How Much Botox Will I Need?

Whether it is their first time receiving Botox injections or they have benefited from them for years, many patients call our office with the same question: “How many units of Botox do I need to obtain my desired results?”

Here, Dr. Brought and the team at the Southern Plastic and Reconstructive Surgical Institute (SPRSI) will walk you through the Botox basics and answer our most commonly asked questions.

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The Basics of Botox Injections

First, we’ll start with the fundamental concepts of Botox injections. Botox is essentially a measure of a defined amount of biologic activity, corresponding to a fixed number of botulinum toxin molecules.

Doctors use Botox to treat certain health problems and temporarily smooth wrinkles around the facial muscles, including the forehead and neck.

If you’re interested in receiving Botox treatments, schedule an appointment with an experienced doctor. During your consultation appointment, your doctor will walk you through the process and answer any questions you may have, like:

What is a unit of Botox? Botox is measured in units. Each unit measures the strength — or the ability — of the Botox. Some facial areas require more strength, and therefore units, to relax a muscle and smooth wrinkles. Physcians order Botox in vials, which contains a varied number of units per vial.
An average Botox treatment consists of 25 to 55 units in total, so you may need to purchase more or less than someone you know, depending on your goals.
What is the difference between active and passive wrinkles? It is also important to understand that, as a cosmetic treatment, Botox treats active wrinkles rather than passive wrinkles. Active wrinkles are those caused by muscle contractions — typically around the eyes, forehead, nose, or mouth — while passive wrinkles are present at rest, without muscle activity. If your goal is to treat passive wrinkles, then we will likely recommend receiving Juvederm or other similar filler treatments.

How Many Units of Botox Do You Need to Treat Active Wrinkles?

As we mentioned earlier, the average Botox treatment requires 25 to 55 units depending on the patients’:

Skin elasticity: Typically patients with more mature skin require more units than those with firmer skin.
Muscle strength: Different patients have varying muscle strength depending on their typical facial movements. Stronger facial muscles usually require more units of Botox.
Gender: Men typically have larger and stronger facial muscles, requiring more units to achieve their desired results.
Treatment area: All patients have their own specific areas of concern. Larger facial muscles, like scowl and frown lines, require more units of Botox than smaller facial muscles, such as the upper lip or an eyebrow lift.

While amounts and results vary between patients, we’ve put together the following graphic to help our patients better understand how many units of Botox they may require. It is important to note that there are studies now that suggest higher doses of Botox in a given area may lead to longer-lasting results.

Use this graphic as a general guideline, understanding that it’s always best for patients to discuss their goals and concerns with their doctor during the consultation portion of their appointment. Talk with your doctor about Botox treatment options for you:

How many units of Botox do you need for forehead lines? The skin on your forehead is usually one of the first places people notice wrinkling. We recommend 15 to as many as 25 units of Botox for the forehead, depending on how strong your muscles are.
How many units of Botox do you need for frown/scowl lines? These lines develop in between the brows, sometimes extending to the lower part of the forehead. Approximately 15 to 25 units of Botox will help reverse the effects of years of squinting and frowning.
How much Botox do you need for bunny lines? Some people find bunny lines charming, while others prefer a smoother appearance. Bunny lines develop from scrunching the nose, appearing as lines on either side of your nose. These nose wrinkles require 5 to 10 units per side.
How many units of Botox do you need for eyebrow lines? While forehead lines Botox treatments target the center of the forehead, eyebrow lifts target the side area near the top of your eyebrows. As the name implies, eyebrow lifts raise the eyebrows, creating a softer and more even appearance. Eyebrow lifts require anywhere from 3 to 6 units per side.
How much Botox do you need for crow’s feet? Eyes portray a lot of emotion, earning fine lines in the corners from years of facial expressions, commonly referred to as crow’s feet. How much Botox you need for your crow’s feet depends on your skin type and goals, with most requiring 5 to 15 units per side.
How much Botox do you need for smile lines? Smile lines, also called laugh lines, occur in the sides of the nose and mouth due to years of smiling. Your doctor may be able to smooth out these laugh lines by performing a smile lift, typically requiring 5 to 10 units of Botox per side.
A “lip lift” is a popular small procedure where a relatively small amount(4-6 units) of Botox is injected more superficially along the upper lip border, causing an upward tilt to the upper lip

Schedule an Appointment With SPRSI to Learn More About Our Botox Treatments and Specials

Are you thinking about receiving Botox treatments? Botox treatments are reliable solutions to smooth out facial wrinkles and relieve chronic migraines, boosting your confidence and adding some bounce in your step.

At SPRSI, Dr. Brought prefers to take a conservative approach to Botox treatments, ensuring patients get the best results with the least amount of Botox necessary — thereby leading to the most cost-efficient treatment.

If this is your first time receiving a Botox treatment, schedule a consultation with Dr. Brought today. Or, if you have benefited from Botox before, consider bringing along some of your friends for a Botox party! For more information, fill out our online contact form, and one of our staff members will get back to you as soon as possible.