Medically reviewed by Derek Truong, NP, Medical Director at Infinite Medical Spa.
Booking Botox before a holiday party works best two to four weeks ahead of the event. Mayo Clinic puts the onset at one to three days after treatment, with a week or more needed for full results. A last-minute appointment leaves no room for the product to settle and none at all for a review visit. That single window is the most useful thing to know heading into December.
Neuromodulators are the most requested minimally invasive treatment there is. In US data from its member surgeons, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons counted close to 10 million neuromodulator treatments in 2024, a four percent rise year over year. Plenty of those appointments cluster around events. What follows is a full countdown for Botox treatments in London, Ontario and the skin and laser treatments people pair with them, worked backward from a mid-December party.
Two to four weeks. Mayo Clinic reports that Botox injections usually begin working one to three days after treatment, though it can take a week or more to see full results, with the effect lasting three to four months. Two weeks is the floor. Three to four weeks is better, because it leaves time to come back if something needs a second look.
Bruising matters here too. Mayo lists pain, swelling and bruising at the injection site among the possible side effects, and a bruise on the forehead does not care that you have a party on Saturday. If you take blood thinners, Mayo notes you may need to stop them several days before your injection to reduce the risk of bleeding or bruising. That conversation belongs with the doctor who prescribed them, not the day of your appointment.
The same window applies to Dysport. Both are botulinum toxin type A and both take time to settle, so neither is a last-minute treatment. Aftercare is simple but worth following: Mayo advises not rubbing or massaging the treated areas for 24 hours, and not lying down for two to four hours afterward.
Work backward from the date. For a party in the middle of December, the calendar breaks down roughly like this.
That last point deserves emphasis. The week of an event is not the time to try a treatment for the first time. You have no idea how your skin responds, and no time to find out.
Anything that works as a series, and anything with meaningful recovery.
A microneedling series is the clearest example. Cleveland Clinic says most people need multiple treatments spaced about three to eight weeks apart, and that it can take three to six months to see results. Start in early October and you fit two or three sessions in before mid-December. Start in November and you get one, which is not what a series is for. Recovery per session is short. Cleveland Clinic notes skin might be red and swollen for up to five days, and most people can wear makeup the day after.
Ablative laser resurfacing sits at the other end of the scale. Mayo Clinic reports that new skin usually covers the treated area in seven to ten days, full recovery takes at least a month, and skin may look inflamed for several months following ablative treatment. Mayo also advises against using cosmetics during that recovery window. Run that math against a December event and the answer is obvious. October, or wait until January.
Hydrafacial. It is the treatment built for exactly this problem, because there is no recovery to schedule around. Patients return to normal activities, makeup included, straight away, and the immediate glow tends to hold for five to seven days. Booking a Hydrafacial three to seven days before an event lands it right in that window.
A single microneedling session in the final fortnight is a gamble. Redness can run up to five days by Cleveland Clinic’s account, and flaking often follows. Two weeks is the minimum most people should give it, and even then the result is a healthier-looking surface rather than the full collagen response, which builds over months.
So what is genuinely off the table in the last week? Anything ablative. Anything you have never had. Anything that peels.
Sun exposure is the reason, and it cuts both ways. Mayo Clinic warns that too much sun in the two months before laser resurfacing can cause a permanent change in skin colour in the treated areas, and advises sun protection at all times afterward. Both of those conditions are far easier to meet in London, Ontario between October and April than they are in July.
That is what people mean by laser season. It is not a marketing calendar. It is a clinical one.
Not every light-based treatment carries the same downtime. Mayo classes intense pulsed light as nonablative and describes recovery after nonablative resurfacing as very short, with skin possibly swollen or changed in colour for a few hours and usual activities resuming right away. The tradeoff is that results come gradually, and Mayo notes two to four treatments are generally needed for noticeable results. An IPL photofacial series therefore also wants a head start, even though any single session is easy to recover from. For deeper resurfacing, CO2 laser resurfacing belongs earlier in the fall for the reasons above.
It is possible, but it is not ideal. Mayo Clinic notes full results can take a week or more, so a seven-day gap means the event may land right as things are settling. There is also no room left for a review appointment. Two weeks is the realistic minimum.
It can. Mayo Clinic lists bruising at the injection site as a possible side effect, which is one of the main arguments for the two to four week window. Tell your injector about any blood thinners, supplements or medications beforehand, since Mayo notes blood thinners may need to be stopped several days in advance.
Three to seven days suits a Hydrafacial well, since there is no downtime and the immediate glow holds for roughly five to seven days. Treatments that exfoliate more aggressively need a longer runway.
Early October is the last comfortable start. Cleveland Clinic puts sessions about three to eight weeks apart with results developing over three to six months, so a series begun now delivers part of its benefit by mid-December and the rest into the new year.
Often, yes, provided they are properly sequenced rather than stacked. The usual pattern is skin treatments first with enough recovery time, then injectables at the three to four week mark, then a Hydrafacial in the final week. Your provider maps the order at your assessment.
Give yourself more time, not less. A first appointment four to six weeks out means you see how your muscles respond and still have room to adjust well before the event.
This article was medically reviewed by Derek Truong, NP, Medical Director at Infinite Medical Spa in London, Ontario. It is intended for education and is not medical advice. Treatment timelines vary between individuals, and a consultation is the best way to plan around a specific date.
Derek Truong, NP — Medical Director, Infinite Medical Spa
Derek Truong is a Nurse Practitioner and the Medical Director at Infinite Medical Spa in London, Ontario. He sets our clinical standards and medically reviews our educational content for accuracy and safety. Learn more about our team.
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