Cost of Botox

If you’re looking for a Botox injector, we want to remind you that what you spend for your Botox goes way beyond just buying the product itself. The “cost” of Botox also includes the knowledge, skill, experience, and technique of the injector which is critically important to having Botox that makes you look great versus “bad Botox”.

This patient graciously allowed us to use her story and photos to illustrate this often overlooked, but crucial point:

* Botox Before and After Photos

She is a 60-year-old woman who went to her first Botox appointment with the complaint of “lines between her eyes”. Often referred to as “the elevens”, these often appear with age from repeated contraction of the muscles between the eyebrows that pull them down and in, creasing the skin in a “permanent frown”. The price was right for the patient so she consented to treatment, but her injector didn’t give her the whole story, or use the correct dosage or technique to tackle her problem.

As you can see, her lines were present at rest. We call these “static” lines; they are there whether the muscles are contracting or not, and Botox alone cannot fix them. Because it relaxes muscles, Botox works best on “dynamic” lines or lines created with muscle contraction. Static lines require Botox (to prevent them from getting worse), but they also need filler to plump the skin and help them blend in and disappear.

Next, notice how her Botox injection lowered her right eyebrow and eyelid, leaving her lopsided. This can happen if it isn’t injected correctly and/or in the right place based on someone’s unique anatomy. We also noted that the dose she received wasn’t right for the inner part of her brows as she still had movement which deepened the lines that she wanted to be removed.

All in all, she may have paid less at this office for her Botox, but she didn’t get a bargain. Her elevens were still there, and to make matters worse, she had uneven brows. She was unhappy and disappointed, to say the least! Thankfully, she found her way to our office and we were able to help her. By injecting additional Botox into her inner brow area and treating her static lines with a small amount of Restylane, we were able to give her the look she originally desired.

Sometimes the saying “you get what you pay for” is very true. Celibre Medical often is not the least expensive of your choices when it comes to pricing your cosmetic injections. But we don’t apologize for that, because you get exceptional value with us. Our injectors are top-notch; the expertise and education they provide are included in the cost of your injections. And that is a very valuable commodity in our business.

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“How much is your Botox?” is a question that we hear at Celibre Medical every day. Seems like a simple, straightforward question, right? Well, not really. You see the price or cost of Botox injections goes way beyond how much the actual product itself costs. Sure, that’s an important part of it, but you also must consider the value of the service, the time spent with each patient as well as the skill and expertise of the person holding the syringe. How do you put a number on all these things?

For these reasons, you can find a very wide range of pricing for Botox in the Los Angeles area. We’ve seen prices as low as $7 per unit (with the catch that you bring a friend, come in during certain hours, or purchase a minimum number of units) all the way up to $21 per unit at a practice located in Beverly Hills. On average, you will find the price of a unit of Botox in the LA area is around $11 to $13 per unit.

The old adage of “you get what you pay for” certainly tends to hold true if you’re buying your Botox on the lower end of the spectrum. We hear from many people who’ve gotten “rock bottom” Botox prices that they didn’t get the results that they wanted or results that lasted very long. Worse yet, some tell us that the appointment was so quick, that they felt like herded cattle.

So, there really is a lot that goes into figuring out the “price” of Botox. Here are a few more factors that you should consider:

• Dilution: Let us first clarify for you that all Botox must be diluted. It comes as a dried residue in the vial that must be mixed or “reconstituted” with saline for injection. Now, the vial contains 100 units. Allergan, the manufacturer of Botox, recommends that the vial be reconstituted with a certain amount of saline to ensure that the correct number of units can be drawn up reliably in a syringe and placed at each injection point. Some practices may use more than the recommended amount of saline to dilute the vial, but still, use the recommended volumes at each injection point. This practice results in an “under-dosing” that may not give the desired results (if any) or results that don’t last very long because there are fewer units being injected than there should be. Don’t get confused by the lingo here; just ask your injector if they are using the manufacturer’s recommended dilution. An answer of “no” could mean that you aren’t exactly getting what you think you’re paying for.

• Treatment areas versus actual units: Just like most other drugs, Botox needs to be “dosed”. The dose of Botox that you need depends on your gender, the strength of your muscles, and your specific anatomy. When practices charge for Botox by “treatment area”, they typically have a standard dose that they give to everyone, regardless of their individual needs. This is how they can make money on their Botox. While you may pay more when you purchase the specific number of Botox units that you need, you are probably getting the dose that will give you the best results.

• Botox treatment plan and execution: Botox is a drug that requires a treatment plan. Just like any other drug, you need to be educated on how it works, what to expect after you take it and how it will help you. You also need to know the risks and possible side effects of using Botox. All of these things require a conversation that takes time. As a patient, you need the time to ask questions and your injector needs time to answer them. Once you understand your treatment plan, you can give informed consent to proceed. You should know the” ins and outs “of your specific plan like how many units you’re getting, where your injections will be placed and the “do’s and don’ts” following your injections.

• Expertise: You are also paying for the experience, knowledge, and skill of the practitioner injecting you. What kind of training does he or she have? How long have they been injecting? How many injections has he or she done over the past week, month or year? Skills do get rusty and techniques to evolve and change. Finding an injector that is at the top of its game is worth the extra added cost in many cases.

Don’t simply shop “by the numbers” when it comes to Botox injections. Do your homework, ask questions and be an advocate for yourself. While Botox is a cosmetic treatment, it is a powerful drug that needs to be used responsibly and appropriately to give you the best results.

* Botox Before and After Photo

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