The thing I’ve started picking up on as I get older (I’m 34) is that once I notice something new about my skin, I can’t unsee it. It doesn’t matter if it’s something tiny that only I will notice. Once it’s been identified, the obsessing begins. That was the case for my neck wrinkles. I was just living my life, and then one day, seemingly out of the blue, I had developed relatively deep lines and wrinkles from the chin down. Apparently – to my great chagrin – I should have paid more attention to all that talk about ways to prevent tech neck and actually followed a skin-care routine for the area.
Because I will now never not be able to look past those wrinkles, I took to the internet to figure out how to get rid of those pesky reminders of my scrolling habit. The solution was right in front of me: neck Botox injections. If it’s good enough for Kim Kardashian, as she told People, it’s good enough for me.
I immediately made an appointment with Parvaneh Rafaeloff, MD, at her med spa Le Jolie, a celebrity favorite in Beverly Hills. Keep reading to see my results and get a sense of the neck Botox experience.
What Is Neck Botox?
Neck Botox is exactly what it sounds like: Botox injections in the neck area. Botox is a neurotoxin used to paralyze the muscles, helping to reduce fine lines and wrinkles. Your doctor will place the injections directly along those horizontal lines on your neck for a targeted approach. (This is not the same as traptox, which is Botox injected into your trapezius muscles.)
It’s worth noting that in this story, we’re specifically talking about the Botox brand of neurotoxin, but you could also use other brands such as Dysport, Xeomin, or Daxxify. Dr. Rafaeloff notes that each brand has its own formulation and may have slightly different dosing and duration of effects.
What Does Neck Botox Treat?
According to Dr. Rafaeloff, Botox injections in the neck can effectively treat wrinkles, lines, and neck bands. Botox is not primarily used for treating significant sagging or laxity of the skin. “There are other procedures for sagging skin such as Forma, Emface, or Morpheus8,” Dr. Rafaeloff says.
While Botox is considered the gold standard for smoothing wrinkles, there are some other treatments you could opt for. However, those tend to have much more significant aftercare and downtime than Botox. Take Ultherapy for example. This procedure uses high-intensity focused ultrasound to target deeper levels of the dermis. It heats up and traumatizes cells in order to generate new collagen. I’ve done this procedure and can attest that it hurts. I have a pretty high tolerance for pain, especially for cosmetic procedures, so trust me, it’s not fun. Plus, it doesn’t give the immediate results of Botox.
You could also go the laser route, but then you’re looking at significant downtime, scabbing, and no guarantee that deeper wrinkles will lessen. TLDR: if you want pretty much guaranteed results with little pain and no downtime, I recommend Botox.
My Neck Botox Experience
Like I mentioned, I have a pretty high pain tolerance, but Dr. Rafaeloff added some numbing cream to my neck just in case. This is because the skin on the neck is pretty thick, so pushing the needle through isn’t as buttery as on the skin of the face. Once I was numbed, Dr. Rafaeloff hit the wrinkles on both sides of my neck with injections – I have three deep lines going across my neck that she targeted. She warned that it might be slightly painful since the skin on my neck was quite taut (a win for me, finally), but I found the pain to be pretty nonexistent.
All in all, the appointment was around 20 minutes. There are a lot of procedures billed as “lunchtime treatments” – this one definitely falls under that. You’re in and out in under an hour (sometimes under 30 minutes), and you look pretty normal afterward. I was slightly sore after the numbing cream wore off a few hours later, but nothing prohibitive.
In terms of results, it takes anywhere from two to 14 days for the effects of Botox to kick in. For me, I usually start seeing it take effect in my face after about three or four days – it took a full seven days for my neck to smooth out, I’m guessing because the wrinkles were deeper there.
Neck Botox Side Effects
Like with any injections, common side effects of Botox injections in the neck include temporary bruising, swelling, or redness at the injection site. As you can see above, I had some minor redness immediately after, but by the next morning I was back to normal. I also tend to get a mild headache for the rest of the day after getting Botox.
Neck Botox Aftercare
Anytime you get a ‘tox injection, you should make sure to stay upright for at least four hours after your appointment (no naps!) and avoid working out for 24 hours. Similarly, you’ll want to wait a few days before any massaging of the area; make sure to schedule any facials at least three days after your Botox appointment (I give it a week just to be safe). This is all to help prevent the Botox migrating to other parts of your body. Dr. Rafaeloff also recommends slugging with Aquaphor for a few nights after your injection to keep everything hydrated and supple.
Is Neck Botox Worth It?
If you’re like me and unable to stop obsessing over wrinkles once they appear, then yes, neck Botox is worth it. Keep in mind that Botox is not cheap and doesn’t last forever – Dr. Rafaeloff says she injects anywhere from 30 to 60 units in the neck (at the standard $15 per unit, you’re looking at a $450 to $900 bill every four months or so). If it’s worth it to you to shell out some cash for a wrinkle-free existence, then Botox is the way to go.
