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Botox Cost ≈ $500 average cost

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How Do I Know if Real Botox is Being Injected?

I was told by a friend to ask the person who is doing it to show me the bottle, but I don't know how it looks like. My friend got something else and found out much later. How do I know if the Botox I'm being injected is authentic?

Asked 24 months ago by Ana1947 in Miami, Florida

How to know you are getting authentic Botox

Allergan Botox or Medicis Dysport are authentic botox type A. Ask to see the bottle, go to a reputable doc, trust your doc, and be sure not to pay too little for your botox. If it is too cheap then be wary. You should be spending $300 for the crows feet around the eyes or the frown lines between the eyebrows or the forehead. If doing multiple areas then you can get a discount so 2 areas should be $500-550 and if getting all 3 areas done then expect to pay around $675-800. more

Doctor's Website

David Hansen, MD

Beverly Hills Dermatologic Surgeon

Real Botox or not - choose a reputable physician

You will never know what is being injected into you. Just seeing the Allergan hologram only means that the bottle you are looking at has a hologram on it. The fact that you are asking this question means you are not in the right office. You should choose a reputable physician who cannot afford to give you anything but the best. You will never worry about watered down product or fake product again.

Brent Moelleken, MD

Beverly Hills Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Real Botox

You friend is correct. Just have the physician show you the bottle and the box. To make sure you are getting the freshest Botox, you should see your physician opening it from a sealed Botox and pull out a vial. You should then see them injecting some saline into the vial to reconstitute the Botox prior to injecting it. I hope this is helpful. see video

Doctor's Website

David Shafer, MD

New York Plastic Surgeon

ASPS

Trust, but verify your aesthetic provider for Botox

The fact that you have doubts is a warning sign that you may not be at the most trustworthy provider. You can find reputable providers at the following places: 1. Botox website - www.botoxmedical.com 2. American Society for Dermatologic Surgery - www.asds.net 3. American Academy of Dermatology - www.aad.org 4. American Society of Plastic Surgery - www.plasticsurgery.org

Chad L. Prather, MD

Baton Rouge Dermatologist

Real Botox Vial

You can visit the Allergan company website to see what the real Botox vial looks like. Better yet you can ask the physician to give you an empty vial and keep it with you to compare in future. To avoid this issue, its better to go to a reputable physician because its not just the fake Botox you should worry about but also who is injecting it. Regards

Tanveer Janjua, MD

Bedminster Facial Plastic Surgeon

Real Botox

Probably the best way to know your Botox is real is to go to a reputable doctor. But, going beyond that make sure that the bottle your physician is getting your Botox from has a holographic foil stamp. You can find what the stamp looks like on the Botox cosmetic web site.

Carlos Wolf, MD

Miami Facial Plastic Surgeon

Find a doctor you can trust for real Botox

Here is the problem. Go to Botox Cosmetic A web site and look at the bottles. The also have holographic foil stamps on them to ensure authenticity. So... OK. Now in comes the doctor with an authentic botte with fluid in it. How do you know you aren't just getting saline? You don't. My advice is that you go to a board certified plastic surgeon with a good reputation. You will see results within 7 to 10 days. If you don't trust your doctor, find one you can trust.

Scott E. Kasden, MD

Dallas Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Real plastic surgeon or dermatologist will give you real Botox.

Hi. Whatever is wrong with you , you need to find a doctor you can trust. And Botox is no different. Go to the Botox web site.

George J. Beraka, MD

Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Sounds like poor selection process

If you are worried that you are not getting Botox, then you are getting treated at the wrong office. Reputable physicians would never use illegal product. They could be arrested and lose their license to practice medicine. Botox has a unique hologram similar to those on US printed currency, but if you distrust a provider this much, why are you there??

Mary Lupo, MD

New Orleans Dermatologist

Making sure that authentic BOTOX being used

If you want to find out if you are being injected with BOTOX you can ask your Doctor to see the bottle, which will have a hologram with Allergan on it. If, however, you are hesitant to trust the word of your current physician, I would consider changing Doctors. Is is very important to feel comfortable with your Doctor and make sure that they are Board Certified.

Nissan Pilest, MD

Irvine Dermatologic Surgeon

Get real Botox from real medical professionals

There have been some senational stories about people getting bogus Botox, and well-publicized prosecutions as a result. I think we are at the point where no medical professional in the U.S. is likely to risk their license by using something else. On the other hand, there was a case near Seattle where a non-medical person working in a beauty salon was injecting bogus Botox and something she told her patients was Restylane, all illegally imported from China. So my advice is watch out for... more

Richard Baxter, MD

Seattle Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Botox, is it the real thing?

You are wondering if you are getting Botox when you are told that is what is being injected. You can certainly ask to see the bottle, but I would recommend that you are having it done by a physician, and you should have trust in that physician. If you are asking about the validity of what you are told, then you don't have enough trust in the provider you are having treat you. That may be a concern. You can check out the doctor's references by asking other doctors.

Ronald Shelton, MD

Manhattan Dermatologist

The BOTOX Cosmetic web site lists all BOTOX providers.

You could go to BOTOXCosmetic.com and check to make sure your physician is a provider. Looking at the bottle or package may be helpful as well. I hope this is helpful for you.

Eric M. Joseph, MD

West Orange Facial Plastic Surgeon

Botox

Ana, I agree with everyone here. The best way is go to a physician that is reputable in your area. That being said, if you are still unsure, you can always ask him to show you the vial, which will have a hologram. This, is not fool-proof, as the vial can be refilled with another substance.

Doctor's Website

Andres Bustillo, MD

Miami Facial Plastic Surgeon

Botullinum Toxins: getting the real stuff

Ask to see the bottle. This has an identifiable holographic seal as well as a lot number and expiration date. You can also confirm if the physician is an approved injector on the Allergan website. However, Dysport by Medicis in a green vial is an comparable botulinum toxin with relatively equivalent efficacy.

Otto Joseph Placik, MD

Chicago Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Real Botox Cosmetic

It is important that you feel comfortable in the place you have your injections. You should know who is injecting you and with what product. If you have any suspicions and do not feel comfortable, you should seek services elsewhere. If you check Botox Cosmetic.com you will find providers that Allergan utilizes for injection of their Botox Cosmetic. Feel free to ask the Doctor to open the box in front of you, if this makes you more comfortable. Ask to see the hologram on the bottle.... more

Mark Berkowitz, MD

Sterling Heights Oculoplastic Surgeon

Botox Safeguards

There are a couple of things that you can do to decrease the chance of receiving something other than Botox. First, choose a doctor from the Botox Cosmetic physician finder list. Secondly, ask to see the vial that is being used and verify that it does have the Allergan Hologram. Third, use the rewards program as a back up for verification and extra discounts (only available to physician offices that inject a high volume of Botox). To qualify for the next discount, you must enter the vial... more

Lee Robinson, MD

Portland Facial Plastic Surgeon

Botulinum toxin injections

Currently, there are only two approved forms of botulinum toxin injection for facial muscles and wrinkle treatment available in the USA. One is more common and is Botox made by Allergan company. The other is Dysport marketed by Medicis. I would ask to see the bottle of your preferred brand. Both have holographic images for authenticity. I hope this information helps.

Scott Trimas, MD

Jacksonville Facial Plastic Surgeon

Be suspicious of offices that are not transparent

Ana I don't know about you but I like to know exactly what I am getting. In my office, I have never had a patient ask to see the vial because we do what we say and say what we do. However, if you are not confident of the office you are in, sure ask to see the vial but really if you feel the office is not honest with you, please find another office. My personal feeling is that it is essential to know what you are being treated with and how much. When I say how much, this does not mean how... more

Kenneth D. Steinsapir, MD

Los Angeles Oculoplastic Surgeon

Be sure real Botox is being used

There are many imitations but only one real Botox Cosmetic. Ask your Doctor or injector if its real. You have to trust them. If you don't consider having the injections somewhere else. As a physician I look at the box, and the bottle. They have holograms. Also, you can see what they should look like by going on line to the Botox Cosmetic USA website and look at the picture as well. I hope this helps. Other things to consider asking is how old is the Botox in the bottle if it doesn't come out... more

Charles Perry, MD

Sacramento Plastic Surgeon

ASPS

Hologram

The best way to ensure you are getting real BOTOX is to ask the physician to show you the hologram. It should say Allergan. If it does not I would go some place else. However, I am not sure whether Allergan imported via Canada carries the same hologram. If it does then you must depend on the integrity of your physician.

Arnold R. Oppenheim, MD

Virginia Beach Dermatologist

Find a doctor you trust

Ana1974, If you have to ask this question than you should find another dermatologist or plastic surgeon. You need to find a physician who has a good reputation, someone that you trust. You shouldn't need to get "proof" that they are injecting what they say they are if you have an open, trusting relationship with your physician.

Julia Carroll, MD

Toronto Dermatologist

Botox is a brand name for Botulinum Toxin Type A

This is the most widely used agent used to relax facial muscles around the world. In order to make sure that what you are getting the bottle has the words "Botox Cosmetic" on it. This is a hologram that looks almost 3D.