Botox is a purified protein and it is incredibly safe with a 20-year track record. Getting the best results from Botox requires enough of the agent in just the right places. So Botox injections are highly technique dependent.
Does this mean you should avoid your family doctor who recently started offering Botox treatments and only go to a general plastic surgeon, otolaryngologist, dermatologist, or fellowship-trained eye plastic surgeon? The answer is maybe.
These are the subspecialists with the most experience with Botox. An intimate surgical knowledge of the muscle groups to be treated is very helpful. This does not mean that the person doing the treatment in a particular office is the doctor. I personally do all the treatments in my office, but this is not always the case in other offices. So ask: Will the doctor be performing my treatment?I strongly recommend staying away from bogus situations like estheticians injecting Botox in non-medical settings.
Botox should only be injected by a licensed physician, or a registered nurse under the direct supervision of a physician who has examined you personally. Contact the medical board in your particular state to learn what training and supervision is required to perform Botox injections. Often, this information is posted on the medical board website. Medical boards are there to protect you.
If a setting does not feel right, don’t get treated. Is it really worth saving a few bucks? And don’t get me started on Botox parties. They still go on, but they are unethical. Don’t insult your intelligence and accept treatment at a Botox party.
Botox is a very expensive medication. Human nature being what it is, some offices may fudge on what they’re giving you. Ask how much Botox you will receive.
Don’t accept the statement that you are getting a syringe or one cc. Botox is not measured by volume. It comes from Allergan, Inc. in a small vial that contains 100 units of Botox. The “unit” refers to a measure of activity. Units are how doctors think about and use Botox. The vial comes with no fluid in it, just dried powder.
The doctor’s office injects the vial with a certain volume of saline to reconstitute the Botox and draws up the amount to be injected into a syringe. Offices use between one and four milliliters of saline for this purpose. So, a one-milliliter syringe might contain between 25 to 100 units of Botox. However, some offices dilute their Botox much more. I am familiar with one doctor who boasts of diluting a vial of Botox with 20 milliliters of saline, so each one-milliliter syringe contains 5 units of Botox.
Trust me, there is a big treatment difference between 100 units of Botox and 5 units of Botox. So pin the office down. Ethical offices will have no hesitation telling you how many units of Botox you are receiving.
Contact the doctor
