It’s best for you to wait two weeks after your Botox session in order to get vaccinated. After the vaccine is mandated worldwide, people who have certain conditions or take Botox shots might be concerned about the possible side effects that could show up after getting vaccinated against Covid.
For a brief overview, around 7 million U.S. citizens get botox, and especially with the growing media industry, the number is constantly on the rise. If you have gotten one, you may know that before the Botox treatment, your doctor makes you go through a riot act that says there are side effects and health risks associated with the treatment. This precautionary act pops several questions in mind. Can you take botox and covid vaccine with a few days’ gaps? Or does the covid vaccine have any impact on botox? Or whether you can smoke, have alcohol after getting vaccinated?
We have gathered all the queries regarding botox and covid vaccine side effects and whether they are related to each other. Read further to get yours resolved.
What does the FDA say about Botox and Covid Vaccine?
There have been no reports received either from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that covid vaccine has any health implications on Botox. However, a related report that was recently retrieved from the research centers says people who have had lip fillers suffered facial swelling after getting Moderna shots. So, it’s natural to be concerned about if a similar situation can happen with Botox.
That being said, Botox and fillers are not the same things. According to the FDA, there’s only one possible explanation for facial swelling due to lip fillers. The people who suffered facial swelling got their second dose of Moderna after getting fillers. Since fillers and Botox are not the same, there is a slight possibility that swelling is the side effect for fillers if one gets it post-vaccination.
Dr, Joshua Zeichner, M.D., at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York, says, “Injectable fillers are substances like hyaluronic acid which are designed to be injected into the skin. They help fill, lift, and plump the skin to restore facial volume,”
Even though it’s safe, they are foreign substances. The reason for suffering swelling after botox post-vaccination is “likely because of an immune response that the vaccine stimulates” when it interacts with fillers,” says Dr. Zeichner
After meticulously studying research studies and learning about experts’ suggestions, we have explained whether it is safe to get Botox post-vaccination and any side effects attached to the aforementioned action.
Is it safe to get Botox post-vaccination?
The health care authorities have not yet received any official guidelines to avoid Botox or fillers after the Covid vaccine. However, the research has been going on to find out more about it to take precautions in the future.
Even though it’s not evident whether Botox and Covid Vaccine are co-related, you should wait at least two weeks post-vaccination until the vaccine has taken full effect to get fillers or Botox, experts suggest.
Possible side effects of Botox post-vaccination
This is not the first time the researchers are studying the link between Botox and Covid vaccine.
During the Moderna trials, several people who have had fillers reported suffering from the same condition previously reported by other participants: swelling from the lip area after getting the vaccine shot. Moreover, people who have received vaccines other than Moderna reportedly are at severe risk of swelling due to fillers. The side effect has to do with the covid vaccine that strengthens immunity against the virus.
A 2019 research paper showed evidence that people who have just suffered flu are more prone to see delayed side effects, including swelling from fillers. It is probably because vaccines trigger your immune system to fight the foreign substances that enter the body. And since fillers are foreign substances injected into your body, the immune system gets activated on its entrance and starts an attack response.
In a word, it’s common for people who just have had any kind of fillers to suffer temporary swelling, especially around the lip area.
How Botox works?
According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, Botox is made from toxins that the bacterium Clostridium botulinum produces. As a matter of fact, it is the same bacteria that causes severe food poisoning. However, fillers/Botox don’t cause food poisoning.
Cosmetics experts use this toxin to paralyze or temporarily weaken the nerves linked to the part you are getting treated. Thereby its effect does not last more than 12 months. It can wear off in between the given period. This procedure is used for acute underarm swelling, smoothing wrinkles, overactive bladder, and even chronic migraines.
These cosmetics methods have been there for decades, even before the FDA approved them as suitable for treatments. Today, every cosmetic surgeon and dermatologist have this treatment available.
Experts’ Recommendations
Dr. Zeichner does not suggest getting Botox right after getting the vaccine since the flu vaccine causes you a mild to severe fever for a few days. Though it’s a common side effect for the vaccine. “you cannot predict how you will react to the vaccine itself,” He says.
Another dermatologist, Dr, Ife J. Rodney, M.D., who is also the founder of Eternal Dermatology + Aesthetics in Fulton suggest, it’s better to take precautions, as she also says, “Give your body and immune system some time to recover.”
Overall, it’s a mutual decision of all the skin experts that it’s completely fine to get Botox after vaccination. Dr.It Zeichner says, “I have no problem giving Botox to a patient once he or she has been vaccinated,”
FAQs:
Which areas are likely to get affected after the vaccine?
The facial areas where you get fillers have a lot to do with the vaccine reactions. For instance, mobile features of the face like lips show fewer side effects than immobile areas like cheeks or chin. The fillers in mobile parts of the face are likely to get dissolved in six months. Getting a vaccine after six months reduces the chances of suffering swelling side effects. Therefore, cosmetics experts suggest getting filler or botox at least six months after getting vaccinated.
Should you get the vaccine if you have had fillers or Botox?
We encourage everyone to get vaccinated on priority if they don’t have any underline health conditions. And if you are concerned about if Botox has side effects due to the vaccine, in that case, you should work with your doctor to plan your vaccination at least two weeks after your last cosmetic dose.
The Bottom Line
There have been few cases that reported the facial swelling side effects from Pfizer and Moderna Vaccines. While such cases do exist, they are extremely rare short-lived. Therefore, doctors emphasize getting vaccinated against Covid-19. Indeed, its protection outweighs the temporary swelling conditions.
