Botox: Q&A

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Does Freezing Botox Change It?

I have been told that a local doctor only injects Botox in his patients on the day he gets it in....other offices have it all the time...because they freeze it. Does freezing the product in the doctor's office change it or make it less effective?

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16 Doctor Answers | Asked by tilly's mom in Roanoke, VA

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Botox storage

Botox comes as a powder and is shipped on dry ice so it is frozen. It's not as if a physician gets it fresh and then can freeze it. Once the physician needs the Botox powder is mixed with a sterile liquid to make a solution. That solution is then kept refrigerated until the next dose is needed and in busy practices this might be less than one day. An expiration date or the date mixed is written on the bottle. Using fresh mixed or refrigerated Botox has not made any clinical difference... more

Botox

Thank you for your question. No, Botox does not need to be used the same day that it is shipped to the doctor. Please make sure that you are having a certified doctor perform the injections. There are dentists, nurses, aestheticians, etc. who do Botox injections... be careful!

Storage of Botox

Whether Botox is stored in a fridge or freezer, it works consistently well, even if stored for many weeks. It certainly does not need to be injected the same day it is received, though the sooner it is injected after it is reconstituted with saline, the better.

Benjamin Barankin, MD

10 reviews

Toronto Dermatologic Surgeon

Botox is Freeze Dried Not Frozen

Hi Tilly's Mom. Botox is freeze dried when it is received and not frozen. Like any other pharmaceutical product, Botox has a useful shelf life and this shelf life changes once saline solution is added (reconstitution). As long as the Botox has not expired (which it rarely will at any office that uses it regularly), using it on the same day is no different than using it days or weeks later, especially if it has not been reconstituted. It sounds like the MD that... more

Harold J. Kaplan, MD

4 reviews

Los Angeles Facial Plastic Surgeon

www.celibre.com

Does Freezing Botox Change It?

I have used Botox for over 20 years and it comes from the company as a freeze dried powder that needs to be turned into a solution prior to injection. Once reconstituted, it's recommened that the solution be refrigerated but not frozen.

Freezing Botox

It sounds like you may have some confusing information. Botox is shipped from the manufacturer on dry ice. It is then kept in the refrigerator at the recommended temperature until it is reconstituted and used. Reconstituting it, means that you are mixing the dry powder in the vial with saline so that it can be injected with a syringe. In general, the Botox should then be used within four hours, but some studies have shown that it last much longer. In our office,... more

Freezing Botox and its Effectiveness

Botox Cosmetic comes as a sterile, vacuum-dried powder in a vial. It is delivered from Allergan, its maufacturer, on dry ice. It can be stored in a refrigerator or freezer until use, when it is reconstituted with preservative-free or bacteriostatic saline. Storing Botox as a vacuum-dried powder, does not reduce its efficacy once it is reconstituted. Once reconstituted, refrigerated Botox can be used within a 2 weeks period without losing efficacy. Reconstituted Botox... more

Why we used to have "Botox Days"

When Botox first came out, we used to have Botox Days--we thought that it had to be mixed fresh and used that day or it would lose its potency. (As you have read, it comes to us as a freeze-dried product that is kept frozen until it is reconstituted with saline.) What studies have shown is that its potency will remain the same for two weeks or more. So, most of us keep it refrigerated (not frozen!) after reconstitution and use it for the next two weeks. I suspect if a doctor is... more

You don't have your facts right.

BOTOX comes as a dry powder in a tiny sealed vial. It is shipped frozen but it can also simply be kept cold. Once reconstitute, Allergan, the manufacture has told the FDA that the product should be used within 4 hours or discarded. However, they have also told doctors that the product is good for many weeks if kept in a refrigerator once reconstituted with saline for injection. Practically most offices rapidly use up their reconstituted BOTOX so it is virtually never... more

Kenneth D. Steinsapir, MD

8 reviews

Los Angeles Oculoplastic Surgeon

Does freezing Botox decrease its effectiveness?

Botox comes in 50 or 100 unit vials that contain vacuum-dried botulinum toxin A complex. There are expiration dates on the package. We keep the un-reconstituted vials in their packaging in the freezer. Botox has been shown to be fully effective up to six weeks after reconstitution with bacteriostatic saline. Once reconstituted, the unused Botox is kept in the refrigerator. So it does not need to be used the day it is received.

Botox can be stored for a long time

There are no limits on how long you store Botox before you inject it. It needs to be refrigerated but works just as well weeks later.

Freezing botox

Botox comes in a powdered form which is reconstituted. Before reconstitution it is stored in my medical refrigerator. There is no reason to freeze it. Allergen does not recommend freezing. Most plastic surgeons who inject it all the time keep adequate supplies on had to meet patient demand.

BOTOX Comes Frozen

BOTOX is delivered on dry ice in a frozen state in a powdered form. Sterile saline is added to the powder to reconstitiue the medication. Keeping BOTOX frozen for future would be considered fine and within FDA guidlines. XEOMIN is a new botulinum toxin that is delivered at room temperature and can be stored at room temp until it expiration date stamped on the vial.

Proper storage of Botox

In short, there is abdolutely no problem storing Botox in its unreconstituted form until its stamped expiration date, which can be upwards of two years. Most doctors will order Botox in volume to ensure that they have an adequate supply on hand at all times. It comes shipped overnite from Allergan kept cold with freezer packs. When it arrives in our office we store it in our refrigerator (not freezer) as recommended by Allergan. After its been reconstituted it can be also be stored in the... more

BOTOX® is a very stable formulation of BTX-A, not affected by freezing

BOTOX® is a very stable formulation of BTX-A, and is not affected by freezing. I am aware of a number of cases over the years where BOTOX® was reconstituted, then [deliberately or accidentally] frozen solid for various periods of time, then thawed out and used [on the docs and their families/staff] with no loss of potency and no problems.

Botox does not have to be frozen

Botox is sent to the physician's office directly from Allergan, the manufacturer, by overnight express with freezer packs (dry ice) in the carton to make sure it remains cold. In our office it is then placed in a climate controlled refrigerator where it can safely be kept until its expiration date which is usually several years later. Once a bottle of Botox is reconstituted it can be safely stored in the refrigerator and studies have shown it to retain its strength for up to 6 weeks. In... more