Does the COVID vaccine make anti-wrinkle injections wear off quicker?

Covid vaccines may make anti-wrinkle treatments wear off quicker.

A study published in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology claims that anti-wrinkle injections used to minimise forehead and crow's feet lines 'might be less effective after Covid-19 vaccination'.

Typically, the effects of anti-wrinkle injections “kick-in” within a couple of weeks, reaching peak efficacy at around 5-6 weeks with a slow return to full movement after 12 to 16 weeks.

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Researchers found evidence that the average time that it took patients to require their next treatment was shortened after they received the Pfizer vaccine by around 20 days.

Anecdotally, practitioners saw similar trends following the vaccination programme, with patients complaining that their toxin treatments weren't lasting as long.

But this potential cosmetic side-effect is not a reason to not get vaccinated!

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Anti-wrinkle injections, often called Botox® are often used to relax muscles of the face, helping to reduce or completely eliminate wrinkles, particularly those that occur due to facial expressions. It is the treatment of choice for forehead lines, crow's feet and lines between the eyebrows (11s). It can also be used to treat lines in the lower face, such as smokers’ lines, and to lift e.g. the eyebrows or the corners of the mouth. In addition to being used to reduce the appearance of wrinkles, it can also treat headaches and reduce a gummy smile, teeth grinding and excess sweating.

Botox® and other botulinum toxin drugs such as Vistabel®, Dysport® and Azzalure® are potent neurotoxins derived from the bacterium Clostridium botulinum and are all brand names for the anti-wrinkle treatment we tend to call 'Botox'.

The study looked at botulinum toxin injectables more generally - so it’s not just one brand that seems to be affected.

The paper focused on 45 subjects, 89% of whom were female, with an average age of 48.3. Patients who previously returned every 118 days between injections were coming in around 20 days earlier.

The relatively small sample size means that the findings aren’t conclusive and additional research is required to not only confirm that the vaccine shortens the interval between anti-wrinkle treatments, but to also understand why this phenomenon occurs.

Researchers speculate that the immune response created by the shot could see the injected Botulinum substance as a foreign substance in the body and attack it.

In turn, the effects of the toxin quickly wear off as antibodies in the blood stream fight it off.

The study didn't clarify whether contracting the Covid virus itself had a similar impact on the longevity of the treatment.