Botox Appointment Checklist: Prep, Paperwork, and Photos
People book botox for different reasons. Some want a softer forehead. Others want their frown to stop looking like a permanent status update. I see men using it to relax masseters after years of jaw clenching, and runners who simply want sweat under control so their shirts stop blooming with circles by noon. Whatever your motive, the smoothest appointment starts before you sit in the chair. Preparation affects results, recovery, and even how many units you need. This guide walks you through what to do, what to bring, and how to capture before and after progress in a way that helps you and your injector calibrate over time.
What a “good” botox visit looks like
A good session feels uneventful. You arrive calm, hydrated, and on time. Your paperwork is complete, your medical history is clear, and you have realistic goals. The injector maps your animation patterns, chooses doses for each muscle group, and you’re in and out in under 30 minutes. Two weeks later, your follow‑up confirms the plan worked. If you need a tweak, it’s small, precise, and accounted for in your personalized botox plan.
That outcome comes from a mix of planning and https://www.allbiz.com/business/medspa-burlington-508-408-8100 honest feedback. The better your prep and documentation, the more accurate the dosing for forehead lines, frown lines, crow’s feet, a lip flip, or medical indications like migraines and hyperhidrosis.
Pre‑appointment timeline: what to do and when
Three time frames matter: the week before, the day before, and the day of. Each has a few practical steps that affect bruising, swelling, and how the botox distributes through your muscles.
Seven to ten days before helps most for anyone prone to bruising. If you’re traveling or going to an event, build your schedule around your expected botox downtime. For most cosmetic areas, social downtime is minimal, but small marks or a little swelling can happen. If it’s your first time botox, avoid scheduling the appointment less than two weeks before a wedding or a major photoshoot in case you prefer a minor adjustment at the follow‑up.
Medications, supplements, and bruising risk
Blood thinners and certain supplements raise bruise risk. If your doctor approves, hold non‑essential blood thinners like aspirin for a week and NSAIDs for 2 to 3 days. Many patients forget that fish oil, high‑dose vitamin E, ginkgo, ginseng, garlic pills, turmeric blends, and St. John’s wort can also increase bleeding tendency. If you are on prescription anticoagulants, do not stop them. Your injector can adapt technique with smaller needles, slower injection speed, and pressure application.
Alcohol expands blood vessels. If you skip alcohol for 24 to 48 hours before botox injections, your odds of a clean, quick recovery go up. On the flip side, caffeine doesn’t thin blood, but it can make anxious patients feel more jittery. If needles make you tense, consider one coffee, not three.
Skin prep that actually matters
You do not need a facial the day before. Aggressive exfoliation, microneedling, peels, or laser right before a botox appointment creates irritated skin that is harder to disinfect. Keep it simple: gentle cleanser, non‑irritating moisturizer, and sunscreen. If you wax or thread brows, do it a few days ahead so the area settles before injections around the glabella or brow tail. For acne-prone skin, tell your clinician if you’re using topical antibiotics or retinoids. These do not contraindicate botox treatment, but active pustules near injection sites may prompt the injector to relocate a dot or reschedule a spot.
The short list: what to bring and what to wear
Bring a government ID and your insurance card if you’re receiving therapeutic botox for migraines, TMJ, or hyperhidrosis and billing through medical channels. For cosmetic visits, a method of payment and a list of your current medications cover the basics.
Clothing matters more than most expect. Choose a top with a loose neckline and no high collar if you’re treating neck bands, or anything that won’t rub your jawline if you’re doing masseter botox. Skip turtlenecks on brow lift or forehead days since you’ll want to avoid pulling a tight fabric over fresh injection sites. If you plan same day botox during a lunch break, consider minimal makeup so staff can clean your skin quickly.
The target conversation: goals, animation, and balance
The best botox doctor will ask you to talk, smile, squint, and frown as they watch your muscle recruitment. They are mapping how your frontalis pulls up, how your corrugators pull in, and whether one eyebrow sits naturally higher. If your right brow lifts more than your left, symmetrical dosing won’t create symmetrical results. A skilled injector might place more units on the stronger side or spare lateral fibers to preserve lift.
Clarity about your goals cuts down on trial and error. If you say “I want no movement,” that is different than “I need to keep a bit of brow expression for presentations.” If you request natural looking botox, say where motion matters to you. For example, a stage performer might accept a smoother glabella but wants lively crow’s feet. Someone in finance who spends all day under LEDs might prioritize a matte, calm forehead.
If you’re curious about targeted tweaks like a lip flip botox for a gummy smile, don’t bury that request. The philtrum roll is subtle and low dose. It also changes function a bit. You might sip from a straw differently for a week. Set expectations ahead of time.
Paperwork that protects you
Any reputable clinic will ask you to fill a detailed health questionnaire. This is not busywork. Botulinum toxin is generally safe, but dosage and placement depend on medical history. Disclose neurological conditions, myasthenia gravis, ALS, or peripheral neuropathies. Share if you’re pregnant or breastfeeding; most providers defer treatment. Note prior facial surgeries, brow lifts, eyelid surgery, filler placement, and threads because these change anatomy and the vector of pull.
List every medication and supplement. Even “natural” products matter for bruising. If you’ve had previous botox and fillers, give dates, areas, and approximate units. Record allergies, especially to cow’s milk proteins if using Dysport, as it contains a different accessory protein profile than Botox Cosmetic or Xeomin. If you’re exploring dysport vs botox or xeomin vs botox for specific reasons like diffusion or price, say that early.
Consent forms should describe potential botox side effects. Most are mild: small bruises, a headache, tenderness. Rare side effects include eyelid ptosis if product diffuses into the levator, asymmetry, or smile change if dosing for bunny lines or a lip flip spreads. Good paperwork explains the risk and your role in aftercare to minimize it.
Units, pricing, and realistic costs
Patients often ask how many units of botox for forehead or how many units of botox for frown lines they should expect. The honest answer is that it depends on muscle mass, strength, and your movement goals. As a ballpark, frown complex doses commonly range from 12 to 25 units, forehead from 6 to 20 units depending on brow position and the need to preserve lift, and crow’s feet 6 to 12 units per side. Masseter botox can span 20 to 40 units per side, sometimes more for a large jaw. Hyperhidrosis botox treatment for underarms often sits in the 50 to 100 units per side range.
Pricing varies by region and clinic. Botox pricing per unit is a straightforward method, with rates often between 10 and 20 dollars per unit depending on provider expertise and market. Some clinics offer botox cost per area packages. Deals can be fine when they come from established practices running a promotion, but be cautious with deep discounts that underdose or use inconsistent product. Cheap work is expensive to fix if it produces spocking brows or patchy inhibition. A botox membership can make sense if you maintain on schedule. Ask what it includes: priority booking, touch up pricing, or banked units.
Photos that tell the truth
Most people take casual selfies and later swear nothing changed. The human brain adapts to faces fast. Without standardized images, your memory isn’t useful feedback. Set up consistent before and after photos that your injector can rely on.
Use the same lighting, background, and camera distance each time, ideally a neutral wall with indirect daylight. Take shots at rest and with expression: eyebrows lifted for forehead lines, a firm frown for the glabella, a hard squint for crow’s feet, and a big smile for smile lines. Include three angles: straight on, left three‑quarter, right three‑quarter. If you document masseter or jawline botox, add a bite‑down shot to show muscle bulk.
Time stamps matter. Capture photos before treatment, at day 3 to 4 when botox starts working, at day 7 when most effects emerge, and at day 14 for final results. Store them in a labeled album. When you come for a botox touch up or for maintenance in 3 to 4 months, those comparisons guide Burlington botox dosing adjustments better than memory or a mirror in a different room.
Two minimal checklists
Pre‑appointment essentials:
Review medications and supplements, hold non‑essentials that increase bruising if medically appropriate, and avoid alcohol 24 to 48 hours before. Gather ID, medical list, prior treatment dates, and payment; wear a loose‑neck top if treating neck or jawline. Wash your face, skip heavy makeup, and avoid aggressive skincare for 48 hours before. Clarify your goals and pain points, and decide whether you want natural movement or maximal smoothing. Take standardized before photos at rest and with expression.
Post‑injection basics:
Stay upright for 4 hours, avoid rubbing or massaging injection sites, and skip hats that compress the forehead. Postpone workouts, saunas, and hot yoga for the day; light walks are fine. Avoid alcohol the first evening if you want to minimize swelling or bruising. Delay facials, microcurrent, or facial massage for at least 48 hours in treated areas. Book or confirm your 2‑week check, and take day‑3, day‑7, and day‑14 photos.
What not to do after botox
Traditional aftercare advice can sound fussy, but it exists to reduce diffusion where you don’t want it. Rubbing and deep massage can shift product microscopically in the first hours. Heat increases circulation. In practical terms, you can shower, wash your face gently, and apply light skincare. Just skip dermal rollers, gua sha, and aggressive scrubbing for a couple of days. Can you drink after botox? You can, but a pause helps if you bruise easily. Can you work out after botox? Many providers ask for a 24‑hour break from intense training. The conservative approach yields fewer calls the next day.
Special cases worth flagging
Baby botox and micro botox use smaller units per point or diffuse microdroplets to smooth texture and reduce oil or pore appearance while preserving movement. Good for on‑camera professionals, beginners, and those who want subtle botox results. Preventative botox for fine lines can make sense in the late 20s or early 30s if you have strong animation and etched lines beginning to form. It is not a race. The best age to start botox depends on your skin, genetics, and habits like squinting and sun exposure.
Masseter botox can help with facial slimming and TMJ-related jaw clenching. The first session often softens bulk after 4 to 6 weeks. Chewing may feel slightly weaker for a time, which is the point if you grind at night. For migraines botox treatment, dosing follows a standardized pattern across scalp, temple, and neck points. Expect a programmatic schedule every 12 weeks and be patient through the first two cycles before judging results.
Hyperhidrosis botox treatment changes quality of life for people with underarm sweating. The injection grid looks like a neat checkerboard across the axilla, and while it stings, a topical anesthetic or ice helps. Results can last 4 to 6 months, sometimes longer. For those who type for a living, palmar injections reduce sweaty palms, but transient grip weakness can happen. Weigh the trade‑off with your injector.
Neck botox for platysmal bands can create a sleeker contour and help mild neck lines. Dosing here should be careful. Too much into the deeper muscles can affect swallowing strength. If you sing or do vocal work, discuss this openly.
Brow lift botox, also known as an eyebrow lift botox, is a clever placement that relaxes downward pullers to let the frontalis lift the tail. It’s subtle, and it depends on your baseline brow position. If your forehead is heavy and low, chasing a strong lift without addressing skin laxity can create a frozen mid‑forehead and a surprised lower brow edge. Expect nuance, not millimeters of lift.
Botox and fillers are not interchangeable
I hear it weekly: “Do I need botox or filler?” Botulinum toxin relaxes movement. Hyaluronic acid filler replaces volume or changes contours. If you dislike a vertical 11 between your brows that deepens when you frown, botox is the tool. If the crease is etched like a scar even at rest, you might need both botox and fillers, with toxin first and conservative filler weeks later once the muscle is quiet. Treat the cause before you spackle the symptom.
Safety, expectations, and timelines
Is botox safe? For the vast majority of patients, yes when delivered by trained clinicians using FDA‑approved product. Adverse events are uncommon and usually temporary. How soon does botox work? Many notice a shift by day 3 to 4. When does botox start working at full strength? By day 7 to 10. When does botox wear off? Plan on 3 to 4 months for cosmetic areas, shorter for hyperactive muscles and longer for smaller, less active zones. How often to get botox depends on your goals and tolerance for returning movement; most maintain at 3 to 4 months, some stretch to 5 or 6 with baby botox strategies.
Choosing the right practice
If you are searching for botox near me for wrinkles, find more than a convenient zip code. Look for a clinic that takes a measured approach, shows real botox patient reviews, and posts consistent, unretouched photos. The best botox clinic for you feels like a long‑term partner. You should never feel pushed into more units than you need, nor shamed for using fewer. Ask how they handle touch ups, whether the same injector follows your case, and how they document dosing maps. A practice that tracks your personalized botox plan will deliver more stable results by your third visit than one that treats each appointment as a fresh guess.
As for credentials, many excellent injectors are nurse practitioners or physician assistants with specific aesthetic training under an experienced medical director. A best botox doctor listens, adjusts, and declines requests that would lead to an odd result. If you bring an inspiration photo from social media, expect a frank translation to what is possible with your anatomy.
What happens in the chair
You’ll be seated upright. The injector cleanses your skin with alcohol or chlorhexidine. They may mark points with a cosmetic pencil. Expect a series of quick taps with a very fine needle. Most sites hurt less than an eyebrow tweeze. Crow’s feet may sting more, and the upper lip for a lip flip can be zippy. Pressure applied with gauze minimizes bleeding. If you’re doing medical botox for migraines or hyperhidrosis, the grid covers more points, so plan a bit more time.
Immediately after, tiny raised blebs look like mosquito bites for 10 to 20 minutes. Mild redness settles fast. Makeup can usually be applied gently later that day unless instructed otherwise. If a small bruise appears, it’s often pea‑sized, and arnica gel can help, though evidence is mixed. Concealer hides most marks by day two.
Calibration and touch ups
Not every muscle responds at the same rate, and no two foreheads are identical. This is why experienced injectors ask for a 10 to 14 day follow‑up. If one eyebrow peaks, a carefully placed drop can relax the strong fibers. If your crow’s feet still etch in too much, adding two units per side can finish the job. A touch up is not a failure. It’s fine tuning after seeing how your face behaves.
If you consistently need more at follow‑up, your base plan should change. Some clinics price touch ups at a reduced rate within two weeks to encourage this iterative approach. That policy benefits you; it avoids over‑treating up front and keeps results natural.
Planning for the long run
Think of botox maintenance as a rhythm. For some, that means every 12 to 16 weeks without fail. Others alternate areas to manage cost and downtime. If budget is tight, prioritize the frown complex for a more rested baseline, then add forehead lines later. Affordable botox doesn’t mean cheap. It means intelligent allocation of units to the areas that change your expression the most.
If you want to stretch longevity, lifestyle matters. Heavy lifting and high‑intensity training can shorten duration slightly because strong muscles build back faster. That’s not a reason to stop exercising, just a reason to set expectations. UV exposure ages skin by a different mechanism. Sunscreen and sunglasses reduce squinting, which helps crow’s feet and forehead. Hydration, sleep, and topical retinoids won’t change how long botox lasts, but they improve skin quality so the overall result reads as healthy rather than just frozen.
Edge cases and red flags
If you develop a droopy eyelid or double vision, call the clinic. True levator ptosis is rare and tends to improve over weeks. There are eye drops that can lift the lid temporarily. If you feel flu‑like symptoms, they usually pass quickly. If you experience difficulty swallowing after neck dosing or voice changes, report it immediately.
Red flags at a clinic include unmarked vials, refusal to show product labels, dismissing your medical history, or a lack of consent forms. If you’re offered botox package deals that require prepayment far beyond your needs without a clear plan, pause. A personalized botox plan earns loyalty on outcomes, not contracts.
A quick word on brand differences
Botox Cosmetic, Dysport, and Xeomin are all FDA approved. They differ in accessory proteins, diffusion characteristics, and unit equivalence. Most providers have a preferred product based on experience. The practical difference for the average patient is small. If you swapped from Botox to Xeomin and notice slightly faster onset or a touch less heaviness, tell your injector. Consistency helps track your botox results over time.
Bringing it all together
When you strip away the mystique, great botox is project management. You prepare your body to minimize bruising. You show up with honest goals. You let your injector map your expressions rather than chase lines at rest. You document with consistent photos. You follow simple aftercare. You return at two weeks for calibration. Repeat that cycle with the same clinician, and the plan gets smarter. That’s how you move from decent outcomes to reliable, natural looking botox that fits your face and your life.