How many units of Botox will I need?
Tie every dose question to the areas you want treated.
Get the planned units per area from the prescriber
The prescriber sets the dose for your treatment areas, so no general figure applies to you. Ask how many units are planned for each area, and have that count entered on your treatment record.
Check the unit count on your treatment record
A unit count is a line in your treatment record, not a figure to look up online.
Ahead of treatment, have the provider cover these items:
- The areas to be treated.
- The units planned for each area.
- The product's name and its lot number.
- What happens if the plan changes during the visit.
- When the provider would reassess your results.
After treatment, compare the units on the record with the plan. If they differ, ask why.
Prepare your dose questions with three public pages: the Aesthetic Society article on what really happens when you get Botox, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons page on botulinum toxin, and that society's page on botulinum toxin recovery. Do not take a dose for yourself from any of them. Read the cross-sectional study on knowledge and attitudes toward botulinum toxin use in cosmetic injections in one regional population for what people know and think, not for dosing.
Keep a copy of the final dose
- List the areas you want treated.
- Ask for the planned units per area ahead of the visit.
- Ask for the final units, product and lot to be written on your record afterward.
- Keep a copy of that record.
Leave the dose to the prescriber and the record
The dose belongs to your prescriber, and your record should show it.