How Much Is a Vial of Botox®?
Botox® is the most popular injectable cosmetic treatment derived from botulinum toxin type A, ahead of competing brands like Dysport® and Xeomin®. Millions of patients have received injections of Botox since the compound first received FDA approval in 1989.
Because Botox is so popular, budget-minded patients considering botulinum toxin type A treatment generally ask how much Botox costs — not how much Dysport or Xeomin cost.
The answer to this question depends on whether you’re a provider or a patient. Read on for more on how much you should expect to pay for Botox and how to find affordable Botox without compromising safety or quality.
How Much Does Botox Cost?
The wholesale cost of Botox paid by aesthetic practitioners is different from the retail price of Botox charged to patients. Whereas wholesale costs are usually expressed per vial, retail costs are typically calculated per procedure and can vary based on the procedure type, the amount of Botox needed, and other factors.
Wholesale Botox Costs
According to Allergan, Botox’s manufacturer, the wholesale acquisition cost of Botox Therapeutic is currently $1,244 per 200-unit vial. Botox Therapeutic is indicated to treat medical conditions such as hyperhidrosis (excessive sweating) and chronic migraine.
Botox Cosmetic typically comes in 100-unit vials and therefore costs less per vial than Botox Therapeutic. Pricing varies by supplier and volume ordered but generally ranges from about $350 per vial to about $700 per vial.
Though similar in formulation to Botox Therapeutic, Botox Cosmetic is indicated for the treatment of cosmetic complaints like frown lines and crows’ feet (fine lines and wrinkles around the corners of the eyes).
Retail Botox Costs
Retail costs for cosmetic procedures involving Botox injection are set by providers and expressed as a flat rate per procedure.
In reality, they’re determined by the number of units of Botox required to achieve the desired results. Botox treatments typically cost $10 to $15 per unit, so a procedure requiring 20 units of Botox would cost $200 to $300.
Additionally, retail Botox pricing may be inflated by the fact that the contents of a Botox vial must be used within hours of opening. When a provider isn’t able to use an entire vial before it spoils, they must absorb the cost of the unused portion.
Some common Botox procedures and their approximate costs:
- Glabellar lines (frown lines): $300 to $500, depending on whether treatment includes the nearby areas of the forehead
- Crows’ feet (both sides): $300 to $400
- Neck lift: $700 to $1,000
- Chin dimpling: $200 to $400
- Square jaw: $800 to $1,200
How to Find Cheaper Botox
Unfortunately, there’s no magic bullet to find cheaper Botox. But as a patient, the following strategies may reduce your overall Botox costs without compromising safety or efficacy:
- Avoid purchasing Botox from online wholesalers offering pricing that seems too good to be true, as the product may be impure or even counterfeit.
- Avoid working with providers that don’t show example “before” and “after” pictures or that refuse to show you the product they’ll be using .
- Work only with experienced and/or board-certified medical and aesthetic professionals who’ve received comprehensive Botox training and fully understand how to inject Botox to mitigate potential side effects and complications.
- Ask your provider about special discounts or deals — many offer lower unit pricing when you combine multiple treatments in a single visit.
- Ask your provider about patient financing, which can help spread the cost of treatment out over a period of months.
