What's the Office Etiquette to Make Sure I'm Receiving the Botox Amount I Paid For?

Question

I understand that the dilutions vary, but if I'm paying by the unit, how do I make sure I'm not getting ripped off without offending the doctor. Example: if I request 50 units, can I ask to see the vial full then empty?

Daniel Reichner, MD, FACS · Answer

Each vial of Botox contains 100 units.  Most plastic surgeons use Allergan's  recommended dilution of 2.5 ml of saline per vial of Botox.  This will give you 40 units in a standard 1 cc syringe.  So you could ask your surgeon a safe question (and I have been asked this question) "how much saline do you use to dilute each vial." Most doctors will not hesitate to tell you 2.5 cc.  If the amount is different or they have to think about it then I would consider seeing someone else.

Adam Tattelbaum, MD · Answer

Ultimatly, you have to like and trust your plastic surgeon to give you the botox you paid for. In some cases you can watch the Botox being diluted .

	Just some thoughts:

	Beware of pricing or group deals that just seem too good to be true-- you may be getting overly dilute product.

	Know the number of botox units you are getting. Paying by the area doesn't really let you know how much of the product you are getting.

	Bring a friend or two and share 100 units which is one whole bottle and have it opened in front of you.

	If you don't see a good result with your provider seek a second opinion.

	Best wishes.

Laxmeesh Mike Nayak, MD · Answer

Each brand new Botox vial contains 100 units in the form of a non-injectable trace of powder as a film on the bottom of the glass. You could ask/confirm by watching how many cc's of saline your doctor uses to reconstitute ("dilute") the 100 units, then use ratios to confirm you got what you expect.

	 

	For instance, the recommended amount of saline to add is 2.5 cc, which would result in a 40 units/cc concentration. If you were expecting 50 units injected, the docor should be injecting you with 1.25 cc total.

	In general, while the above info is the technical answer, the practical answer is that if you don't trust that the doctor is treating you fairly, with the amount of drug you are paying for, you belong at a different office where you can trust his/her integrity.

What's the Office Etiquette to Make Sure I'm Receiving the Botox Amount I Paid For?

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What's the Office Etiquette to Make Sure I'm Receiving the Botox Amount I Paid For?

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Everything you need to know about Botox

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