Botox gone wrong

[Thorntone]

I had Botox for the first time last month. I had started to frown in a neutral expression and wanted to try Botox here as a preventative measure. I also wanted to try the Botox lip flip.

I asked the doctor for a natural adjustment/baby Botox for both, but she said she has to use a certain dosage for me to see any impact

both have gone wrong…

my right eyelid now has ptosis (photographed) - it’s droopy/feels heavy. I can’t fully open that eye and it looks asymmetrical

the lip flip reduced all movement of my mouth and I struggle to drink/brush teeth/eat etc as I can’t really seal my lips. I did discuss this side effect with her before treatment but she said it wouldn’t happen🙁

is there anything I can do to reduce these side effects?

The photo is a bit blurry since being cropped/zoomed
Maybe it's my phone
Do you have another picture?

Sorry you're unhappy.

When you say doctor, do you mean a qualified doctor or was it your cousins mate who rocked up in a ford fiesta, had completed an online course and told you there'd be no side effects whilst chewing gum and checking her phone?

If it was a qualified and experienced doctor then I would ask for their opinion and express your dissatisfaction with the results. I wouldn't have anymore Botox from them but I would seek advice from another qualified person.

I'm not sure whether the answer is more Botox from someone else to 'even up' the results or simply waiting for it to dissolve.

You don't need another photo to see that the right eyelid is clearly drooping.

I am sorry this has happened to you, OP. It must be quite scary. I think you just have to wait (several months, I assume?) for the effects of the Botox to wear off. I would not be getting more to "adjust" these awful side-effects.

MN hates to hear anything negative about injectables, I have found.

don't really have a better photo, the issue is one eyelid is a few millimetres longer than the other one because it’s droopy which should be visible in that photo.

It was an actual doctor but tbh, she was quite brusque and made me feel like a nuisance for asking questions. I am thinking to ask my GP for a prescription of the apraclonidine eye drops mentioned here. But I’m not sure if they’ll issue it: https://www.webmd.com/eye-health/eyelid-droops-after-botox

When I tried a lip flip I concluded I’d never do it again for the reasons you describe. Mad isn’t it?!

Re: eye thing. Firstly it’s not that noticeable. Are you 100% they were perfectly symmetrical before? Every time I get Botox I convince myself my eyelid is dropping but then look at pictures and realise it isn’t, my eyes are just slightly different.

However, as this was your first time I’d say the effects will wear off v soon. Probably by about the 6 week mark. I wouldn’t bother with any eye drops/meds because they won’t work. Massage the areas lots, but try not to worry. The max it will last is 3 months but more likely half that time.

And never proceed with injectables if a doctor makes you uncomfortable. X

(edited typos)

I have botox in my forehead, just a tiny bit to smooth it out without looking like I've been through a wind tunnel. I love it and definitely feel its given me more confidence. However.....I did have some near my mouth which made me feel like I'd had a stroke, like I wasn't in control of my face. It wore off after a month as I didn't go for the top up in that area. The affects are not permanent but this doctor sounds unsympathetic and seems to have hit the wrong places. Hope it wears off soon, it must feel scary

Sorry this happened to you on your first time too! Perhaps going forward you could try and regime of facial exercises there are some amazing resources online to help target certain areas of the face. Just like regular exercise if you do it consistently you will see results. Your face will be in shape and it’s free. Takes a bit of time to see results though.

To my knowledge (I'm a GP), apraclonidine isn't used for ptosis in the UK, and is usually only used by ophthalmologists for eye surgery. It causes the eyes to be very dry, so can be dangerous, as a dry eye can then lead to ulceration of the eye surface. So I doubt any GP would feel able to prescribe it, because of the safety issues and lack of training in using it - nothing to do with you having had Botox privately.

You need to insist that the doctor who treated you helps, as much as she is able to do so. She has an ethical and legal duty to do so.

Usually a practitioner can re-inject to counter the droop. Alternatively it usually self resolves in about 2-3 weeks. The droop doesn't last as long as the treatment does.

A good practitioner will say you can come back after 2 weeks to check if things are good or not. Has this happened? If not they aren't great

Have you had your 2 week check? This can be corrected.

I had a lip flip. It didn’t make much difference and I couldn’t use a straw. However, it only lasted about a month. Lip flips don’t last as long as botox in other areas so it should wear off quickly. I’ve also had shit botox before in my forehead and ended up with wonky eyebrows for about 3 months. You just have to wait it out and find someone really good for next time. I now have someone who is amazing at botox and the only person I would let best my face

You do normally have a 2 week after appointment for any corrections too like others have said

there is a facebook group where ppl help each other when procedures go wrong, let me know if you want the details

I suppose unfortunately ptosis is a known side effect of Botox but is rare. I worked with a colleague who had this after Botox and I honestly couldn't tell even when she pointed it out to me. It resolved fairly quickly. I think you've just been unlucky OP but the unwanted effects will resolve in a few weeks and hopefully you can discuss with your injector at the two week review.

Thanks everyone.

I am thinking to book in for a LVL/lash lift as having my eyelashes lifted up does an alright job of covering up my eyelids a bit! When I heavily curl my lashes and put mascara on, it sort of draws attention away from the asymmetry of my eyelids. But naturally my lashes are straight so it’s a bit of a faff to do this everyday.

i am really hesitant about getting more Botox to even it out, or to even go back to this doctor. I don’t have a 2 week review. It’s been 3 weeks since treatment.

I'm an aesthetics practitioner (medical)

You need to make contact with her, unfortunately it is a risk of botox and we all do our very best to avoid it. It usually means its been injected to low.
The lip flip sensation you're describing is odd but it wears off after 2 weeks (results last longer)

She should be able to prescribe some eyedrops to help things along.

How long does a lip flip last? Just paid £160 for one on top of my usual botox and wasn’t made aware that the results only last apparently a month I’m reading!

Yeah about a month sounds right- I think mine last about 4-5 weeks

Wow. I was not informed about that and didn’t think to ask as I wouldn’t think a month was a worth while treatment. Thanks for the advice though.