How Much Does Botox Cost?
When someone is considering Botox treatments for the first time, one of the most common questions on their mind is, “How much does Botox cost?” If you’ve been wondering why Botox prices vary so much at different medical practices, this article explains everything you need to know about the cost of Botox.
Where Do Medical Practices Purchase Botox?
Botox is manufactured by Allergan, a company headquartered in Irvine, California. All legitimate medical practices in the US buy their Botox directly from Allergan. The manufacturer sells Botox to medical practices in two sizes, 50-unit, and 100-unit vials. Medical practices store the vials securely in a refrigerator until they are ready to be used for their patients.
In recent years, there’s been an influx of unlicensed Botox into the United States from overseas at lower prices. While the importers claim their product is as good as the real Botox, in truth, there is no government oversight or quality control on these products. At best, the results obtained with illegally sourced Botox may be less than optimal. At worst, they could be harmful and cause medical complications. A legitimate medical practice will never put their patients’ safety at risk by buying imported or unlicensed Botox.
Renaissance Plastic Surgery purchases Botox exclusively through Allergan. Furthermore, we are in the top 1% of practices across the country because of the volume of Botox, fillers, skincare, and breast implants we buy from Allergan.
Factors Affecting Botox Cost
If you are considering Botox for facial rejuvenation, the vast difference in Botox pricing between different medical practices can be confusing. Here’s why it happens. When you show up for your consultation, an experienced Botox provider will talk to you to understand your concerns. Even as you’re telling them about the areas where you’d like to see improvements, they’re subconsciously assessing a host of factors, like your skin quality, muscle strength, asymmetries, and severity of wrinkles.
Based on their experience with thousands of patients, the provider then decides the appropriate Botox dose for each of your areas of concern. The correct dosing is critical. Too many units or too few units of Botox (more explanation to follow) can lead to substandard results. That’s why choosing an experienced Botox provider at a legitimate medical practice is important.
If you see a medical practice offering Botox at extremely low prices, it could be because the provider is inexperienced or the Botox they use is unlicensed. Such a clinic doesn’t have anything of value to offer their patients, and therefore, they need to price their Botox treatments to reflect that.
On the other hand, if you’re going to a Botox provider with years of experience and thousands of happy patients, it’s well worth paying a little extra, knowing that you’ll get the best results possible.
Botox Pricing Model: By Unit
One of the ways medical practices price Botox treatments is by the unit. This is the most straightforward method since Allergan, the manufacturer of Botox, sells the product in 50- and 100-unit vials. The unit pricing model allows patients to make an easy comparison between various providers.
Let’s take an example. Say you want Botox in the glabellar area (between your eyebrows) because you don’t like the fine lines that have developed there. A medical practice quotes $14 per unit of Botox. The provider tells you that you need 25 units of Botox to treat your glabellar area effectively. Your cost, in this case, will be $350 (25 units x $14 = $350).
If your friend wants the same area treated with Botox, but they need 30 units for effective results, it would cost them $420 (30 units x $14 = $420).
Botox Pricing Model: By Area
Some Botox providers price their treatments by area. Three separate areas of the face are typically referenced in this pricing model – the glabella (the area between the eyebrows), the lateral canthal lines (crows’ feet), and the frontalis (forehead) area. Patients pay a fixed dollar amount per treated area.
Assuming that a medical practice charges $300 per area and you want your glabellar area treated with Botox, your cost for the treatment will be $300, regardless of the number of Botox units used.
Your friend (the same one as above) who also wants their glabellar area treated with Botox will pay $300 as well, even though they need 30 units of Botox compared to your 25 units.
Which Botox Pricing Model is Better?
Well, we are probably going to get some people mad at us, but you have come to the right place for straight answers. The unit pricing model for Botox is a fairer method. The manufacturer sells Botox by the unit, medical practices inject Botox by the unit, so it’s only fair that the consumer pays by the unit.
The area pricing model isn’t all bad, but the problem with this model is that it is more of a cookie-cutter approach. Let’s say the glabellar region typically needs 20-30 units for good results. Medical practices will tend to cover their bases and charge for 30 units. As a result, people who need fewer units of Botox end up paying more.
Cheap Botox Could Cost You More Than You Bargained For
Medical professionals charge for Botox treatments based on market value. It’s simple economics. Every medical practice pays the same for their Botox supplies from Allergan. A provider with tons of experience who uses genuine Allergan Botox knows their services are worth more than a fly-by-night operator who uses unlicensed Botox. So, the prices reflect their extensive training, consistently good outcomes, and thousands of satisfied patients.
If you find a medical practice offering Botox at prices that are too good to be true, then beware. You might end up paying more than you bargained for. To make the Botox cost so attractive, it’s highly likely that they’re using illegal Botox injected by unlicensed practitioners using unsanitary equipment. There have been reports where unlicensed Botox was found to contain the same medication but at a concentration 40 times higher than the normal dose.
Botox treatments are the most common minimally-invasive cosmetic procedures performed in the US, with nearly 7.5 million procedures done each year. In the hands of well-trained medical professionals using licensed Botox, the treatments are completely safe and effective.
Now that you better understand Botox pricing and why Botox costs can vary, we hope you’ll feel confident going ahead with your facial rejuvenation treatments, knowing that you’re paying a fair price.
