How Many Botox Units Are Needed for Laugh Lines?

Question

and how long will you see results I'm 52 years old and this will be my first time doing botox

Otto Joseph Placik, MD · Answer

IF you mean the crow's feet, there are two answers to your question.  Crow's feet can be caused by two muscle actions:
1) Squinting with smiling
2) Lifting up of the cheek skin with the smile muscles acting on the corner of the mouth
In order to work on #1 above, it takes 6-12 units per side (12-24 units total) to soften the squinting muscles.  YOU DO NOT WANT to weaken the smile muscles unless you have a very "gummy smile".

Harold J. Kaplan, MD · Answer

Hi Almis,
If you are speaking about the "crow's feet" laugh lines at the outside of the eyes, we normally inject between 12-25 units total.
If you are speaking about the laugh lines that are present between the sides of the nose and the sides of the mouth, these are addressed with dermal fillers and we inject between 1cc and 3cc of Restylane or Juvederm.

Steven H. Williams, MD · Answer

Dosage can vary and needs to be customized for each patient but in our San Francisco office we typically use 8 - 16 units per side.
The most important thing about an effective treatment is a skilled injector.
In our office I do all of our injections.  Expect the same from your board certified plastic surgeon or dermatologist.
I hope this helps.

Daniel Reichner, MD, FACS · Answer

Almis,
I would recommend starting with 10 Botox units per side and checking your results after 2 weeks.  It is ok to add more Botox after two weeks if needed.

Steven Wallach, MD · Answer

I assume you mean the crow's feet area.  Usually I inject between 7.5-10 units per side to get the desired effect.

How Many Botox Units Are Needed for Laugh Lines?

Answers (10)