I Was Charged for 45 Units of Botox. I Wonder if I Was Cheated?

It's a shame that you neither trust your doctor, nor can ask them to discuss your concerns such that you have to reach out to the internet.  45 units are a lot of units for just the forehead unless the glabella (between the eyebrows) is also injected.  There have been several times after I completed a treatment session, that my patients have asked me if I treated a certain area when I showed them a mirror. There are some injections that are so painless that the patient doesn't remember. If you look and feel the skin you can probably see a little swelling, drop of dried blood, or redness or feel a hardness at the injection site. It may be that the doctor did inject those areas you felt weren't done.

Every person is different.  We all have facial muscles of different strength and activity, so there is no one 'set rule' for how many units a patient needs.  In my practice I would on average use 30 units for the vertical frown lines and 10-15 units for the horizontal forehead lines.  So if by 'forehead' you mean the horizontal forehead lines and the vertical frown lines, then the number seems to make sense.

It is very important that you can trust your Botox injector as only they know how much they have injected.  The number of injections is not an indication of the dose delivered as the concentration can be different depending on the dilution method the doctor uses.  If you have a similar effect to previous injections, then you likely received a similar dose.  

 

Good Luck.

45 units of Botox is a little more than twice the average "single" dose for a given site. Forehead muscles are strong and often require extra amount. As to how many injections it takes to deliver 45 units...or any number of units depends entirely on the operator's preferred technique. Whether he/she likes to deliver smaller or larger amounts per injection site.

You may want to discuss your concerns with your plastic surgeon.  Each injector has their own technique when injecting Botox.  If you are happy with your results then it may be that this new technique may be just fine for you.  The number of injections does not necessarily correlate with the amount of product injected.

I would discuss your concerns with your doctor.  Were you unhappy with your results?  If so, you might seek your next treatment from another provider.  Board certification by The American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, The American Board of Cosmetic Surgery, The American Board of Otolaryngology, The American Board of Dermatology or The American Board of Plastic Surgery is preferred. Warmest regards.

Dr. Pippin

I would like to think that the majority of doctors are ethical and that you may have mistaken what was done.  Each doctor has a different technique.  Maybe this doctor used a more concentrated Botox amount?  Ask your doctor what he/she did.

Every surgeon dilutes/mixes their botox different ways. And everyone has their own injection techniques, If concened return to your provider and discuss your concerns. Always have your botox injections with a reputable MD and avoid the pop up medispas and backroom injections and you will not be concerned about being ripped off.

The number of injections does not correlate to the amount of product injected. Every injector has a different technique. If you are concerned, speak to the injector and inquire as to the reason for the decreased number of injections. I hope that you were injected by a board certified plastic surgeon or dermatologist!

 The number of injections sites can var between MD's doing the Botox treatment and IMHO isn't an indication of the number of units used.  You can always call and ask the MD that did the Botox treatment if you have questions.