The narrow strips of muscle alongside the upper nose look innocent until they start creasing every time you grin or sniff. Those diagonal wrinkles, called bunny lines, can be endearing at first. Then makeup starts settling in them, and photographs catch the folds from angles you never noticed before. For many of my patients, bunny lines are the last holdout after they have already addressed the glabella or crow’s feet. They require a gentle hand, a clear plan, and meticulous aftercare, because the muscles here sit close to the levator labii complex that lifts the upper lip. Small errors echo quickly. With the right approach you can expect soft, natural looking results that preserve your expression without tipping the balance of your smile.
This guide focuses on what happens after your botox bunny lines treatment, and how simple choices during the first few days protect your outcome. Along the way I will touch on technique and expectations, because aftercare is only one piece of a result that looks effortless.
What bunny lines are and why they show up
Bunny lines are oblique creases that appear along the bridge and upper sides of the nose when you scrunch or smile. The core muscle involved is the nasalis, particularly the transverse portion that compresses the nasal bridge. In some faces the levator labii superioris alaeque nasi, a slender muscle that lifts the upper lip and flares the nostril, contributes as well. Habit plays a role. People who frequently laugh, squint, or tug their nose upward for emphasis recruit these muscles more. Over years, the overlying skin folds along the same tracks until the lines show even at rest.
Botox injections in this zone target those small, superficial fibers to soften the crease. The dose is typically conservative. Many patients do well with 2 to 4 units per side, sometimes less, and rarely more than 10 total in a single session. It is not the place for heavy-handed botox cosmetic injections. You want a lighter touch that blunts the fold yet leaves the nuances of your smile intact.
One anatomical reality shapes both treatment and aftercare. The muscles for lifting the upper lip run nearby. If botox diffuses into them you can see a flattened smile or a subtle lip drop for a few weeks. Careful placement helps avoid this, and so does good behavior in the hours that follow your botox procedure.
What to expect after your appointment, day by day
Botox results evolve, not in a perfect straight line but close to it. After bunny lines treatment, the timeline is usually consistent.
Immediately to 2 hours: Injection points may look like tiny bug bites, especially if your provider used a shallow bleb technique. You may feel a mild sting or itch for a few minutes. Makeup can wait until the pinpricks close, usually within 20 to 30 minutes. I prefer a clean face for the first hour.
2 to 6 hours: Redness settles. Avoid pressing, rubbing, or resting your glasses frame heavily on the upper nose bridge if it touches the injection area. Leave vigorous exercise for another day. Light walking is fine.
6 to 24 hours: Tenderness can persist, and a small bruise might appear. Early effects are uncommon, but some sensitive patients report a faint sense of heaviness in the nose or upper lip. That feeling usually fades.
Days 2 to 4: The first noticeable softening begins. Do not confuse this with the final outcome. As the botox therapy takes hold, the crease softens when you scrunch, yet the line at rest may still be visible.
Days 5 to 10: Peak effect arrives. Most patients see the best improvement around day 7. If you had botox for crow’s feet or glabella at the same visit, those zones may peak on a similar schedule, which helps you evaluate overall facial balance.
Days 10 to 14: Fine tuning window. If a subtle asymmetry or persistent crease remains, your provider can add a unit or two to perfect the result. This is where a botox follow up treatment earns its keep.
Weeks 6 to 12: Results remain stable. Movement gradually returns afterward. Repeat sessions, if you wish to maintain the effect, typically fall between 3 and 4 months. Some people with less active nasalis muscles can stretch to 5 months. Consistency matters more than the calendar. Plan your botox maintenance treatment around your actual return of motion, not a fixed date.
Aftercare principles that protect subtle anatomy
The first 4 to 6 hours shape how your botox injections settle. Diffusion follows fluid planes and small pressure gradients in the tissue. Gentle care nudges the treatment to stay put in the target muscle and not wander.
Stay upright and keep your head neutral for the first 4 hours. This is less about gravity dragging product downhill and more about avoiding prolonged compression that could alter spread. Skip naps with your face pressed to a pillow, and avoid bending deeply at the waist to lift heavy objects during that window.
No rubbing, massaging, or aggressive skincare on the bridge or sides of the nose for at least 24 hours. Cleansing is fine with soft fingertip pressure. Put off exfoliants, retinoids, and scrubs until the next night. The injection points need a calm environment to seal and heal.
Delay strenuous exercise, hot yoga, or sauna for 24 hours. Heat increases blood flow and can accelerate diffusion. I prefer a simple rule: if it leaves you flushed or sweaty, save it for tomorrow.
Treat a bruise, if it appears, with cool compresses in short intervals during the first day. Arnica gel or an oral bromelain supplement can help some people, though evidence is mixed. More important is not to dig at the area to “work the bruise out.” Let time clear it.
Avoid alcohol for the evening after your botox session. Alcohol dilates blood vessels and can worsen swelling or bruising. One glass may not ruin anything, but if you can skip it, skip it.
How to sleep and move without overthinking it
Over the years I have watched people tie themselves in knots about sleep positions. The nose is not a large surface area for pressure during sleep, but side sleepers with firm pillows sometimes crease the upper nose unintentionally. If you can, sleep on your back the first night. If you roll to the side, do not panic. Brief, light contact is unlikely to move properly placed botox. What you want to avoid is heavy face-down pressure that lasts for hours.
When you wash your face or apply moisturizer, think of gliding across the bridge rather than pressing inward along the upper nostril edge. Two taps of product and a feather-light sweep are enough. The nasalis sits just under thin skin here. That is why it responds so well to small doses of botox cosmetic, and also why it does not like to be pushed around after treatment.
Makeup, skincare, and sun: small choices that add up
Makeup can go on once the pinprick sites have sealed, typically an hour after your botox appointment. Use clean brushes or sponges. If you notice a pinpoint of blood or serum, dab rather than buff. Avoid heavy contouring stripes that require vigorous blending over the bridge for the first day. By day two you can resume your usual routine.
Skincare products fall into three groups after botox facial injections. Gentle cleansers and hydrating serums are safe right away. Active exfoliants like glycolic acid and retinoids should wait until the next night to avoid irritation around the injection sites. Physical devices, from at-home microcurrent to facial rollers and gua sha, deserve a pause of 48 hours on the upper nose to keep pressure low.
Sun exposure influences healing and bruising. If you plan to be outdoors, use a broad-spectrum sunscreen and a hat. UV does not inactivate botox, but it does aggravate redness and can make a bruise linger.
The art of dose and placement, and why aftercare matters more for bunny lines
Unlike broader zones such as the forehead, the bunny line target is small and close to muscles with different jobs. Go half a centimeter too low and diffusion can mute the upper lip elevator. Go too high and you can miss the bundle that forms the actual line. Aftercare reduces additional spread and keeps the product in the thin strip where you want it.
In practice I mark two to three tiny points per side, following the visible line formed when the patient laughs or scrunches the nose. I ask them to repeat the expression twice before injecting so I can see consistency. Most patients need 2 units at the most central point and 1 unit just superior or inferior depending on the crease angle. If they have a pronounced lateral line near the inner canthus, a very superficial microdrop can help, but I keep a strict buffer from the levator labii. With that map set, aftercare becomes simple: protect the small field from pressure and heat, give it a day to settle, and keep the rest of your routine steady.
What can go wrong, and what to do about it
Even with the best technique, sensitive areas carry risk. The good news is that almost all issues are temporary, and clear steps can improve comfort while you wait for the botox to do, or undo, its job.
Mild headache or sinus-like pressure sometimes appears in the first 24 hours. Over-the-counter acetaminophen helps most people. I ask patients to avoid NSAIDs such as ibuprofen for the first day if they are prone to bruising, though for many adults a single dose will not cause trouble.
Small bruise or swelling at a point. Cool compresses off and on for the first day, then let it be. Heavy concealer and gentle blending are fine after day one. If you bruise easily, mention it at your next botox consultation so we can use a smaller needle, slow the injection, and lean on pressure afterward.
A lopsided smile or upper lip heaviness. This stems from diffusion into the elevator muscles. It often looks more dramatic to you than to others, especially when you study it in the mirror. Most cases soften within 2 to 3 weeks as the dose in the unintended area fades. If your provider is experienced, a micro-dose of botox on the opposite side, or a touch of hyaluronic acid filler in the upper lip border for lift, can balance the look temporarily. Do not chase it with random tweaks. Communicate early and let a professional guide the fix.
Under-correction. Bunny lines are stubborn in a few patients with powerful nasalis muscles. If you still see strong movement at day 10, a conservative touch-up of 1 to 2 units per side is often all it takes. This is why I build a follow-up into the plan rather than playing hero with the initial dose.
Over-correction and a frozen scrunch. Not common, but it happens if the first session used an enthusiastic dose. As with most botox wrinkle reduction, time solves it, typically in 8 to 10 weeks for this small zone. Meanwhile, lean on expressive eyes and a softer smile. I avoid stacking more botox anywhere near the nose during that period so we do not lengthen recovery.
Allergic reaction to botox is exceedingly rare. Redness at the injection site is common and not an allergy. Hives away from the area, breathing difficulty, or swelling of lips and tongue need urgent medical attention. If you have a history of severe allergies, tell your provider during your botox appointment so we can plan accordingly.
Coordinating bunny lines with other facial zones
Treatment rarely happens in isolation. Many patients pair bunny lines with botox for crow’s feet, glabella, or a light forehead plan. Coordination matters because weakening one muscle shifts how others recruit during expression. For example, strong glabella treatment can push some people to scrunch the nose more, which then highlights bunny lines. Addressing them together, even with micro-doses, prevents that compensation pattern.
If you are considering a lip flip, chin dimpling, or masseter botox jawline treatment in the same season, map the sessions. I prefer not to stack the first-ever lip flip and bunny lines treatment on the same day for a new patient, simply because it complicates troubleshooting if the smile feels off. Start with one zone, learn your response, then layer the next plan 2 to 4 weeks later. Once you have a steady routine and we know your thresholds, same-day combined botox facial treatments become easier and save time.
The maintenance rhythm that keeps results natural
Bunny lines return faster for expressive faces and slower for those who move less in that zone. Most of my patients settle into a 3 to 4 month cadence, with small adjustments seasonally. The first year is about calibration. We learn your dose and map, and we see how lifestyle factors affect duration. Intense summer workouts, for instance, can trim a couple of weeks off longevity for highly active people. A patient who travels often and sleeps poorly may need more frequent, smaller sessions rather than infrequent, heavy ones.
When a result looks perfect at peak but fades too fast, I change one variable at a time. Often it is the number of points, not the total units. Two points of 1.5 units each can outperform one point of 3 units for bunny lines, because the muscle fibers are short and fan outward. If your last botox session held more than 4 months, resist the temptation to increase dose at the next visit. Steady, minimal dosing protects facial harmony over many years.
Preparing for your next session
The best aftercare starts before the needle touches your skin. A week ahead, if you bruise easily, consider pausing fish oil, high-dose vitamin E, garlic supplements, ginkgo, or St. John’s wort, with your doctor’s approval. If you take prescribed blood thinners, you should not change them without clearance from your prescribing physician. On the day of your botox clinic treatment, skip alcohol, arrive with clean skin, and give your provider a clear picture of your last results. Photographs help. Show me where the crease persisted and how your smile felt. That real-world feedback sharpens the plan.
At the chair I ask you to scrunch, smile, and talk about the moments when you notice the lines most. Do they show when you laugh hard, or do they sneak in during casual expressions? Answers shape placement. A short, clean injection series, a gentle compress, and a short rest in the waiting room round out the visit. After that, your role begins.
A short, practical aftercare checklist
- Stay upright and avoid pressure on the upper nose for 4 hours. Skip workouts, saunas, and hot yoga for 24 hours. Keep hands off the area; no rubbing or massaging for a full day. Use gentle skincare only the first night; resume actives the next day. Book or confirm your 10 to 14 day follow-up to assess symmetry and dose.
Myths, mixed advice, and what actually matters
I hear three recurring myths. The first says you must keep moving the treated muscle for the product to “work in.” Not necessary. Botulinum toxin binds to nerve terminals independent of post-treatment exercise. Normal expressions are fine, but you do not need to scrunch on purpose.
The second claims you must avoid lying down for 6 to 8 hours. For bunny lines, 4 hours is a reasonable, practical window. Longer rules cause anxiety without clear benefit. What matters is avoiding face-down pressure, not the clock.
The third warns that flying soon after botox treatment ruins results. Cabin pressure changes do not affect tissue diffusion. If anything, the real risk is dozing hard botox New Providence with your face on a travel pillow. Sit upright or use a horseshoe pillow, and you will be fine. I have plenty of frequent flyers who Find more info maintain excellent results with botox cosmetic procedures, including quick same-day trips.
Choosing your provider and asking the right questions
Bunny lines do not need high total units, but they do demand precision. Experience counts. When you meet a botox service provider, ask how they map the nasalis, what dose range they expect for your anatomy, and how they handle touch-ups. A thoughtful botox consultation includes a discussion of your smile dynamics, not just a quick glance at the crease. You want a plan that integrates neighboring zones, like the glabella and crow’s feet, because expression is a team sport, not a solo.
If you search for a botox near me treatment, vet credentials and volume. Look for a clinician who performs facial aesthetic injections daily, not monthly. Consistent practice hones judgment. Ask to see before-and-after images of bunny lines specifically. The best photos look like the same person, same lighting, same expression, simply more rested.
How long will the results last, and what does “natural” look like here
For most adults, botox bunny lines treatment lasts 3 to 4 months. The first cycle may fade a bit earlier as your baseline tone and neural signaling adjust. With repeated sessions at steady intervals, some patients notice longer duration by the third or fourth visit. Natural in this zone means the nose no longer creases into a sharp diagonal fold when you smile, but you can still flare and breathe comfortably, and your upper lip lifts in sync with your expression. The change should be the absence of a distraction, not the presence of a new look.
Keep an eye on balance. If you like a lip flip or you are considering filler in the midface, tell your injector. Lifting the lip or cheeks changes tension lines around the nose. A micro-adjustment to your bunny line map can keep everything coordinated. Good injectors think in systems, not dots.
A word on combination therapies and skin quality
A small percentage of patients have etched-in bunny lines at rest that do not fully erase with botox alone. If the skin has folded in the same place for a decade, the crease becomes a micro-scar. In those cases a dual track works best: botox to reduce the mechanical folding, plus a skin-focused therapy to smooth the line. Low-concentration hyaluronic acid microdroplets, light fractional laser, or microneedling with proper technique can all improve texture. I time skin treatments 2 to 4 weeks after botox aesthetic injections to avoid overlap in swelling and to see where movement has reduced. Sometimes a single pass of a gentle fractional device makes the difference between a good and a polished result.
Lifestyle plays a quiet part. Hydration, consistent sunscreen, and controlling allergic rhinitis or frequent nose rubbing will do more for bunny lines than exotic serums. People who habitually rub the bridge during allergy season etch the line faster. Address the trigger, and your botox results last longer.
Final thoughts from the chair
After many years of facial injections, I have learned that small areas carry big emotional weight. Bunny lines live front and center in photos and in the mirror. The good news is that they respond beautifully to low-dose, well-placed botox facial care injections. Your part is simple: protect the area for a day, show up for your short follow-up, and keep me honest about how your smile feels. When the plan is tailored and the aftercare is quiet and consistent, the result feels like you, only smoother.
If you are planning your first time, start with a conservative dose, take two clear selfies each day for two weeks with a scrunch and a smile, and bring them to your follow-up. Those images teach us more than memory ever could. Over time, the routine becomes easy. A quick botox session every few months, a day of simple aftercare, and you get a stable, subtle result that lets your expressions do the talking rather than the lines beside them.