About

  • Baby Botox refers to small doses of Botox injected into your face.
  • It’s similar to traditional Botox, but it’s injected in smaller amounts.

Safety

  • Botox is considered a low-risk procedure, but minor side effects are common.
  • Minor side effects can include pain, swelling, headache, and flu-like symptoms.
  • In very rare cases, more severe side effects may occur, such as muscle weakness and loss of bladder control.

Convenience

  • Botox must be delivered by a trained specialist with experience.
  • After you find a specialist in your area, Botox is extremely convenient. It requires little to no downtime for recovery.

Cost

  • Baby Botox costs less than traditional Botox because fewer units are used than a traditional dose.

Efficacy

  • Baby Botox has a more minimal effect than traditional Botox.
  • It’s not less effective, but it does produce a less prominent result and doesn’t last as long.

Botox has been the top aesthetic procedure performed by plastic surgeons for nearly 20 years.

Baby Botox, also called micro-Botox, refers to a new trend in injectable Botox procedures.

Baby Botox aims to add volume to your face and smooth out wrinkles and fine lines, just like traditional Botox. But baby Botox uses less of the traditional Botox injectable.

The aim of baby Botox is a face that looks smoother and younger without the “frozen” or “plastic” expression that can sometimes result from traditional Botox.

The ideal candidate has healthy skin, no prior reaction to botulism toxin, and doesn’t have high blood pressure, hepatitis, or any other bleeding condition.

Baby Botox is an elective cosmetic procedure. This means that insurance won’t cover it. You’ll be responsible for the total cost of baby Botox.

Baby Botox isn’t as expensive as traditional Botox. That’s because fewer units, sometimes also measured in vials, are needed to achieve the desired result.

In 2018, the average cost of Botox was $311 per procedure in the United States, according to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery.

Since micro-Botox uses diluted “microdroplets” of the Botox cosmetic, your costs may be lower.

Also keep in mind your final cost of Botox will vary by your geographic area and the type of provider doing the treatment.

Baby Botox is also less expensive because it requires less maintenance. Traditional Botox requires a follow-up appointment every 3 to 4 months to keep the results looking fresh.

With baby Botox, you may be able to space out your appointments once every 4 to 5 months instead.

Just like traditional Botox, baby Botox involves little to no downtime for recovery. That means you won’t need to factor in time off from work into the expense of the procedure.

Baby Botox works the same way as traditional Botox. The difference is that baby Botox aims to achieve a more natural-looking result.

Botox is made from botulinum toxin type A. Botulinum blocks the nerve signals that tell your muscles to contract.

When this toxin is injected into your muscles, it partially paralyzes these muscles until the toxin wears off. This can minimize the look of wrinkles and fine lines since your muscles aren’t triggering the formation of creases caused by movement.

Botox can also add volume to areas of your face, such as your lips.

Baby Botox uses the exact same science. When you ask for “baby Botox,” you’re essentially asking for a minidose of Botox. This smaller dose will have less of an effect on your face, and the results will be less dramatic.

This means your Botox won’t be as noticeable. Your face may feel more flexible and less frozen.

Before the procedure, you’ll have a consultation with your provider about the results you expect.

Your provider should be clear with you about how much Botox they’re injecting, how long they expect results to last, and how dramatic your results will be.

A trained provider will always err on the side of using less Botox. It’s easy to add more Botox later, but it’s not possible to remove Botox once it’s been injected.

Here’s a general breakdown of the procedure:

  1. Arrive to your Botox appointment makeup-free, or use a cleanser to remove any makeup product from your face before your doctor begins the procedure.
  2. You’ll be comfortably seated in a sterilized office environment. Your face may be sterilized with an alcohol swab. Some practitioners may apply a mild, local anesthetic to the injection site to minimize any pain.
  3. Your doctor will then inject the agreed-upon amount of Botox into the areas of your face where you have requested it. The process should only take a couple of minutes.
  4. When you’re ready, you’ll be able to get up and out of your doctor’s chair and leave your appointment to resume your day.

Baby Botox is typically used for areas of your face where there’s subtle wrinkling or fine lines. Targeted areas for baby Botox often include:

Baby Botox may be less risky than Botox, which is already a lower risk procedure. There’s still a risk of undesirable side effects, as there is with any cosmetic procedure.

Common side effects of Botox include:

  • swelling or bruising at the injection site
  • a “crooked” or asymmetrical result from the Botox
  • headache or flu-like symptoms
  • muscle weakness
  • dry mouth
  • dropping of the eyebrows

In rare cases, side effects of Botox can be more severe, such as:

  • neck pain
  • fatigue
  • allergic reaction or rash
  • blurred or double vision
  • nausea, dizziness, or vomiting

Visiting a trained plastic surgeon for your procedure greatly reduces your risk for these side effects.

If you experience any of these severe symptoms after baby Botox, contact your doctor immediately.

Here are a few before and after photos of baby Botox used to treat the forehead and crow’s feet.

Before you get baby Botox, be sure to express any concerns, expectations, and prior health conditions to your doctor. You’ll also need to disclose any allergies or medications you’re currently taking.

Your doctor will also instruct you to avoid any blood thinner, aspirin, or ibuprofen in the 2 weeks before your injection.

They may advise you to avoid excessive alcohol consumption in the day or 2 days before your injection appointment as well.

Recovery after baby Botox is quick. In fact, there’s no recovery time after the injection. You can even go right back to work and resume all of your normal activities right away.

You may want to avoid massaging and rubbing your face while the Botox settles for the first few days after treatment. You might also want to avoid strenuous exercise, such as jogging, in the days afterward to avoid redistributing the Botox cosmetic before it’s settled.

Depending on which brand of botulinum toxin was used, your muscles begin to become paralyzed a few days after the procedure.

The final results of baby Botox will take about a week to settle in.

The results of baby Botox are not permanent. After 2 to 3 months, you probably won’t be able to notice the effects anymore.

At this point, you can decide if you want to continue getting Botox. If you do, you’ll need to make an appointment to have more injections.

Baby Botox requires less of the Botox cosmetic. That means it may be less expensive. The results of baby Botox are less subtle, leading to a lower maintenance aesthetic.

But baby Botox doesn’t last as long as traditional Botox treatments. Some people may think that the results are too subtle and prefer a more noticeable look.

Baby Botox is a relatively new form of treatment. There’s currently not much research comparing the two treatment options. Far less is known about long-term side effects of micro-Botox treatments.

Baby Botox is less expensive than traditional Botox. It also doesn’t last as long, and the results aren’t as dramatic. Only get baby Botox from a licensed and trained professional.

Injecting your own Botox or using an unlicensed Botox provider greatly increases your risk for serious side effects.

Find a provider in your area by using the American Academy of Plastic Surgeons database.