You’ve probably seen claims online about anti-wrinkle injections that last for years, or even “permanent Botox.” It sounds appealing, especially if you’re tired of booking appointments every few months. But here’s the truth: standard anti-wrinkle injections don’t last five years, and anything claiming to do so isn’t what you think it is.
Let’s talk about realistic timelines, what affects how long your results last, and what to do if you’re looking for longer-term wrinkle improvement without the constant maintenance.
Typical duration ranges
Most anti-wrinkle injections last between three and four months. Some people get a bit longer, some a bit shorter. Here’s why that range exists and what influences where you’ll fall on the spectrum.
Treatment area
Different facial areas metabolise the product at different rates. Forehead injections tend to wear off faster than crow’s feet or frown lines, likely because the forehead muscles are larger and more active. Areas with stronger muscle activity, like the glabella between your brows, may also metabolise the toxin more quickly. It’s not unusual for one area to need retreatment before another, which is why some people only top up specific zones rather than having their entire face redone at once.
Dose and placement
Higher doses generally last longer, but there’s a ceiling to this. Overdoing it doesn’t give you six months of results, it just increases the risk of looking frozen or experiencing side effects like eyelid droop. Placement matters too. An experienced injector knows exactly where to inject and at what depth to maximise duration without compromising natural movement. Poor technique can mean the product diffuses into surrounding areas or doesn’t hit the intended muscle properly, which shortens how long it lasts.
Exercise and lifestyle
Your metabolism plays a huge role. If you have a fast metabolism, your body breaks down the toxin more quickly. This is partly genetic and partly influenced by lifestyle. Regular intense exercise, particularly high-intensity interval training or heavy weightlifting, can shorten the duration of anti-wrinkle injections. Your body is working harder, metabolising everything faster, and that includes the product in your face. Stress, certain medications, and even illness can also affect how long results last, though these factors are harder to pin down.
Longest lasting injections
When clinics advertise longer-lasting anti-wrinkle products, they’re usually referring to specific formulations that claim extended duration. But the reality is more nuanced than the marketing suggests.
Longer durations
Some formulations, like Daxxify (not widely available in the UK yet), claim to last up to six months instead of the usual three to four. Early studies suggest this might be true for some people, but it’s not universal. What often gets confused is duration versus strength. A longer-lasting product doesn’t necessarily mean better results, it just means the effect persists for more weeks. If the dose or formulation is too strong for your face, you could end up frozen for longer, which isn’t the goal. The trade-off between duration and natural movement is something to discuss with your injector before trying a new product.
Why results vary
Even with the same product, same dose, and same injector, two people can have wildly different experiences. One person might get five months out of a treatment, another barely scrapes three. This comes down to individual biology: muscle strength, metabolism, immune response, and even how your body reacts to the specific formulation. Some people build up a tolerance over time, meaning each treatment lasts slightly less than the one before. Others find their results improve with regular treatments as the muscles weaken. There’s no way to predict exactly how your body will respond until you try it.
What wearing off looks like
Understanding how anti-wrinkle injections fade helps you plan your next appointment and avoid panic when you notice subtle changes.
Return of movement
The first thing you’ll notice as the product wears off is the return of movement. You’ll be able to furrow your brow or raise your eyebrows more easily than you could a few weeks ago. This doesn’t mean the lines are back immediately. In fact, the wrinkles often take longer to reappear because your skin has had a break from constant muscle contraction. If you’ve been having regular treatments, you might find that even when the product has fully worn off, your lines are less deep than they were before you started. This is the cumulative benefit of giving your skin time to recover.
Why some people look better when it fades
There’s a sweet spot, usually a few weeks after treatment, where you’ve still got smooth skin but your natural movement is starting to return. Some people actually prefer this phase over the peak of the treatment because it looks more like themselves, just fresher. As the product continues to fade, you might notice your face feels more expressive but the lines still aren’t as pronounced as they were originally. This lingering improvement is why some people can stretch their appointments out longer or reduce the frequency of top-ups over time.
How to time top-ups
Getting the timing right between treatments is important, both for maintaining results and for avoiding an unnatural appearance.
Minimum spacing
You should wait at least three months between treatments, even if you feel like the product has worn off sooner. Injecting too frequently can lead to antibody formation, where your immune system starts recognising the toxin and neutralising it more quickly. This means future treatments become less effective and don’t last as long. There’s also the risk of overaccumulation, where tiny amounts of residual product build up in the muscle, leading to a frozen or heavy appearance even though each individual treatment seemed fine at the time.
Avoid overtreating
Some people fall into a pattern of overtreating when the product is fresh, then experiencing a dramatic rebound when it wears off. This happens when high doses are used to chase perfectly smooth skin, then all the muscle movement returns at once a few months later. The contrast feels jarring, so they rush back for another round, repeating the cycle. A better approach is to use moderate doses that allow for some natural movement throughout, so the transition between treated and untreated is gradual rather than abrupt. This also makes your face look more consistently like you, rather than swinging between two extremes.
If you want long lasting results
If you’re frustrated by the three-month maintenance cycle, there are other ways to improve wrinkles that offer longer-term benefits.
Treatments that complement injections
Anti-wrinkle injections stop the muscle movement that creates lines, but they don’t improve skin quality. Treatments like retinoids, chemical peels, microneedling, or laser resurfacing work by stimulating collagen production and improving skin texture. These changes are longer-lasting because they address the skin itself rather than just muscle activity. Over time, better skin quality means wrinkles are less noticeable even when the anti-wrinkle injections wear off. Think of it as a two-pronged approach: injections prevent new damage, skin treatments repair existing damage.
When fillers may be more appropriate
If your wrinkles are static, meaning they’re visible even when your face is at rest, anti-wrinkle injections might not be the best solution. Dermal fillers can plump out deep-set lines like nasolabial folds or marionette lines, and those results can last anywhere from six months to two years depending on the product used. For skin laxity or deeper wrinkles caused by volume loss, treatments like radiofrequency, ultrasound, or thread lifts might be more effective. These don’t last forever either, but they address different aspects of ageing that injections simply can’t touch. A good practitioner will be honest with you about whether anti-wrinkle injections are the right tool for your specific concerns or if you’d be better served by something else.
The bottom line is this: anti-wrinkle injections are brilliant for what they do, but they’re not a permanent fix. If someone is promising you five-year results, they’re either selling you a different treatment entirely or they’re not being honest. The best outcomes come from realistic expectations, well-timed maintenance, and combining injections with other treatments when needed.
