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Watered Down Botox

I Have Recently Been Told About Doctor's Watering Down Their Botox, Now I Am Concerned. I also get the worst sinus headaches for several weeks after my injections. What could be the problem?

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20 Doctor Answers | Asked by Princess_911 in Edmonton, AB

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Can doctors falsify and steal?

Reviewing the numerous responses gives me hope. That hope is generated by the responses so far from the doctors being honest about how doctors are supposed to reconstitute the dry Botox powder into an injectable liquid form. Yes, that is how it is 'supposed' to be done but an unscrupulous doctor could easily rip you off by injecting dilute Botox but charging you for regular Botox doses. It is a bit like paying for premium gas but getting regular gas instead.I don't know how... more

Botox is always mixed with saline

Botox comes in a dry powder and always has to be mixed with sterile saline solution. The amount of saline used to mix the Botox depends on the personal preference and technique of the physician. The important thing about the treatment is the number of units of Botox used, not how much it is diluted. "Watered Down" Botox doesn't make much sense. If it is more dilute, then more reconstituted Botox liquid is drawn up into the syringe and injected to get the... more

BOTOX must be diluted.

However, that is not what we mean when talking about "watered down" BOTOX. NO what we mean is you are told you are getting a certain about of BOTOX but in fact you are getting much less. This is often done by putting in extra saline when reconstituting the BOTOX in the vial. This means that when the BOTOX is drawn up the 1 ml syringe may only contain 12 units of BOTOX instead of say 25 or 50 units. Of course if you are paying for 50 units and you are getting... more

Kenneth D. Steinsapir, MD

8 reviews

Los Angeles Oculoplastic Surgeon

Botox, Wrinkle Treatment, Beverly Hills Botox, Los Angeles Botox, Nasal Surgery, Beverly Hills Rhinoplasty

Botox comes as a freeze dried powder that must be reconstituted with sterile saline. The company that sells Botox recommends how much saline should be used but it's up to the individual physicians how much saline they do use. The most important fact to know when getting Botox is the number of Botox units injected, not the dilution. As far as your sinus headaches are concerned, if this has happened each and every time that you get Botox injections, you may want to try some... more

Botox being watered down or diluted

Botox comes in a powder form which needs to be reconstitutionalized by adding saline solution. Some patients make the mistake of thinking that it's the volume that matters when it's really the concentration. The concentration or potency/strength of the Botox depends upon how much saline or water is mixed with the preset amount of powder that comes in the vial. So a doctor or nurse could inject a high volume of Botox (ie: 1-2 cc or mL) which could actually contain... more

Watered down Botox

The important information for you is not the volume of the Botox injection, but the the number of units injected and how much does the doctor charge per unit of Botox. The recommended dilution is 2.5 cc for 100 units of Botox. This results in a small volume to deliver the desired number of units of Botox. Some doctors dilute with more volume of saline (salt water ). This may make it easier to get the desired number of units into the target muscle. There may be some unscrupulous... more

Watering down Botox. All about the units.

Botox is a freeze dried powder that has to have some fluid added to it in order to be injectable through a needle. How much we add depends largely upon our training, use and experience. 1cc is common, 4cc is common and even 8cc (for armpits) is sometimes used. What matters is the dose in units. 1/2 cc of 100 Units/cc is the same dose as 2cc of 25 Units/cc. Just ask what the dose is, in units, not cc's. BTW, cc's and ml's are the same thing. more

Ritu Chopra, MD

4 reviews

Beverly Hills Plastic Surgeon

drrituchopra.com

Botox and Headaches

There is a lot of confusion about Botox being diluted. Let me explain. Botox only comes one way, in a powdered form. It needs to be mixed with saline before it is given to you by the doctor. The quantity of saline that the doctor uses determines the concentration of the Botox- in a given volume. What really matters is the amount of Botox that you receive (number of units), not the concentration. There are technical reasons for using one... more

Botox is always diluted

Botox has to be diluted. It comes in a powder and the doctor must add liquid to make a solution. different doctors are comfortable with different dilutions. The important aspect is for the doctor to inject the right number of units of Botox. The volume of liquid injected will depend on the number of units being injected. All you have to do is ask your doctor how many units they are injecting in the area and if you know the average number of units, you can compare. Units can... more

Watered down Botox

Botox is delivered to the physician's office as a crystalline white powder and it is the physician's responsibility to reconstitute it into liquid form so it can be used. While Allergan makes recommendations regarding the amount of fluid to use, they are just that.....recommendations. In the end, what truly matters is the number of units you are receiving to any given area.

Botox dillution

Undiluted, Botox is supplied by Allergan in a crystalline form. It therefore always needs to be diluted before use. The amount of diluent used is not standardized and can vary from doctor to doctor. What one doctor considers "watered down" another may not. That being said, suggested volume of diluent is provided by Allergan and if these suggestions are adhered to by the rendering physician, the doctor is NOT watering down the product. Your concerns are valid because low... more

Botox Reconstitution Varies, But Units Used Should Be The Same

There are different ways to reconstitue the Botox with regards to the volume used. Some surgeons like a smaller volume per unit, so that it is less volume injected, while othere prefer more volume per unit. However it is reconstitued, the units used should be the same regardless. It is the physicians duty to inject the required amount of units per area, but whether that is 25u/ml or 20u/ml should be irrelevant as long as the number of units injected is the right amount. more

Watered Down Botox

As others have said the volume injected is not important; the number of units will determine the success of the Botox treatment. I've never seen headaches after the Botox injection and therefore cannot explain your symptoms.

Richard W. Fleming, MD

9 reviews

Beverly Hills Facial Plastic Surgeon

www.bevhills.com

Watered down botox

There is a lot of confusion over "watering down the botox." This confusion arises from the fact that botox is a freeze dried powder that requires the addition of saline to make it an injectable solution. There is considerable discussion between physicians as to how much saline should be added. The easiest way around this problem is for you to ask your injecting physician how many units of botox have been injected in each area. As for your headaches, it is... more

Donald M. Brown, MD

8 reviews

San Francisco Plastic Surgeon

BOTOX® treatments to the forehead should not cause "sinus headaches".

"Watering down" a BOTOX® injection implies that your provider is using less medicine than you are paying for. Although there may be some unethical providers of BOTOX® treatments around, this would be most unusual amongst leaders in this field. Different Specialists that provide BOTOX® may choose to dilute the BOTOX® in a manner that facilitates their technique or the results they want. This refers to adding more saline to the vial of BOTOX® prior to the... more

Botox

I do not know any doctors that "water down" the botox and it certainly should not have any impact on your sinuses.

Steven Wallach, MD

12 reviews

Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

Reconstitution is the word used when it comes to Botox

Botulinum toxin has to be reconstituted with saline before injection. That reconstitution allows the toxin to penetrate through the areas of the tissue and thus taken up by nerve fibers. This is usually done based on the discretion of the physician. Usually 2.5ml should be used when treating cosmetic indications, a larger amount 5ml, may be used when treating conditions such as increased sweating. As a rule, the more saline used with the toxin, the more it diffuses per unit volume injected. more

BOTOX® is reconstituted from powder, not diluted

The most correct way to speak about BOTOX® [and other fomulations of BTX-A] is that they are reconstituted by the addition of saline to the BTX-A powder, to make an injectable solution. The other authors are correct that what matters is not how much saline the BTX-A is dissolved in, but how many units of BOTOX® you are treated with. With regard to sinus headaches after treatment with BOTOX®: it is very rare for patients to get headaches aftter treatment with BOTOX®... more

Watered Down Botox

Everyone must add liquid or "water down" Botox before it can be injected. Different physicians dilute the Botox by differing degrees. For this reason, you should compare fees by asking for a price per unit rather than any price per volume injected.

Botox

Botox is delivered to physicians in a powder form. The physician has to mix this with bacteriostatic saline. The amount of saline varies, some people add 2cc, while others add 3cc, or more. Irrespective of how much saline is added, Botox is typically administered per unit, which makes the point of how much saline mixed with the powder irrelevant. That being said, most physicians add 2 to 2.5 cc to each bottle. Also, headache can occur after Botox, its one of the most common... more