COVID & Neuromodulators
It’s not you, it’s the virus (shrugs shoulders).
There recently has been a study that has come out about the decreased effectiveness of botulinum toxin after the COVID vaccine. I have received so many questions about it so I thought I would break down the study and what it means for your treatments. The study looked at the medical history and charts of 45 clients of the same physician. They received 2 treatments before the vaccine and 2 treatments after the vaccine. They did not include patients who had COVID-19, they just looked at patients who had the COVID-19 vaccine.
They found the interval between injections after the vaccine was shorter. Before the vaccine, patients were getting treated on average every 118.64 days. After the vaccine, patients were being treated more often, on average every 95.95 days. This would insinuate that the botulinum toxin treatment was not lasting as long after the vaccine. They also looked at the amount of touch ups. The amount of two week post injection touch ups before the vaccine was about 5% and after the vaccine was 30%. This would suggest that the amount of units needed to reach the same result before the vaccine needs to be increased after the vaccine is received.
This study was very small and only one provider sample of patients but it does provide enough data to question whether the COVID vaccine produces an immune response against botulinum toxin, reducing its effectiveness.
There are some key takeaways from the study
Always report any change in medical history to your provider including any recent vaccines (including COVID-19) and any recent illnesses (including COVID-19)
Due to the limited research out there, I recommended waiting 2 months after your vaccine or illness to receive any injections
Be patient with your provider if you feel your longevity is decreasing with your treatments or you are needing more units or touch ups to achieve your usual results.
We as providers do not have a ton of research data on this topic but we see this everyday in practice so we are also still trying to navigate this and adjust our treatments.
Be open to trying different botulinum toxin brands. They are all made slightly different so if one brand of toxin is not working as well, try a different brand.
At the end of the day, COVID-19 is still new, uncharted territory in many aspects of the medical field. Aesthetic providers are navigating the implications COVID-19 and the vaccine has on their patients' cosmetic treatments.
Patients, trust your provider and work together to enhance your treatments and satisfaction during this time! Be patient with us, we are working our hardest to get you the best treatment outcomes!
Providers, what have you seen in your practice? I would love to hear what you are seeing and your thoughts on the topic!
Influence of COVID-19 mRNA vaccination on the efficacy and safety of botulinum toxin type A injections
Hamed Azzam, S., mukari, A., Hamed, M., & Kridin, K. (2022). Influence of covid ‐19 mrna vaccination on the efficacy and safety of botulinum toxin type A injections. Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 21(9), 3663–3666. https://doi.org/10.1111/jocd.15251