'Baby Botox' is a cheaper, chiller version of Botox — but it can be a waste of money for some people
- Botox is one of the most popular anti-aging cosmetic procedures, but it can be pricey.
- "Baby Botox" is a lower dose of Botox, which also makes it more affordable.
When it comes to anti-aging, few procedures are as lauded as Botox. While there are plenty of lower-cost products to reduce wrinkles — including stickers that claim to freeze your facial muscles — many people find the ease and effectiveness of Botox to be worth its average $400-$500 price tag.
Given that you need to keep getting Botox a few times a year indefinitely to keep seeing results, not everyone can swing that annual $2,000. As a result, "Baby Botox" was born.
As its name suggests, Baby Botox is exactly the same medication as regular Botox, but just delivered in smaller doses, according to Dr. Ivy Lee, a dermatologist practicing in Los Angeles. For example, if a regular Botox injection is 35 units one Baby Botox injection might be closer to 10.
It has a milder effect than a full dose of Botox, but the most alluring part is the price: It can cost $250-$500 in some markets, according to Women's Health magazine — half the cost of regular Botox.
Of course, if Baby Botox were effective for everyone, no one would pay for more injections. It can be a great deal, but whether or not it works depends on what kind of wrinkles you have.
It can be a good option for younger clients
According to Lee, the "upside" of Baby Botox is that you retain a little more muscle movement from using fewer Botox units, giving you a more natural appearance while still smoothing fine lines.
She said it's more popular among her patients under 35 or "those who may be more budget-conscious" (which, if we're being real, is a lot of people in their 20s and early 30s). This demographic also makes up Baby Botox's biggest fanbase online: On TikTok, the hashtag #babybotox has amassed over 150 million views, with users as young as 22 and 23 posting videos of their experiences of the procedure.
Many users online say they use Baby Botox as a preventative anti-aging method to delay the formation of wrinkles.
Dr. Debra Jaliman, a dermatologist and author of Skin Rules, previously told Insider reporter Kelsie Sandoval that preventative Botox can be useful for people who know that they will want the procedure later in life. That's because if your lines become deeper, you may need more Botox, or other products, to smooth them out.
For deeper creases, it's a waste of money
Unfortunately, Baby Botox isn't effective for everyone. "The downside is that you may not achieve full muscle relaxation and softening of wrinkles and that the effects of Botox are shorter-lived," said Lee. Deep-set lines might barely improve for some patients, and some TikTok users have claimed that their Baby Botox wore off weeks faster than regular Botox does.
Age isn't necessarily a perfect marker of candidacy, either, as everyone's skin is different. As aesthetic nurse practitioner Claire O'Bryan explains in a TikTok video, some younger clients may have frown lines that require full doses of Botox — and their Baby Botox results may only last for six weeks.
Even at its slashed cost, Baby Botox isn't exactly cheap; Lee recommended getting injections at least every 3-4 months to see consistent results, which can get pointlessly pricey if you're not really seeing much change.