Botox Injection Costs Depending on Injector, City, Area, Unit, Multiple Treatments
Botox costs depend on who is injecting and the overall philosophy of the practice you are going to.
I sincerely recommend that you go to a board-certified dermatologist or plastic surgeon office to have your treatment.
Why would you go to an OB doctor or an emergency room doctor or a psychiatrist to have Botox? This makes no sense to me; they are specialists in other areas and they know those areas the best.
They do not understand the anatomy and all the nuances that we know Having said that, costs vary — and they vary by city and doctor. Botox can be charged by the area or by the unit.
Charging by the area varies from $300-500, again depending on the area.
And by the unit, proces again vary, but most reputable injectors charge $12-15 dollars for 1 unit of Botox.
I charge by the area, and we discount the second and third areas if we do all of them on the same day. (Michael Gold, MD, Nashville Dermatologic Surgeon)
Price of Botox
The price of Botox varies because there are many variables involved: expertise of the injector, your physical location, who is actually doing the injection, i.e. a nurse versus a physician, what kind of physician is doing the injecting, i.e. a family practice doctor versus a dermatologist, and even sometimes what time of year it is if practices are running specials.
Botox is generally priced per unit. You will likely see Botox prices ranging from $10 per unit up to $20 for 1 unit of Botox.
As with many things in life, you tend to get what you pay for, but that is only true up to a certain point with Botox. At $10 for 1 unit of Botox you likely will not have a physician doing be injecting.
Once you get about $14 or $15 per unit, you probably won’t see much of a difference in the injectors skill or qualifications, as many of the best injectors that I know of charge around that amount.
Find somebody that you like and trust, and most importantly somebody who does a good job for you. It breaks my heart when people take a cookbook approach to Botox, doing the same thing for every person, as every face is different and everybody’s needs are different.
Choose a dermatologic surgeon, oculoplastic surgeon, facial plastic surgeon or plastic surgeon who is board-certified and fellowship trained in one of these core cosmetic specialties. (Cameron Chesnut, MD, FAAD, FACMS, Spokane Dermatologic Surgeon)
The cost varies
The total cost varies on several factors.
- What areas you are treating?
- What is the end result you are looking for?
- Where do you live?
- Experience of the injector.
I’ve been doing this for over 12 years and have seen a wide range of pricing.
On the East Coast (2005) we charged $15/unit, in the Midwest(2007) $11-17/ unit and here on the West Coast (2017)
I’ve seen $7.50 (with yearly membership cost) to $16 for 1 unit of Botox. The cost of the treatment is important, but the level of experience is also important.
It’s pretty easy to give “cookie cutter” Botox injections (because we all started off learning that way), but with experience, I find that Botox can be specifically customized to variations in anatomy and the client’s desired result.
With experienced providers you will typically have less side effects(eyelid dropping, crooked smiles, drooling etc), although this can happen to anyone, even experienced injectors. If you’re not sure, go to a few consultations, try not to worry about price too much, and go with the clinic you feel most comfortable with. (Kim Thompson, DO, Salem Physician)
Botox Pricing
You will find that Botox pricing varies pretty drastically from market to market within the United States. Some practices focus on volume at a low price where others will charge a more significant premium for an injector with more experience and or a higher level of clinical training.
Pricing is generally either structured by the unit or by area. Botox units are worth taking a moment to understand. When a practice orders Botox it arrives in a powder form, this powder is diluted into saline.
The amount of saline that is used is to the doctor’s preference but the unit is the standard way of measuring treatment. So for easy math, lets say a doctor used a ratio of 1 part botox to 2 parts saline to achieve 1 unit, he could also just as easily use 1 part botox to 4 parts saline and so long as he injected double the amount of fluid the treatment would be equally efficacious at 1 unit.
Think parts per million. Pricing in Houston Texas generally ranges between $7.00 – $17.00 per unit depending on the practice. Where a general treatment ranges between 25 – 50 units, at the midrange botox treatments generally range between $300.00 – $600.00. Botox is generally administered 4 times per year. (Paul Vitenas, Jr., MD, Houston Plastic Surgeon)
The price of botox varies in different parts of the country. I would call around your area and find out. I would want a quote for price per unit. Pricing per area can be unfair to a patient because different amounts of botox is used in each area. (Mark Chariker, MD, Louisville Plastic Surgeon)
Price varies between geographical areas and practitioners. If you have a good knowledge of Botox and desired results you may elect to pay per unit ( varies between $9-24 depending on how many units you purchase).
If this is a first time experience for you, choose a doctor that you and your family/friends trust and ask for a complimentary consultation with a detailed breakdown per pricing per unit and or muscular area; inquire into different toxins available( Dysport, Xeomin) and plus or minuses of such when applied to your needs. (Roxana Kerns, MD, New York Physician)
Because botox is such a ubiquitous treatment provided by practicioners of different levels of training and qualification, always be sure to ask who will be performing the injection. This is often reflected in the price.
I always mix and inject my own medications for a number of reasons, including optimizing outcome as well as avoiding unwanted complications or suboptimal outcomes. In my geographic location, botox is usually approximately $13-15/unit for injection by a fully-trained plastic surgeon. (Bryan Correa, MD, Houston Plastic Surgeon)
The cost of Botox will vary from office to office, typically between $10 and $17 for 1 unit of Botox. The amount of units that you will require are dependent on what areas you want to treat. This range is typically between 12 and 60 units.
Keep in mind that everyone from dentists to pediatricians are jumping on the Botox bandwagon. I even know of a hairdresser at a med spa who is performing the injections. The lowest price is not always the best value.
I recommend that you go to an experienced practitioner who charges by the unit and not by the area. This way you will always know exactly what you are paying for. (Erik Miles, MD, FACS, Charlotte Plastic Surgeon)
The cost of botox varies based on the market you are in and the experience and technical expertise of the injector. Usually there is a range that is based on per unit. Be very careful about practices that are advertising very very cheap botox.
We charge $15/unit of botox which is standard for Beverly Hills. (Sameer Bashey, MD, Beverly Hills Dermatologic Surgeon)
Providers typically charge for Botox by the area or by the unit. In my practice, we charge by the unit. There are several reasons I do this. First, patients want to know exactly how much Botox they are receiving and therefore what they are being charged.
If injectors charge per area, it can be difficult to know how much was injected. The main reason I charge per unit is not all patients are exactly the same and some require a greater number of units in an area than others to receive the same result.
This way we can “map out” on a diagram of each patients face where they received their injections and how many units they received. Another reason is for internal inventory control, since it is sold in units, it is tracked in units as well.
The charge per unit varies greatly in our market.$10-$14/ unit is what I typically see. We charge $10.5/ unit. (Christopher T. Maloney Jr., MD, Tucson Plastic Surgeon)
I agree with the cost range of $10 to $16 for 1 unit of Botox. Expect to may more in pricier markets. There are actually three brand products now-Botox, Dysport and Xeomin. They work the same and have the same risk profile.
Cost of treatment is comparable as is the duration of muscle relaxation. However, the price should not be the determining factor in choosing an injector because this is a medical treatment of your face. Compare it to choosing a college.
You may not want the cheapest education but the one that best meets your liking and needs. Choose an injector and office that you like and makes you feel comfortable that you can see yourself visiting over and over again to establish a long term relationship.
That doctor will know you and your needs, likes and dislikes. He or she knows how to correct adverse reactions or “tweak” things here and there and can write you a prescription if required. We reward our patients for loyalty, referring patients and attending our educational seminars in the office by offering special pricing. (Leslie Pickens, MD, Alexandria Emergency Medicine Physician)