Botox® is a cosmetic treatment where the practitioner injects botulinum toxin type A, specifically OnabotulinumtoxinA, to reduce wrinkles and fine lines on your face. It’s FDA-approved to use for “11” lines between the eyes, horizontal forehead lines and crow’s feet around the eyes.
The FDA also approved Botox use in the late 1980s when they found it could stop ailments like strabismus (lazy eye), axillary hyperhidrosis (increased armpit sweating) and blepharospasm (uncontrolled blinking). Cosmetic doctors have been using it for years to successfully treat facial creases and wrinkles.
Your Botox cost will depend on how many units of Botox you’ll require. The Botox cost in Houston will also depend on what you’re having done.
How Much Does Botox Cost?
The placement and amount of Botox is something you should talk to your doctor about during your consultation. Typically, you pay by either the unit or the treatment area. The average cost of Botox is roughly around $250 to $500 per area of treatment, and varies depending on the treatment results desired.
The costs may vary and are determined per unit. Botox cost per unit in Houston with PattMD.com is $14 to $18 per unit.
If you are having Botox on your forehead area, you’d likely need around 20 to 30 units. The Botox injection cost is less expensive for smaller areas, such as around the corners of your eyes, because they don’t require as many units. Another cost of Botox factor is your geographic location where you’re having the procedure done.
On average:
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Practitioners could inject up to 20 units for horizontal forehead lines
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Up to 20 units for glabellar lines (“11” lines between your eye)
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This means you could receive up to 40 units in your forehead
Since Botox is a voluntary treatment, health insurance typically won’t cover the cost of injections for cosmetic reasons.
Cosmetic Uses for Botox
Botox injections block specific chemical nerve signals, mainly signals that cause muscle contraction. It’s most commonly used to relax the facial muscles temporarily that cause wrinkles around the eyes and in the forehead. The cosmetic uses for Botox include the below:
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Prevention of aging: Starting at a younger age, you can use Botox to help prevent future formation of wrinkles. Since wrinkles are due to repeated skin movement, when you receive early neuromodulator injections, you can prevent wrinkles from appearing in the first place.
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Brow ptosis: Highly arched eyebrows is a classic sign of youthful beauty, health and alertness. Your eyes start to look tired and old as your eyebrow and forehead start descending and the loose fold of skin covers your upper eyelids. Botox can help prevent brow ptosis-linked changes or reverse them.
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Wrinkles: Botox effectively reduces facial wrinkles. This is because it blocks certain chemical nerve signals, usually those that lead to muscle contraction. Botox temporarily relaxes those facial muscles that cause wrinkles.
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Crow’s feet: These are wrinkles you get in the corners of your eyes. They look more pronounced and deeper on your skin than wrinkles. Botox is a common treatment for crow’s feet. The injections help relax the muscles surrounding the corner of your eyes to smooth the skin out.
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Hyperhidrosis: Botox is a newer option for treating hyperhidrosis (profuse sweating). It also helps decrease sweating in other places such as your hands, face and feet.
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Botox brow lift: This Botox cosmetic procedure helps to treat the frown lines you have between your brows. It also elevates the height of your eyebrows.
Medical Uses for Botox
Botox is used for treating conditions affecting how your body functions, including:
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Lazy eye: This is an imbalance in the muscles that position your eye.
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Cervical dystonia: With this painful condition, you have involuntary muscle contraction in your neck that causes your head to turn and twist into an uncomfortable position.
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Hyperhidrosis: Excessive sweating occurs in this condition even when temperatures aren’t hot and you’re not over-exerting yourself.
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Muscle contractures: Certain neurological conditions like cerebral palsy, can make your limbs pull towards your center. These contracted muscles, in some cases, can become relaxed with Botox.
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Bladder dysfunction: Botox can help with overactive bladder-related urinary incontinence also.
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Chronic migraine: Botox injections could maybe help decrease headache frequency if you’re experiencing migraines for over 15 days a month.
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Eye twitching: Botox might help relieve twitching or contracture of eye muscles.
How Botox Works
Botox blocks signals to the muscles from the nerves. The muscle that’s injected can’t contract, making the wrinkles soften and relax. The doctor injects Botox into specific muscles with a fine needle which produces minimal discomfort. It typically takes three to seven days to experience the full effect. You should avoid alcohol intake a minimum of one week before your procedure. Also, you should stop taking anti-inflammatory medicines and aspirin a couple of weeks before your procedure to reduce bruising.
Good Botox candidates include both women and men of all ages who are looking for a more refreshed and relaxed look. It’s also good for younger people looking to preserve their young appearance. The Botox injections are an in-office procedure and typically take no longer than 30 minutes.
You should not use Botox if you:
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Are under 18 years old
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Are pregnant or breastfeeding
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Have a neurological disease
Consult your doctor before using Botox since it doesn’t work for all types of wrinkles.
Botox effects usually last around three to four months. As your muscle action slowly returns, your wrinkles and lines start reappearing and require treatment again. The wrinkles and lines frequently appear less severe over time since your muscles are actually being trained to relax.
Finding a Practitioner
You might be tempted to find a practitioner who will provide you with Botox injections at a low cost, but extremely low prices aren’t a great sign as they may be diluting the treatment.
When searching for the right Botox practitioner, you’ll want to ensure you’re choosing a board-certified physician. Your safest bet is a plastic surgeon who is trained and certified for administering Botox, but make sure you research their qualifications thoroughly before choosing one. The best plastic surgeons are board-certified by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS).
Contact Dr. Bradford S. Patt for Your Botox Consultation in Houston, Texas
Dr. Patt is among the top plastic surgeons in Houston and is admired and respected immensely by peer doctors and appreciated by patients. His focus and area of expertise is facial cosmetic and reconstructive surgery. For more information about Botox, schedule your consultation now.
How much does therapy cost in 2023? The cost for therapy is one of the greatest barriers to mental health treatment. While the cost of therapy is a very real concern, it is often possible for people to access free or low-cost therapy, especially if they live in large metropolitan areas.
Average Cost of Therapy Sessions
In most areas of the country, a person can expect to pay $100-$200 per session. This is the typical rate for a therapist in Austin, Texas. Should you choose to see a therapist outside of your insurance network, you will find that therapists charge different rates depending on their office location, level of education, and degree of expertise in their field.
Some therapists may charge as much as $200 or more per session, but most will charge $115-$175 a session. Many therapists work with a sliding scale fee schedule, which means their fee will depend on your income level. Therapy tends to be more expensive when the therapist is an expert in a highly specialized field or treats an unusual or challenging condition.
Some therapists also charge more for a longer initial consultation. Couples counseling is typically more expensive due to the therapist seeing both parties as a couple. If you use insurance, your therapist’s office can create a ledger for you to submit to your insurance company for reimbursement. If costs are an issue, many areas have community mental health agencies that provide therapy at a reduced fee. Contigo Wellness is an affordable option for providing anti-racist healing through a decolonized and destigmatized therapy lens.
How much does therapy cost?
How much Does Therapy Cost with Insurance?
Under the Affordable Care Act, all insurance plans must cover mental health care. Additionally, people with insurance usually have some coverage for therapy. In most cases, they must choose a therapist within their network. They may also have to meet other criteria, such as having a mental health diagnosis, meeting a deductible, or getting a referral for treatment. Consequently, even people with insurance may opt to pay for their therapy out of pocket.
When people pay for therapy through insurance, they typically must pay a co-pay. Insurance co-pays vary widely, from just a few dollars to $50 or more. In that case, you will likely be limited to however many sessions your insurance will pay for, which can vary. Keep in mind that if you decide to utilize insurance, your provider will have full access to your session information as well as diagnosis. Also, you’ll want to check with your insurance provider to ensure they cover behavioral health, and to determine the deductible amounts.
How Much Does Therapy Cost Without Insurance?
If you do not have insurance, or you wish not to file with your insurance provider for privacy reasons, you can expect to pay the standard rate as set by your local therapist, psychologist, or psychiatrist. As discussed, this rate could be anywhere from $105 to $250+ per hour-session. Some Associate therapists may charge less than this amount.
How Much Does Online Therapy Cost?
Online therapy is usually fairly affordable and convenient. Since you will be attending therapy sessions online in the comfort of your own home, or while traveling, you can often schedule your therapy sessions for times that are the most convenient for you. Session fees can cost $105-150 depending on private pay and insurance. Some insurance companies will not pay for telehealth (online) therapy sessions.
Today, many states require insurance providers to cover online therapy just as they would traditional therapy sessions. Contact your insurance company to learn more about how online treatments will be covered by your policy. Online therapists often offer affordable treatment options for those who are not covered by health insurance. Read more on Advantages and Disadvantages of Remote Therapy, here.
How to Pay for Therapy
For many people, insurance offers the best option for funding therapy. Try calling your insurer to ask about mental health coverage and to get a list of in-network providers. Additionally, some therapists offer therapy on a sliding-scale basis. Consider asking about this option when you interview therapists. Some employee assistance and benefit programs also offer help paying for therapy. Contigo Wellness is offering barrier free mental healthcare and healing funding on a limited basis.
Is There a Way to Get Free Therapy?
A number of clinics are working to expand access to health care services, including mental health services, by offering free or discounted treatment. The National Association for Free and Charitable Clinics, for example, offers free and low-cost care.
Some other options for finding free therapy in your area include:
- Contacting your state’s department of public or community health. Many offer community mental health clinics or referrals to free or low-cost services.
- Enrolling in studies for mental health conditions. If you have a specific diagnosis, your local college or university may be researching your diagnosis. You can often get free care, including medication and therapy, by enrolling in such a study.
- Seeking care at a college or university clinic. If you are a student, you may be eligible for free care at your college or university. If you are not a student but are located near a university that has a mental health care program, students in that program may offer free treatment to meet licensure requirements.
- Many universities offer free or sliding-scale therapy programs to people pursuing training as therapists. Try calling schools near you to ask about access to low-cost therapy.
- Many therapy practices also employ novice therapists who need experience. These interns or apprentices may offer free or low-cost mental health care.
- Telehealth services, which offer counseling online or on the phone, may also be more affordable.
Getting Therapy Help
Therapy can be expensive, particularly when you look only at the price tag and not the total value. However, therapy can also offer significant benefits, including an improved outlook. People who are less productive because of depression, who suffer from compulsive shopping or gambling, and who experience problems at work may ultimately have a positive shift in behaviors as a result of therapy.
Even when therapy does not offer a direct economic benefit, it can greatly and permanently improve a person’s life. Check out our blog on Trauma and PTSD for more information on negative behaviors which can persist as a result of not being in therapy.
People considering therapy should consider the overall value of therapy, not just the cost. We hope we were able to provide clarification for the FAQ “how much does therapy cost?” To find an Austin therapist who can bring real value to your life, contact us, today.
