Botox Units - What You Need to Know

Why do some doctors charge $200 for Botox and others charge $350? It is usually because one doctor uses many more "units" of Botox than the other, so the effect will be better and last longer. The dose of most medicines is measured in mg, or milligrams. Botox is measured in "units". The higher the number of units injected, the bigger the muscle that can be weakened and/or the longer it lasts.

Botox comes as a powder, with 100 units in a vial. Other agents, such as Dysport, have totally different units of dosage. Sterile salt water is added to the vial to dissolve the powder and make a solution that can be injected. Dr. McBride adds only one cc (cubic centimeter) of water to the vial to make the strongest solution. Some other doctors add more than one cc, making it more dilute. If 2 cc are added, then twice as much solution must be injected to obtain the same result.

It is not the volume of the injected Botox solution that is important, it is the number of units injected. The larger the volume injected, the more discomfort is felt, and the greater the chance that the Botox will spread to muscles that you do not want to weaken. Therefore, Dr. McBride uses the most concentrated solution.

Dr. McBride finds that women typically get four months, or longer, effect from 24 units of Botox injected in the crow's feet or frown lines. Other areas need smaller doses. Some patient's muscles require a larger dose than others. Men's muscles are more resistant to Botox, and may need 50% to 100% more units for each area to get the same duration.

If you want to spend less on a Botox treatment, you should simply ask to have fewer units injected. The effect will be shorter, so you will need to repeat the treatment more often. If you are confused, let Dr. McBride help you decide what is best for you.

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