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If you are considering Botox, one of the first questions you may have is, “how many units of botox do I need?”. In large part, the cost of your treatment and results depend on how many units of Botox you use.
To better understand how much Botox you may need, it helps to know a few basics about how Botox works. Please remember while most people respond well to Botox, results vary from person to person as the side effects.
The best way to learn how you might react to Botox is to schedule a consultation with a professional. Like any cosmetic treatment, many factors depend on your genetics, lifestyle, goals, overall health, and the medications you take.
Botox 101 Refresher
As you know, Botox is a cosmetic injection commonly used to treat frown lines. This, of course, oversimplifies it since Botox also has medical and dental health applications, such as treating excessive sweating or chronic headaches.
What all these applications have in common is that the neurotoxin Botulinum toxin is injected into the muscles to temporarily “freeze” or relax the muscle.
Cosmetically, Botox is typically used to smooth and reduce the appearance of wrinkles caused by repeated facial expressions such as crow’s feet, frown lines, and the 11’s between the eyebrow and forehead lines. Botox relaxes those muscles and prevents them from contracting.
In addition to smoothing expressions, it can also be used to lift the eyebrows. Botox is a mainstream cosmetic treatment with results lasting anywhere from four to six months, depending on your metabolism.
Units of Botox
When it comes to Botox, there is no one-size-fits-all. Any skilled provider customizes the treatment to your needs and goals, so some may need more than others. Botox is measured in units, and it helps to be aware of the number of units you use for future reference.
Some other injectable treatments, like dermal fillers, are measured by “syringes.” This is because measuring by units makes it easier for your provider to give you a fully customized treatment using the exact amount of neurotoxin required for your desired results.
Measuring Botox in units also gives your provider more flexibility and the ability to achieve specific results. For example, usually, your provider would inject Botox symmetrically on each side, but you may need slightly more on one side.
Measuring by units helps your provider inject a precise amount in the future to either repeat the great results or adjust the dose in response to your results next time.
How Many Units Do You Need?
As you can see, the number of units of Botox your provider uses will vary. It largely depends on which wrinkles you want to address, the strength of the muscles, and other factors.
One crucial variable is how many areas on your face you wish to target using Botox. If you only want to freeze your 11s, you will require fewer units of Botox than you would if you’re going to freeze both your forehead lines, crow’s feet, and 11s.
When combining multiple injection sites, you may see your best results with a professional who has extensive knowledge of facial anatomy as well as a keen aesthetic eye. Sometimes people are afraid of having an expressionless-looking face because they know someone who looked constantly surprised or had minimal facial expressions after a Botox treatment. These results are more familiar with providers who inject too much Botox, possibly in too many injection sites. The exact combination makes a difference.
Also, to some extent, the number of units you need may vary depending on how you respond to the treatment and your age. For example, if you are over 40 years old you may need around 20 units per session, while someone under 40 years old only needs about 10 units per session. Of course, this depends on how many wrinkles you have.
One of the biggest variations is the results you seek. Sometimes people opt for “baby botox” which involves smaller doses for a slight smoothing effect.
Your provider’s skill and knowledge of facial anatomy might influence how many neurotoxins they inject. The best way to get an accurate estimate is by booking a consultation with a skilled Botox injection professional.
Here are a few very basic rules of thumb:
- Forehead – there are several common injections sites, so it often 10-20 units
- 11’s or frown lines between the eyebrows: 18-24 units
- Crows feet – 10-12 units
- Smile lines – 1-3 units
- Gummy smile – 2-5 units
- Eyebrow lift – 15-20 units
People sometimes see a provider for Botox only to learn that a different treatment or maybe an injectable filler is better for their needs. You may have the best results with a mix of Botox and filler or even with less Botox than you expected.
This is why a consultation is the best way to learn how many units of Botox you may need. Also, keep in mind that if you change providers, you may need a different number of units than you did with your previous provider. This may be because your new provider uses other brands or injectable materials like Dysport, Revance, Xeomin, or Jeauveau.
It can also be due to the dilution or quality of the material. This is why you may want to be careful about some of the seemingly cheap per-unit offers you may see advertised on Groupon or online.
In addition to the injectable material’s quality, other reasons for variations between providers include skill, technique, and aesthetic goals. Of course, over time, our skin changes, so you may find that you need more or less Botox over time for the same results.
Book Your Consultation
If you have any questions about Botox, including how many units you need, book a consultation with us.
Southview Dentistry offers cosmetic dentistry and cosmetic Botox services to the Charlotte community. We love to help people feel confident as they face the world.