“How much Botox will I need?” Patients often come in with this question and what to know how much is needed to achieve their desired results. This makes sense as Botox is typically priced by unit so it’s important to know how many units will be needed in order to budget accordingly.
Areas Botox is FDA approved for on the face include the area between the brows (glabella or frown lines) as well as for the lines around the eyes, otherwise known as “crow’s feet”. Though not indicated for the following areas, Botox is commonly used in the forehead, “bunny lines” on the nose, in the chin, above the lip or on the sides, in the jaw for jaw reduction, and in the neck to treat neck bands.
As shown in the diagram below, the forehead and glabella typically require around 20 units on average and slightly less to the crow’s feet. Much smaller amounts are used in the remaining areas of the face, such as the brow, nasalis lines, chin, and mouth. The jaw area typically requires approximately 25 units on per side and neckbands around 20 units of Botox. But with all areas, it can greatly vary depending on the facial anatomy of each patient and the kind of results they are hoping to achieve. Some patients like to maintain a certain amount of movement while others may prefer less movement.
Botox is also FDA approved to treat excessive sweating, most commonly in the underarm area as well as the palms. But recently, cosmetic facilities are also receiving requests for Botox in the scalp to help extend a patients blowout from the salon. By reducing, or eliminating, scalp sweating in many cases, patients can go a number of days after receiving an expensive blowout before they need to wash their hair, even if they exercise regularly.
For sweating, 100 units total (50 per side) for underarms is average while palms typically require 50-100 units per palm. For the scalp, you can expect anywhere from 1-200 units of Botox depending on your situation.
As a facial plastic surgeon, Dr. Thompson has 15 years experience treating patients with Botox and all injectables. Our Nurse Injector, Alfie, has been trained specifically under the direction of Dr. Thompson and is known for being incredible gentle and providing patients with outstanding results.
To learn more, visit our Botox page or call (801)776-2220 to schedule an appointment with Dr. Thompson or Alfie in Layton or Draper, Utah.