A data-driven approach to enhance safety and personalization in aesthetic treatments

Infrared thermography continues to expand its applications beyond sports performance and rehabilitation. A recent study published in Diagnostics (Kytko et al., 2025) demonstrates how this technology can also play a key role in aesthetic medicine, providing a non-invasive and objective tool to analyze facial tissue responses after botulinum toxin type A (Botox) injections.

What does thermography reveal after Botox injections?

The study evaluated 30 participants using thermal imaging before, immediately after, and 20 minutes following Botox injections in the forehead region. Results showed a biphasic thermal response:

• Facial temperature decreased immediately after injection (−1.1 °C).
• Then increased significantly 20 minutes later (+1.5 °C), due to vasodilation and local inflammatory processes.

This thermal behavior is not just a physiological curiosity, it has direct clinical implications.Participants with greater subcutaneous fat thickness showed stronger vascular responses, suggesting that the post-injection heat increase could enhance toxin diffusion and raise the risk of asymmetries or edema.

The role of localized cooling

The authors propose a simple and effective preventive strategy: applying localized cooling (+4 to +8 °C for 5–7 minutes) immediately after injection.This helps to:

• Reduce hyperemia and hematoma formation,
• Limit unintended toxin diffusion,
• And improve treatment safety and control.

In this way, thermography allows clinicians not only to visualize tissue reactions in real time, but also to optimize decision-making based on objective data.

Thermography: an ally for evidence-based aesthetic medicine

Infrared thermography stands out as a non-invasive, fast, and radiation-free tool capable of providing valuable insight into microcirculation, inflammation, and vascular responses.

Integrating thermography into aesthetic protocols can help professionals to:

• Personalize treatments according to each patient’s thermal and anatomical profile.
• Monitor tissue evolution after each session.
• Prevent adverse reactions more effectively.

Ultimately, combining Botox and thermography opens new opportunities for safer, data-driven, and more personalized aesthetic medicine.

Reference:Kytko, O., et al. (2025). Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Botulinum Therapy Based on the Anthropometric Characteristics of the Face Using Non-Invasive Thermal Imaging Data. Diagnostics, 15(19), 2519.