Baby Botox® Versus Regular Botox®: Making the Right Choice for Your Skin

If you’re considering Botox® to treat cosmetic complaints like crow’s feet, frown lines, or chin dimples, you’ve probably given some thought to the potential side effects. 

While Botox injections are regarded as safe and effective when delivered by a trained medical provider, and the incidence of serious complications is quite low, many patients do experience mild to moderate side effects. These side effects can be painful, unsightly, uncomfortable, or all three.

Is that just how it is? Not exactly — at least, not anymore. And you can thank baby Botox treatments for that.

What Is Baby Botox, Anyway?

Baby Botox, also known as “micro Botox,” is just like regular Botox. It targets the same injection sites and addresses the same complaints. The biggest difference: it uses smaller amounts of Botox to achieve the same desired results. 

Here’s what else you should know about baby Botox before getting any work done:

• Effectiveness: Baby Botox is just as effective as traditional Botox for mild complaints and preventive work. However, it’s not as useful for moderate to severe facial wrinkles and lines.

• Durability: Baby Botox results tend to wear off sooner than regular Botox results. The timing depends on patient-specific factors and the targeted muscles, but you should expect results to fade beginning at the three-month mark, as opposed to the four- or five-month mark with regular Botox.

• Problem areas: Baby Botox can treat the same range of cosmetic complaints as traditional Botox. However, it’s best for smaller muscles that require lower doses to begin with, like those responsible for crow’s feet and chin dimpling (rather than the larger muscles of the forehead). Baby Botox also isn’t appropriate for treating musculoskeletal conditions, like excessive sweating or cervical dystonia.

• Dosing and cost: It bears repeating that baby Botox uses less medication than traditional Botox. However, this doesn’t mean it costs less than traditional Botox. Remember, only part of your treatment cost goes toward the medication. The rest covers your provider’s time (and their support staff’s time) and other expenses that remain more or less fixed regardless of how much Botox is used.

Who Is a Good Candidate for Baby Botox?

Baby Botox is not for everyone. Not because it’s unsafe, but because it’s not as effective for treating really noticeable lines and wrinkles on the face. The ideal candidate for a Baby Botox procedure is someone who meets at least two of the following criteria:

• Is younger, on average
• Is just beginning to notice troublesome lines or wrinkles on the face
• Has noticed lines or wrinkles for a while, but they haven’t grown much deeper over time
• Is a first-time patient who wants to “try” Botox in smaller doses before committing to a more aggressive treatment
• Worries about unsightly side effects in the targeted areas

In the end, traditional Botox and baby Botox aren’t so different. It’s really about the dosing, effectiveness, and durability of results. If you’re not sure which is best for you, ask your aesthetic medicine provider at your Botox intake appointment — and get a second opinion if needed.