"What else should I not do when getting Botox?"
"Can I do anything with my diet to help prolong my Botox?"
I recently hosted a Botox party at my studio and included a nutrition talk that connected the two topics. It was such a great success and I learned to much preparing for this party!!!!
When I sat down and researched what nutrition do people have to look at when they are getting or have Botox, several things came up.
Outline
What not to do
Vasodilators
What to do
Zinc with Botox
Important note
Conclusion
What not to do
To avoid when getting Botox:
-Alcohol
-Caffeine
-Exercise
-Rubbing injected area
-Blood thinners
-Sun exposure
First thing I noticed were things to avoid the day of and after getting Botox were vasodilators; the alcohol, caffeine, and exercise. Blood thinners and vasodilators have similar overlapping effects. Blood thinners prevent blood clots creating an improved blood flow, vasodilators dilate the cells which increases blood flow.
2. Vasodilators
Vasodilators are things that expand blood vessels. When relating this to Botox, this means it increases the blood flow near the surface of your skin and can cause the small punctures from the needly to continue to bleed and increases the chances of bruising. The platelets in your blood are not activated and the cells are not signaled to stop the bleeding.
Now, alcohol, caffeine and the others will not impact the effectiveness of Botox but are specifically talked about in the avoidance category for the healing process and potential bruising.
3. What to do
One nutrient stood out during my search and that was ZINC!
This sheet was given to customers/clients/members of those who participated in the Botox party at Club Pilates.
4. Zinc with Botox
Because zinc helps in wound healing it is said to help in the healing process of the injections and may also prolong the effects of Botox.
In 2012, a study showed that patients who took 50mg of zinc with Botox increased their lasting effects by 30%. Link of data provided below.
BB Aesthetics talks about how Botox requires the need of zinc to connect with the tissue. Link below.
The overall recommendation was to obtain appropriate amount of zinc from food sources. This would be including cereal fortified with zinc, red meats, and nuts into your diet. These are more everyday foods, however a food group that has impressive amount of zinc is seafood, this is just not as common in a daily diet. The seafood options include oysters, crab, shrimp, or lobster.
Looking at supplementation, the kind of zinc to look for in the ingredients are zinc gluconate and zinc citrate. This is because the absorption amount of zinc is higher in these kinds. Specifically, zinc gluconate absorption rate was found to be 60.9% and zinc citrate was 61.3% per research. The next absorption rate drops to 49.9% with zinc oxide. Link of data provided below.
5. Important Note
Speak with your medical provider before taking zinc supplements. This is a recommendation as there is a toxicity level for zinc. Zinc supplementation should not be taken for prolonged periods of time.
6. Conclusion
Think food over supplementation first. When speaking with a dietitian, they can understand your daily intake of zinc with a diet recall or food diary. They can give an individualized recommendation on how to adjust your zinc intake.
Video link below of the Botox party!
Thanks to Gorg and Club Pilates for a great day.
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