The Average Cost of Botox to Work Into Your Wedding Budget

While big-ticket items like a band, florals and food are likely the first things that come to mind when planning your wedding budget, it's important to not neglect the "little" things. Seemingly small expenses like pre-wedding beauty treatments—especially the cost of Botox—are things that can quickly add up in the long run. So if you're looking to smooth a few forehead wrinkles or plump your pout before the big day, getting familiar with the factors that affect the overall cost of Botox injections is a good idea.

To help you prevent even more sticker shock than you've likely already acquired during the planning process, we had a chat with Sandy Delgado, Medspa Manager and Director at The Practice Beverly Hills, and Daniel Friedmann, MD, a board-certified, fellowship-trained dermatologist and Clinical Research Director at Westlake Dermatology & Cosmetic Surgery. Ahead, we're breaking down everything you need to know about budgeting for Botox before the wedding, from how much you can expect to pay for certain areas of the face to alternative treatment pricing and beyond.

In this article:

• What is the Average Cost of Botox?
• Botox Injection Cost Factors
• How to Choose Botox Injections Based On Your Wedding Budget

What is the Average Cost of Botox?

According to Delgado, the average cost of Botox per unit typically ranges between $12 and $16. While your total spend will depend on the areas you treat and how many units you treat them with, setting aside enough room in your wedding budget for 30 to 60 units (think $480 to $1,000) is a good rule of thumb.

We hate to be the bearers of bad news, but you can pretty much always expect Botox to be expensive. This isn't just because of the cost of the injections themselves, but also the professional skills and technique required to inject them.

FEATURED VIDEO FROM THE KNOT

Botox Injection Cost Factors

While understanding the typical cost of Botox treatments is a great place to start when working the expense into your wedding budget, there are a few other key factors that can affect the total price of your treatment plan. Ahead, we're sharing the top four you should keep in mind.

Cost of Botox Alternatives Per Unit

First and foremost, it's important to note that Botox is a brand name that's become widely used as a generic term for the wrinkle-smoothing toxin produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. That said, there are a few common brand alternatives your injector might choose for your treatment, and each one can vary greatly in price per unit. "While Botox is the most well-known brand, alternatives like Dysport and Xeomin have different pricing structures," Delgado emphasizes.

At Westlake Dermatology, for example, you can expect to pay $15 per unit of Botox and $4.40 per unit of Dysport. However, 45 units of Botox is equivalent to about 135 units of Dysport, meaning you're looking at a total spend of $675 for Botox or $594 for Dysport. So overall, you shouldn't expect your total spend to vary too drastically between brands. Here's a list of common Botox alternatives you might come across, along with the average price range you can expect for each.

• Dysport: $4 - $6 per unit
• Xeomin: $8 - $18 per unit
• Jeuveau: $8 - $16 per unit
• Daxxify: $15 - $20 per unit

Cost for Botox Injection Sites

One of the biggest factors to consider when it comes to the cost of Botox injections is the area you'd like to treat. To put it simply, stronger muscles need more units. "The average cost for the forehead, between the eyebrows and around the eyes could be anywhere between $450 and $1,500," Friedmann says. Think about the Botox treatment areas you're most interested in, then use the following ranges to help you come up with an estimate of how much you might need to set aside in your wedding budget.

• Forehead: 10 - 30 units
• Frown Lines: 20 - 30 units
• Crow's Feet: 5 - 15 units per side
• Smile Lines: 10 - 30 units per side
• Masseters: 20 - 30 units per side
• Neck Bands: 25 - 50 units
• Lip Flip: 4 - 6 units
• Gummy Smile: 1 - 3 units per side
• Underarm Sweat: 50 - 75 units per side
• Brow Lift: 4 - 8 units per side

Botox Cost by Location

Your total Botox injection cost isn't just about treatment areas—it's about geographical ones too. "A medspa in a small rural location may be on the lower end, while a plastic surgeon in a major metropolitan area may be on the higher end," Friedmann says. Make sure to consider where you'll be getting treatment in order to factor a realistic cost of Botox into your wedding budget.

Botox Cost by Provider

Along with the brand, injection site and geographic location of your treatment, another Botox cost factor you should consider is who is doing the injecting. "Medspas with mid-level providers, such as nurse injectors, may price their injectables significantly lower than practices with board-certified physicians, or a mid-level provider they closely oversee, performing the injections," Friedmann says.

If you do decide to go the medspa route, Delgado recommends prioritizing one with a qualified doctor present, whether that's in the treatment room or somewhere in-office. "This ensures that patients have direct access to medical professionals who can address any questions and ensure quality and safety in the treatment," Delgado says.

How to Choose Botox Injections Based On Your Wedding Budget

Now that you know the ins and outs of the cost of Botox, you might be wondering how, exactly, to work a realistic cost expectation into your wedding budget. As always, our free budget planning tool is here to help you do just that, along with the expert-backed advice that follows.

Consider Your Biggest Skin Concerns

If you're looking to keep your total Botox price on the lower end, you're likely debating which injection sites you should prioritize. According to Friedmann, the most high-yield areas will always be the frown lines between the eyebrows, the crow's feet and the horizontal expression lines of the forehead. However, the top areas of concern will differ depending on personal preferences and wrinkle severity. "Other potential areas you might prioritize include bunny lines on the nose or the tails of the brows, which will help give an aesthetically pleasing lift," he adds.

Budget for a Few Trial Runs

It's best to avoid trying any new beauty treatments before the wedding at least a month out—that means everything from your makeup trial to Botox, too. According to Friedmann, it can easily take two or three sessions for your injector to understand exactly how many units of Botox you may need in a particular treatment area. "The initial choice of how many units are needed and the technique of distributing those units in a treatment area may vary significantly from patient to patient and is determined by the anatomy as well as patient preferences and aesthetic goals," Friedmann says. "At its core, it's an educated guess by the provider that can then be fine tuned."

Depending on the dosage and treatment area, the effects of Botox can last anywhere from three to six months. With that in mind, you should plan for at least one test run in your budget and beauty timeline.

Allow Some Cushion for Touchups

Once your provider has a feel for how many units of Botox each of your treatment areas will require, things will most likely be smooth sailing. That said, it's completely normal for your body to respond differently from one session to the next. Maybe 30 units was the perfect amount of Botox for your crow's feet at your trial run but didn't quite do the job at your next appointment. For this reason, Friedmann always recommends allowing a little cushion—both time-wise and budget-wise—to polish things up with a few more units before your big day. "I always tell patients to return at the two-week point, at which time we should see the full effect of treatment and can add additional units if needed," he adds.

Please note: The Knot and the materials and information it contains are not intended to, and do not constitute, medical advice and should not be used as such. You should always consult with a medical professional about your specific circumstances. This information contained herein is not necessarily exhaustive, complete, accurate or up to date and we undertake no responsibility to update. In addition, we do not take responsibility for information contained in any external links, over which we have no control.