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What Do Doctors Do with the Remaining Botox when They Only Use 10-15 Units from a 50 Unit "Single-unit" Vial of Botox?

asked 1 year ago by Plumpassat in Salt Lake City
Latest answer by Harold J. Kaplan, MD
Question viewed 800 times
Tags: doctor, reuse, units

Curious how it works when you get only say 10-20 units of botox, what happens to the rest of the product they did not use on you? Can it be reused with a new syringe/needle on another patient? How does this work and is it sterile to reuse the vials??

16 answers to What Do Doctors Do with the Remaining Botox when They Only Use 10-15 Units from a 50 Unit "Single-unit" Vial of Botox?

What Does my MD do With Old Botox Vials?

Hi Plump. As many of the other practitioners have explained, the use of a Botox for multiple patients is performed in a way as to keep the product sterile. The most basic explanation is that the needles used to inject the Botox are not reinserted into the Botox vial once they have been used on a patient. This ensures that the sealed vial remains sterile. Botox does expire once it is mixed with saline and we usually use it within 1-2 days of mixing. The... more

Harold J. Kaplan, MD
Los Angeles Facial Plastic Surgeon

www.celibre.com

Units of botox

The average area treated typically requires 10-30 units of botox cosmetic. Botox from the same vial can be used to treat multiple areas in the same patient or multiple patients. As long as proper sterile technique is used to prepare the botox solution and to inject the botox, it is perfectly safe to administer botox to multiple patients from the same vial. In a busy botox practice. Such as mine, once the vial is prepared, it usually is empty within 24 hours of preparation and never sits... more

Anita Mandal, MD
Palm Beach Facial Plastic Surgeon

Dosage of Botox, how is the product stored

Botox comes in 50 unit and 200 unit vials. If only 10 or 20 units are used from a 50 unit vial, the remainder is stored (refrigerated) for a few days. The product is removed with a new sterile needle each time so there is no risk of contamination. Best wishes, Dr.Bruno

William Bruno, MD
Beverly Hills Plastic Surgeon

Left over botox

As the Botox liquid in the bottle is not contaminated from a sterile syringe that is used to draw up the liquid, the left over Botox is then used for the next syringe which is a fresh, sterile syringe and needle. The bottle is dated and refrigerated. In busy practices the bottle only lasts a day to a few days and its effectiveness is not compromised. Don't confuse this with a situation if there would happen to be left over Botox in the syringe aftere your treatment. That doesn't... more

Ronald Shelton, MD
Manhattan Dermatologist

Botox

When Botox is used it is drawn up sterily from the vial and the specific amount needed is drawn up for that patient. But, it is also used for other individuals used under the same conditions.

Steven Wallach, MD
Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

There is not such thing as left over.

The vial comes sterile, is reconstituted in a sterile fashion, and drawn up using sterile technique. There is no issue using these vials to prepare injections for multiple treatments. However, BOTOX is best used within 4 hours of reconstitution. Beyond this time frame, practitioners will often dispose of the remainder of the vial. The Allergan company has done tests that show the product has virtually no loss of strength for 2 weeks. By using sterile techniques,... more

Kenneth D. Steinsapir, MD
Los Angeles Oculoplastic Surgeon

BOTOX® is very stable

Over the past 20 years that BOTOX® has been on the market for cosmetic and therapeutic indications, systems and procedures have been developed for the safe and effective administration of this medication. The desired dose is drawn up under sterile conditions from the vial and administered to the patient using a very fine needle, generally 30 or 31 gauge. The remaining BOTOX® is stored under sterile conditions until it is needed for another patient. Experience has shown that, when... more

Kevin C. Smith, MD
Niagara Falls Dermatologic Surgeon

Remaining Botox remains sterile in vial

A syringe is used to draw up the desired amount of Botox for each patient from the vial of Botox. The rest remains sterile in that vial until more is drawn up with another syringe for the next patient and so on until the vial is empty. This is called a multi-dose vial.

Francis R. Palmer, III, MD
Beverly Hills Facial Plastic Surgeon

Multi-dose vials mean multiple patients per vial.

Botox comes in a 50 or 100U vial in the us. It is mixed up with saline and drawn into syringes as it is used. We never "re-load" a syringe that has been in the patient. But one vial can treat more than one patent. We buy the 100 U vials and get 2-3 patients out of it.

Ritu Chopra, MD
Beverly Hills Plastic Surgeon

Botox

I typically draw up how ever much of Botox that I need and then the rest I refrigerate. Typically in most practices, Botox sits in the the refrigerator for just a few days because it gets used up pretty quick. For example, we open a new bottle almost every morning and sometimes many times during the day. Dr. Ben Behnam.

Ben Behnam, MD
Santa Monica Dermatologic Surgeon

Leftover Botox, what is done with it?

Unfortunately, there are no single use vials of Botox--you get what you get, really. So, we try to use it as efficiently as possible to maximize use, while not compromising patient safety (what we want as surgeons) and of course, efficacy (what patient's want). Of course, if the patient pays in full for the vial cost, then they can do whatever they want with it (that is, within reason, of course). Unfortunately, the doctor is providing the Botox in most cases, and 100 units is generally... more

Srdjan Ostric, MD
Chicago Plastic Surgeon

Unused Botox

The Botox is mixed and delivered with sterile technique and is normally used on several patients. How long the Botox is effective after mixing has been debated, but it is stable for 2-3 weeks. This is not a concern in a busy practice.

Richard W. Fleming, MD
Beverly Hills Facial Plastic Surgeon

Vials od Botox are designed to be used on many patients

If removed using proper technique a vial of Botox should not be contaminated. Most patients do not need a whole vial so they are intended for use for multiple patients. The Botox to be used for the next patient is removed with a new, sterile needle after the vial is cleaned.

Dina D. Strachan, MD
New York Dermatologist

Can same Botox vial be used in multiple patients?

A typical 100 unit vial is designed to be shared among several patients as long as sterile technique is used. In a busy practice the unused Botox does not sit around long enough to be a factor. Botox does not lose effectiveness for at least 2 weeks after reconstitution.

Peter T. Truong, MD
Fresno Oculoplastic Surgeon

www.facialsurgerydr.com

Botox is prepared in a multiple use vial

The Botox Cosmetic is intended to be used for multiple patients. We remove a certain number of units and therefore the Botox vial remains sterile and can be safely used until it is gone.

Jon E. Mendelsohn, MD
Cincinnati Facial Plastic Surgeon

www.351face.com

Left Over Botox

Botox comes in 50 unit and 100 unit vials, so frequently several patients are treated using the same vial. By using sterile technique, this has been shown to be perfectly safe.