{"id":406109,"date":"2026-01-13T08:02:10","date_gmt":"2026-01-13T08:02:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/406109\/"},"modified":"2026-01-13T08:02:10","modified_gmt":"2026-01-13T08:02:10","slug":"is-your-exercise-routine-undermining-your-botox-regimen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/406109\/","title":{"rendered":"Is Your Exercise Routine Undermining Your Botox Regimen?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cI really think my Botox has stopped working<\/a>,\u201d my friend tells me, demonstrating the range of motion available between her eyebrows and forehead. \u201cSurely not,\u201d I counter\u00a0\u2013 I know her most recent top-up was just a few weeks ago. \u201cIt\u2019s because of boot camp,\u201d she moans. Record scratch. Er, sorry, what? Her religious Botox regimen had been scuppered by her intense, weight-swinging workouts<\/a>? Could this be true?<\/p>\n

Botox (officially known as botulinum toxin) is a neuromodulator, meaning it temporarily blocks the release of acetylcholine, the neurotransmitter that allows a muscle to contract. This is why people who receive regular doses of Botox are unable to form certain expressions \u2013 like crinkling their eyebrows together or smiling as wide as their face allows \u2013\u00a0while it is temporarily active.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe treated muscles become less active, which means the overlying skin creases less and lines soften,\u201d aesthetic doctor and founder of the eponymous clinic, Dr David Jack<\/a>, explains. \u201cThe effect typically lasts between three and four months, depending on dose, muscle strength and individual metabolism.\u201d<\/p>\n

OK, so that\u2019s how Botox works, but does it work less based on the amount or type of exercise you do? According to Jack, absolutely not \u2013 so long as you observe the post-treatment window.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe idea that a gym session<\/a> can burn off your Botox is a persistent myth,\u201d he deadpans, quashing my (admittedly distressed) friend\u2019s theory. \u201cYes, vigorous exercise immediately after injection is not ideal as, theoretically, increased blood flow and heat could influence diffusion in the first few hours.\u201d<\/p>\n

This diffusion he describes is the passive spread of the botulinum toxin to surrounding tissue away from the injection site, and is something to be avoided. It\u2019s the reason Jack recommends his clients avoid inversions (think headstands and Downward Dog) for the rest of the day following injection, along with saunas and steam rooms. \u201cAfter that window of time has passed, there\u2019s no convincing evidence to show that exercise meaningfully reduces its longevity.\u201d<\/p>\n

When he says no convincing evidence, Jack could be referring to a 2023 trial<\/a> that found that people who exercised vigorously showed a faster return of muscle activity and wrinkle movement compared with those with low or moderate activity. It\u2019s a piece of research that consultant dermatologist Dr Derrick Phillips<\/a> says has its limitations. \u201cIt only included women, relied on self-reported exercise levels, and used standardised rather than personalised dosing, which may mean it doesn\u2019t fully reflect real-world practice.\u201d Essentially the evidence should be approached with a pinch of salt.<\/p>\n

There are some individual factors that do affect how well Botox works.<\/p>\n

The patient\u2019s physiologyThe practitioner\u2019s techniqueThe product usedThe aftercare administered<\/p>\n

One interesting element is a person\u2019s metabolic rate<\/a>. \u201cThe speed of someone\u2019s metabolism can influence how quickly botulinum toxin is broken down,\u201d Dr Mo Akhavani, co-founder of the Plastic Surgery Group<\/a>, explains.<\/p>\n

This is because their muscles (technically their \u201cneuromuscular junctions\u201d) recover more quickly. This is usually the case in people with very high overall metabolic rates, like endurance athletes. This is more about individual physiology, though, not just the act of exercising itself, Jack explains when I ask.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor people with stronger or larger facial muscles (typically men), higher doses are usually required, along with older patients with deeper, more static wrinkles,\u201d adds Akhavani\u2019s co-founder, Dr Dan Marsh. This higher dose (or more regular maintenance) is true for people with higher metabolic rates and faster neuromuscular recovery.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cI really think my Botox has stopped working,\u201d my friend tells me, demonstrating the range of motion available…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":406110,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[405,49,48,407,84,24704],"class_list":{"0":"post-406109","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-fitness","8":"tag-beauty","9":"tag-ca","10":"tag-canada","11":"tag-fitness","12":"tag-health","13":"tag-skincare"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/406109","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=406109"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/406109\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/406110"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=406109"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=406109"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=406109"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}