What is Baby Botox?

Recently, we have been encountering a lot of patients asking about baby Botox and whether or not they should be getting it. Baby Botox is all about the dose the patient is receiving. Typically, when we treat a patient with neurotoxin, the normal dose averages anywhere from 40 to 70 units total for the frontalis (forehead), glabella (11’s), and bilateral orbicularis oculi (crow’s feet). These areas are considered basic neurotoxin treatment and are very popular for patients who may be just starting out with receiving treatment. Now, if patients decide they want to include more areas to get treated (ie. lower face muscles, TMJ) the total number of units will obviously increase. It seems that nowadays, patients are starting to receive neurotoxin treatment younger and younger. We do not treat anyone under 18, but ideally prefer patients to be 21 years of age or older. This is where baby Botox comes into play. Patients who are in their 20s are not going to require as many units as a patient in their 60s, hence “baby Botox”. These patients may only receive on average anywhere from 20 to 40 units total for the three common areas listed above. There are many factors that go into coming up with a dose for patients. These factors include the strength of their muscle activity, whether or not they have static wrinkles, and the effect the patient is looking for. Someone who may only want a softening of their wrinkles and still have muscle movement will not require as many units as someone who may want to be frozen. When we treat patients with lower doses it is important to tell them about the duration of their treatment. On average, neurotoxin treatment should last about 12 weeks, and we try to dose our patients to get them as close to the 12 week mark as possible. When I educate my patients, I always tell them dose equals duration. The higher the number of units given, the longer it will last. This can be a problem with baby Botox. We use a lower number of units, so these patients may not get the full 12 weeks out of their treatments. It is imperative to have these conversations with our patients before determining a treatment plan. You as the injector and the patient should always be on the same page, and the treatment expectations should be made clear. If you have never received a neurotoxin treatment before, starting off with baby Botox may be a good idea to get your feet wet!