How Often Should I Get Botox Injections?

If you’re trying to budget for Botox Cosmetic, you may wonder how often you really need injections in order to maintain a good result. The traditional Botox schedule calls for new injections every 3-4 months to treat glabellar lines—the horizontal lines on your forehead. A new study indicates that after two years of treatment, a good result can be achieved with less frequent injections.

Study Shows That Less Frequent Botox Is Effective

A recent study from OHSU shows that frequency of Botox injections may change after your first 20 months of regular injections. The study looked at patients who received regular Botox injections every four months for the first two years of treatment. After two years, the injections were reduced to new injections every six months.

The results? Doctors found that after two years of treatment, reducing treatment frequency to six months led to similar results as the more frequent treatments.

In Medical News Today’s press release about the study, which was published in the June 2011 issue of Dermatologic Surgery, Dr. Roger Daily is quoted as saying, “Patients who are unwilling to undergo Botox treatments every three months indefinitely because of cost, convenience or other concerns may reconsider if they could achieve similar results with two to three treatments per year.”

Injection Frequency Change

Patients who are interested in Botox but are deterred by the cost can now pursue a less frequent, and less expensive, treatment schedule.

Botox can also be combined with other treatments for an enhanced anti-aging skin regimen. Skin resurfacing treatments can help combat fine lines and wrinkles in areas where Botox is not ideal. The careful use of sunscreen can also help prevent future photoaging changes to the skin.