In an Instagram reel this week, New York dermatologist Marisa Garshick, MD posed the question: Is the COVID vaccine why your Botox isn’t lasting as long? Our collective NewBeauty ears perked up. There have been many small studies and speculation on the vaccine’s impacts on those with dermal fillers, as well as its ability to cause various delayed skin reactions, but we hadn’t yet seen a link between getting the jab and the durability of neurotoxins, until now.
“If you haven’t already seen this, there was a small study that showed that the average interval between Botox injections after COVID 19 vaccination was significantly shorter than before the COVID 19 vaccination,” Dr. Garshick captioned her post. “In other words, Botox wore off more quickly after getting vaccinated, but was not shown to impact the safety.” The small study she refers to was conducted at an oculplastic surgical clinic in Israel and included 45 patients, of which the average age was 48 and most were female.
According to the paper, published in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, “findings indicate that BTA [Botulinum toxin type A, aka Botox] might be less effective after COVID-19 vaccination. Further research is required to delineate the pathomechanism underlying this observation.”
Dr. Garshick writes: “While some dermatologists are seeing this in the office, and you—as a patient—may have noticed a difference with how long your Botox is lasting, it is important to note this was a very small study and more research is needed to truly understand this observation. There are also many factors that can contribute to how long your Botox lasts, so it is best to speak with your provider. P.S. This is not a reason to not get vaccinated.”
Other dermatologists commented on the post saying they have not heard much about this news, but look forward to more studies and information.
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