result is judged.

The first few hours after treatment

For the first few hours, stay upright, keep your hands off the treated areas and avoid anything that presses on them. The medicine is settling into the muscles during this time, so firm pressure or rubbing nearby is worth avoiding.

• Stay upright. Avoid lying flat for a few hours. Sitting, standing, walking and normal desk work are fine.
• No rubbing or massage. For the rest of the day, avoid rubbing or massaging the treated areas, including firm make-up application or vigorous face washing.
• No pressure. On the day, avoid tight headbands, caps, helmets, swimming goggles and eye masks that press on the forehead or eye corners, and avoid face-down massage tables.
• Expressions are fine. You can frown, smile and talk normally. Some doctors suggest gently using the treated muscles for a while afterwards; the evidence for this is limited, so follow Dr Sin Yong's advice.
• Leave the bumps. Small raised bumps at injection points usually flatten within 15 to 30 minutes.
• Cool, lightly. A wrapped cold pack held gently for a few minutes can ease tenderness. Do not press it into the skin.
• Make-up. Light make-up is usually fine once the bumps have settled, applied with a gentle dabbing touch. It can also cover a pinpoint bruise.

Most people go straight back to work or errands after treatment. If you notice a small bruise forming, a wrapped cold pack in short spells on the first day helps, and it usually fades within days.

The rest of the day and the next 24 hours

For the rest of the treatment day, avoid saunas, steam, hot yoga and strenuous exercise, and skip alcohol; most people return to all their usual activities the next day.

• Exercise: gentle walking is fine. Leave strenuous workouts, heavy lifting and upside-down yoga poses for the rest of the day; many doctors suggest waiting 24 hours.
• Heat: avoid saunas, steam rooms, hot baths and long spells in strong midday heat on the day, as heat widens blood vessels and can make bruising more likely.
• Alcohol: skip it on the day of treatment for the same reason.
• Sleep: by bedtime most people can lie down as usual. Sleeping on your back on the first night is a sensible precaution if you tend to press your face into the pillow.
• Travel: travel, including flights, is not usually restricted, but book treatment so the two-week review falls before a long trip.
• Headache: a mild headache in the first day or two is common. Ask the clinic which painkiller suits you; many people use paracetamol.
• Medicines: tell Dr Sin Yong about all medicines and supplements, including any course of treatment for an infection, as some medicines can interact with the injections. Never stop a prescribed medicine without checking with your prescriber.

If you are unsure whether an activity is fine, the simplest rule for the treatment day is: no heat, no pressure, no rubbing. From the next day, normal life resumes for nearly everyone.

Skincare, make-up, facials and other treatments

Your usual skincare can continue from the same evening if it is applied gently; facials and treatments that press on the area should wait at least a day, and an extraction facial over treated areas about two weeks.

• Cleansing: on the day, cleanse with fingertips and lukewarm water, and pat dry rather than rubbing.
• Serums, moisturiser and sunscreen: fine from the same evening, smoothed on lightly.
• Actives: retinol, exfoliating acids and vitamin C can usually continue from the next day, as the skin surface is barely broken.
• Tools: skip facial rollers, gua sha, cleansing brushes and massage devices on treated areas for the first day or two.
• HydraFacial and other facials: avoid facials and pressure on treated areas for at least a day. Many doctors prefer about two weeks before an extraction facial over those areas. See HydraFacial timing with injectables and lasers.
• Lasers, HIFU and RF treatments: if you are planning these as well, Dr Sin Yong will advise the order and the gap.
• Fillers: wrinkle-relaxing injections and fillers do different jobs and are sometimes combined. The plan and spacing are set at consultation. See wrinkle relaxers vs fillers.

Sun does not change how the injections work, but daily broad-spectrum sunscreen still matters. Sun protection, good skincare and not smoking all help slow the deepening of lines, alongside any treatment.

What is normal and when to contact the clinic

Small bumps, a pinpoint bruise, tenderness and a mild headache are normal; a change in brow or eyelid position should be reported to the clinic, and any difficulty swallowing or breathing needs urgent help.

Usually normal:

• Bumps at injection points that settle within 15 to 30 minutes.
• Pinpoint bruising or tenderness where the needle went in.
• A mild headache in the first day or two.
• Uneven softening in the first week.

Contact SkinRev Lab on WhatsApp (+65 8266 9585) if you notice:

• A brow that feels heavy or looks lower, or an upper eyelid that droops.
• After crow's feet treatment, a flatter smile, dry eyes or more noticeable under-eye puffiness.
• Redness, warmth or swelling at an injection point that is getting worse rather than better.
• Asymmetry that is still clear at two weeks; bring it to your review.

Call 995 or go to a hospital emergency department for:

• Any difficulty swallowing, breathing or speaking.
• Swelling of the lips, tongue or throat, or a widespread rash, which can signal an allergic reaction.

A heavy brow or droopy eyelid is uncommon and temporary. It usually comes from over-relaxing the brow-lifting muscle or from product reaching the muscle that lifts the eyelid, and it eases as the effect wears off. A review of complications lists brow drop and asymmetry as recognised unwanted effects, which is why careful assessment and conservative dosing are used. Your doctor will advise what can help in the meantime.

Your two-week review, results and repeat treatments

At SkinRev Lab, a review at about two weeks after your first treatment is when the result is judged and any small adjustment is considered, because the full effect has usually been reached by then.

• Bring photos. Photos of your expressions before treatment and at two weeks, in the same light, help show the change.
• Do not top up early. The effect is still building in the first two weeks, so adding more before the review risks over-relaxing a muscle.
• Keep a record. Several products exist, and their units are not interchangeable. The product used is recorded at your visit; mention it if you ever see another doctor.
• How long it lasts. Movement gradually returns over about three to four months on average, and for some people the effect lasts nearer six months. Jaw slimming often holds longer.
• Planning the next session. Repeat treatment is planned when lines start to return, and doses are adjusted to how you responded last time.
• Events. Treat at least two to three weeks ahead, so the review fits in before the day.

Relaxing a muscle softens lines caused by movement, but it does not fill deep folds, lift sagging skin or replace lost volume, and lines etched in at rest usually soften only partly. If those are your main concerns, see fine lines and wrinkles for other options. Wrinkle-relaxing injections are priced at consultation, as the fee depends on the areas treated and muscle strength.

Special cases: jaw, lips, heavy brows and first-timers

A few situations need slightly different aftercare or extra caution, and Dr Sin Yong explains these at the visit.

• Jaw slimming: the same type of injection is used in the large chewing muscles. The slimming effect develops more gradually than line softening and often lasts longer. See jaw slimming injections.
• Underarm sweating: treatment for excessive sweating uses the same medicine and has its own aftercare, explained at the visit. See hyperhidrosis.
• Lip flip and gummy smile: small doses are used around the mouth. Some people notice the upper lip feels different when drinking through a straw for a while. Mention anything that troubles you. See lip flip vs lip filler.
• Heavy upper lids or low brows: relaxing the forehead can make heaviness more noticeable, so Dr Sin Yong may adjust the plan or advise against forehead treatment. See droopy eyelids and non-surgical brow lift.
• First treatment: conservative doses are often used, with the review used to fine-tune.

Not given, or postponed, if you: are pregnant or breastfeeding, have a neuromuscular condition such as myasthenia gravis, have an infection at the injection sites, or have a known allergy to the product. Tell the doctor about previous eyelid surgery, eye conditions and all medicines you take. If something changes in your health between booking and treatment, mention it on the day.

SkinRev Lab's own aftercare advice

SkinRev Lab's aftercare advice for wrinkle-relaxing injections is brief: for the rest of the day, avoid rubbing or massaging the treated areas; avoid lying flat for a few hours; avoid saunas and strenuous exercise; and come back for your review at about two weeks. It is the same advice published on the wrinkle-relaxing injections treatment page.

1. Rest of the day: avoid rubbing or massaging the treated areas.
2. First few hours: avoid lying flat.
3. Heat and exercise: avoid saunas and strenuous exercise.
4. Bumps and bruises: small bumps settle within 15 to 30 minutes, and occasional pinpoint bruising can be covered with make-up.
5. Watch for: a change in brow or eyelid position, which you should report to the clinic. Seek urgent help for any difficulty swallowing or breathing.
6. Review: about two weeks after your first treatment, when any adjustment is judged.

Dr Sin Yong's instructions on the day take precedence over this general list. Treatment takes place at SkinRev Lab, #B1-28 CityLink Mall, 1 Raffles Link, by City Hall MRT, open daily from 11am to 8pm. If you are unsure whether something is normal, send a clear photo taken in daylight to WhatsApp +65 8266 9585, with the date of treatment and a short description.