This recent Wall Street Journal article highlights the increasing competition in the neuromodulator market. A neuromodulator is the fancy term for a chemical used to relax facial muscles, thereby reducing wrinkles, ie Botox! In most industries, when you have more competition, that benefits the consumer by forcing lower prices. Will these competitive forces cause Botox to lower its price? Don’t bet on it!

Why more competitors won’t force Botox to lower it’s price

It is a natural assumption that with more options for a particular product, prices will go down. That’s why competition is good. But Botox is different. We’re most familiar with Botox for relaxing the wrinkles in between the eyebrows. Or treating a gummy smile. Or narrowing the jawline. But it has other uses that are less cosmetic.

Botox (and it’s competitors Dysport and Xeomin) are also great for medically necessary problems. Babies that have problems with bowel movements can get Botox to relax the anal sphincter. It can help with hoarseness. It’s an appropriate treatment for torticollis – a severe spasm of the neck muscles that causes the head to tilt. Medicare and other insurance companies will cover the cost of Botox for these medically necessary issues.

But because Botox has an agreed upon cost with the Federal government (Medicare) and other insurers, they have to be consistent with their financial practices. For example, if Medicare or an insurance company agrees to a certain cost for Botox, the makers of Botox can’t charge doctors a different rate. Said another way, if they charge the doctors less that are using Botox for cosmetic purposes, then the government or insurers won’t agree to pay a higher amount. Or at least it will bring up the uncomfortable conversation of why they’re charging one group one amount and more (or less) to a different group.

So they can either charge everyone (doctors, Medicare and private insurers) less, or charge everyone a higher rate to obtain a higher profit margin. Because the makers of Botox generate a lot of revenue from the medically necessary side of business, they don’t want to take a hit by lowering the cost to be more competitive with the cosmetic side of their business. Make sense? If not, comment below.

While we’re on the subject, check pricing on Botox and Xeomin from Dr. Kaplan by clicking here.

Click here for the original blog post written by Dr. Kaplan for BuildMyBod.

The post Will more competitors force Botox to lower it’s price? first appeared on Plastic Surgeon San Francisco | Pacific Heights Plastic Surgery.

Patients often ask me how they can make their Botox last longer. In other words, how can they make their facial wrinkles stay away for more than three to six months. And not just the typical lines treated with Botox like in between the eyebrows. But also the forehead lines and crow’s feet. Well, here’s the answer, sort of. A study was performed with a competitor to BOTOX® Cosmetic, known as Xeomin®, but it provides the same insight.

Making Botox last longer (or Xeomin in this case)

The study looked at what would happen if a doctor gave a patient more Xeomin than usual in a particular area. For example, 20 units to the 11’s or lines in between the eyebrows typically lasts for three months. So what would happen if 37 patients were divided into three groups. One receiving 20 units, one receiving 60 units and one receiving 100 units to the 11’s. How long would the effect last in each of those three groups?

Based on the results, the patient’s 11’s returned after ~4 months if they only received 20 units. But the effect lasted ~7 months in some patients with 60 units and ≥11 months in some patients with 100 units!

By 9 months, 23% of those in the 100 unit group continued to have no wrinkles in between the eyebrows (11’s).

According to the study, safety of Xeomin at higher doses was favorable, with no unexpected safety findings. So next time you’re getting your Botox fix, ask your doctor about getting a higher dose of Xeomin for longer lasting results.

To check pricing from Dr. Kaplan, click here.

Click here for the original blog post written by Dr. Kaplan for BuildMyBod.

The post How to make Botox last longer? Triple the dose! first appeared on Plastic Surgeon San Francisco | Pacific Heights Plastic Surgery.

How to treat a gummy smile?

When a person smiles, the upper lip naturally raises up. Depending on your anatomy, this can reveal more upper gums than you’re comfortable with. You can surgically reduce the height of your upper jaw. However, that requires major surgery and breaking facial bones. Not a decision to be taken lightly.

With a non-surgical treatment, BOTOX® Cosmetic or Xeomin can accomplish the same goal. By injecting these products into the upper lip, it relaxes the muscles that normally pull the upper lip high enough to see the upper gums. When the lip “excursion” is less, less gums are seen. That’s how you treat a gummy smile.

Obviously the surgical treatment would be more permanent whereas you have to repeat the injections every 3-6 months. That decision is up to you. In the meantime, you can check pricing on this procedure from Dr. Kaplan here.

Click here for the original blog post written by Dr. Jonathan Kaplan for BuildMyBod.

The post How easy is it to treat a gummy smile? first appeared on Plastic Surgeon San Francisco | Pacific Heights Plastic Surgery.