Tag Archives: botox

How Much Does Botox Cost in Modesto CA with Dr. Calvin Lee?

by Calvin Lee, MD

written 5/24/13, at this time we charge $11.70 per unit of Botox

Why a strange number like that?  Because it’s 10% off our original price of $13 per unit.

botox-modesto-collection-s

Empty vials of Botox, Picture by Calvin Lee, MD

 

Average Cost of Botox – all patients – doesn’t matter what area:

But of interest, I had calculated a few months ago the average Botox patient’s check out amount.  The price came out to $339.00.  But the range is huge.  The number came out of sampling of 46 patient charts.

Most Common Cost of Botox, all patients = $304

But most patients aren’t actually paying that figure, the most common charge that is seen is $304 for 26 units of Botox.  The average, as you know, may not be the same number as one that is the most common.

Botox cost broken down per area

This chart is helpful if you know which areas you’d like to have injected with Botox

Location of Botox injection Most Common
cost of Botox
Common
Cost Range
Area between the eyes (Glabellar area) $234 $140-$280
Crows feet (both) $234 $140-$280
Forehead $117 $70-$234
Around the mouth (top and bottom) $82 $46-$93
Dimpling of the chin $117 $93-$140
Vertical neck bands (each) $70 $70-$93
Jowls (both) $140
Down turn of the mouth (both) $93 $46-$93

The top two (Glabellar and Crows Feet) are the most common areas injected in our Modesto, CA practice.

botox bottles

I was about to go to the operating room today and I heard this question asked at our front desk.  I’m thinking that this is a pretty common question and thought I’d just post my own answer here.  I know my staff did a great job of explaining the ranges and reasons for certain charges related to the question of “How much does Botox cost?”  I did hear a little bit of the conversation which involved discussions of how many units I might use in each area.  I think that’s fine too, but perhaps I’m starting to think that patients don’t entirely care about the units, the primarily care more about the costs.  But of course from our standpoint, as providers of Botox, we think of it in units.  But I am thinking that the consumers of Botox will usually think of it in dollar amounts.  But our office wants to make it clear that we customize the Botox injections to fit a patient’s goals, muscle size, weight, and prior experience with Botox.

For More Info on Botox

dr-wu-and-dr-lee

 

 

Brilliant Distinctions Changes – Botox, Juvederm, Latisse

Brilliant Distinctions

Recent Changes to the Brilliant Distinctions Program

Update:  See updated section on the bottom – info directly from Allergan and the changes start May 15, 2013.

I heard some things about changes to the Brilliant Distinctions Program by our Botox Representative (from Allergan).  I’m not 100% sure of these changes, as I don’t operate the Brilliant Distinctions program (BD), but of course, our plastic surgery practice accepts the coupons and rebates generated from the BD program.

SkinMedica – get points for purchasing

  • Allergan acquired SkinMedica – a skin care product company – prescription and non-prescription based products.  You can now earn points for purchasing SkinMedica products.   Our office currently does not carry Skin Medica products.  I guess I wished it could have been easier / great if Obagi was somehow absorbed by Allergan, because we are a Obagi retailer and a user of Allergan products.  But that merger  didn’t happen.  Instead Valeant purchased Obagi for $348 million dollars in April 2013..  Valeant is based in Montreal.  Valeant has a dermatology portfolio.  Obagi is based in Long Beach, California, and posted revenues of $120 million in the year 2012.  Valeant Pharmaceuticals in September 2012 purchased Medicis for 2.6 billion.  Medicis makes Dysport, Perlane, and Restylane.
  • Around December 2012 Allergan purchased SkinMedica for $350 million

New Brilliant Distinctions Mall

  • Get points for shopping online
  • Similar to a program offered by Chase.
  • Many many vendors online, and shop as you normally would except click through a link from the Brilliant Distinctions website.

Bonus points are going away

  • As fast as it came, it is going away:  There was a bonus points program for the frequent users, in fact after about 12 visit, the bonus points added up to almost double the original amount which was originally $25 coupon after each Botox visit, and for those coming in on the 13th time and beyond, the $25 coupon got a bonus of another $25.  However this is bonus is going away I heard.

The $25 coupon per Botox visit or $25 per Juvederm syringe is dropping down to $20

  • I also heard that the $25 is dropping down to $20.  But the added ability to earn points from the BD Mall is supposed to more than make up for this difference.  I’d like to know if this works out for folks in the future.  Regardless, it is nice to have a program such as BD, so I guess we shouldn’t complain too much about the $25 dropping down to $20.

There’s the ability to print out a $10 coupon

  • This wasn’t available before.   I think this is to help the Latisse-only users use their coupons, because Latisse purchases used to take longer to build up to a coupon.

I just checked with several patients today regarding Brilliant Distinctions.  Most of these changes have taken place yet, but I know they are coming very soon – perhaps at the end of this month (May, 2013).

These changes the program summarized:

  • SkinMedica
  • BD Mall
  • Bonus Points going away
  • $25 return on each visit or each syringe is going down to $20
  • New!, ability to print out $10 coupon (half of the points required to print a $20 coupon).
  • New 9 month expiration period instead of I think it was 2 years before.

We’ll stay tuned and see how these changes take place and hopefully they will continue to keep our Botox / Juvederm / Latisse patients happy.

Surgical Artistry - Calvin Lee, MD / Tammy Wu, MD

Surgical Artistry | Calvin Lee, MD | Tammy Wu, MD
209-551-1888 | www.SurgeryToday.com
2336 Sylvan Ave. Suite C | Modesto, CA 95355

 

UPDATE:

We got this notice from Brilliant Distinctions.

Starting May 15, 2013:

Points Values: In simplifying the points structure, the values will alter slightly. We’ve added a new coupon value. You can now create a $10 coupon for 100 points. For 200 points, the coupon value will now be $20.

Expiration Period: Points will expire after 9 months of inactivity from earning. We will send you reminders if you are getting close to your points expiring.

Bonus Points: All bonus points accrued to date will remain in your account; however, no more bonus points will be issued. If you have questions, the Brilliant Distinctions® Customer Support line is a phone call away: 1-888-324-2745 (9am-8pm EST. M-F).

 

Summary:  See summary above also.  But there are some great added features ($10 coupon, BD mall, SkinMedical) and some things taken away (bonus points, $5 taken away from 200 points, and the expiration period ahs been shortened)

What do we do at Surgical Artistry?

 

5 year patients choice     surgical artistry full page ad never boring

I get this question a good deal.  I think it’s probably somewhat confusing as to what we do and we offer a lot of procedures and products.  Basically we are a two surgeon medical group offering services in Veins, Acupuncture, Plastic Surgery, and General Surgery.  That can be quite a lot.  But even with that said, it’s somewhat confusing as to what each of these items involves.  So I thought I’d make a list which doesn’t include everything, but covers most of what we do:

DR. TAMMY WU PROCEDURES:

DR. CALVIN LEE COSMETIC and BOTOX PROCEDURES:

  • Botox for cosmetic
  • Botox for headaches
  • Botox for hand and axillary sweating
  • Botox for TMJ (jaw pain)
  • Fillers (ie. Juvederm)
  • Lip Augmentation with Juvederm or other injectable fillers
  • Vein Laser
  • Vein Injections (ie. with Asclera)
  • Face Vein treatment
  • Acne Consultation
  • Skin Care Consultation
  • Cosmetic Mole Removal
  • Microdermabrasion
  • Chemical peels (ie. Obagi Blue Peel Radiance and Obagi Blue Peel)

DR. CALVIN LEE ACUPUNCTURE PROCEDURES:

  • Acupuncture trigger point deactivation for muscle pain
  • Acupuncture for back pain / neck pain
  • Acupuncture for buttock pain (ie. pyriformis syndrome)
  • Acupuncture for IT band pain (side of thighs wrapping to below knee)
  • Acupuncture for fertility
  • Acupuncture for TMJ (jaw pain)
  • Acupuncture for stress / anxiety
  • Acupuncture for allergies
  • Acupuncture for fibromyalgia
  • Acupuncture for depression
  • Acupuncture for hormones (hot flashes, acne, menstrual cycle)
  • Acupuncture for facial rejuvenation (cosmetic)
  • Acupuncture to boost the immune system
  • General wellness Acupuncture
  • Anti-nausea acupuncture for those undergoing chemotherapy or pregnancy

  SKIN CARE PRODUCTS:

  • Obagi Line
  • NIA 24 Line
  • Various Skinceuticals

 GRADUATED COMPRESSION SOCKS:

To recover faster from workouts, prevent varicose veins, and prevent injuries

  • Calf sleeves from Sigvaris and CEP brands
  • Full calf sleeves from Sigvaris and CEP brands
  • Dress socks from Sigvaris
  • Thigh high and Pantyhose compression from Sigvaris.

 Contact Us:

Surgical Artistry - Calvin Lee, MD / Tammy Wu, MD

 

2012 Plastic Surgery Statistics Report by ASPS: Top procedures & Top age groups

Growth and statistics of Plastic Surgery and it’s relation to our practice in Modesto, CA

ASPS (American Society of Plastic Surgeons) Released its 2012 Plastic Surgery Statistics Report.

Here are the key highlights of the report as it relates to our Plastic Surgery Practice in Modesto: Surgical Artistry led by Dr. Tammy Wu, MD Board Certified Plastic Surgeon and member of the ASPS.

At the bottom of this post, I compare my own minimally invasive cosmetic procedure (ie. Botox, Veins, Fillers, chemical peels, microdermabrasion) data from Modesto, CA to the national ASPS data.  I am not an ASPS member.  Only Dr. Tammy Wu is an ASPS member.

All statistics here is 2012 vs 2011 data from the ASPS.

Cosmetic Procedures For 2012:

  • Cosmetic Procedures:  Cosmetic Surgeries vs. Minimally Invasive Procedures:
  • Cosmetic Surgeries were down 2%
  • Minimally invasive cosmetic procedures were up 6%
  • But both considered procedures, there’s an overall increase of 5%

Plastic Surgery is growing equally for men and women

  • Cosmetic procedures performed on men and women are up a total of 5%
  • Men make up 9% of all cosmetic procedures

Minimally Invasive Cosmetic Procedures Statistics

Breast Augmentation

  • Continues to be the top cosmetic surgical procedure and has been since 2006.
  • Silicone implants were used 62% of the time (saline used 38%) in all breast augmentation in 2012

2012 Top 5 cosmetic Surgical Procedures

  • Breast augmentation down 7%
  • Nose reshaping no change
  • Eyelid surgery up 4%
  • Liposuction up 1%
  • Facelift up 6%

2012 Top 5 cosmetic Minimally Invasive Procedures

  • Botox (Botulinum toxin type A) up 8% (6.1 million injections)
  • Soft tissue fillers up 5%
  • Chemical Peel up 2%
  • Laser Hair removal up 4%
  • Microdermabrasion up 8%

Other Minimally Invasive Cosmetic Procedures

  • Laser vein therapy is down -2%
  • Sclerotherapy is up 1%
  • Fat injections is down 8%
  • Cellulite treatment is down 13%

Age Demographics: 40-54 years old

  • 40-54 year olds is the group that makes the majority of all cosmetic procedures
  • 48% of the total

 

My own thoughts

FaceBook targeted demographic ads for plastic surgeons

  • It aids in marketing efforts.  Perhaps we could concentrate more around the age of 40-54 years olds in the marketing.  In FaceBook for example, ages could be targeted.  Thus selecting 40-54 as an age selection in FaceBook might be beneficial for plastic surgeons.

How does our Minimally Invasive Cosmetic Practice compare?

Chart of Dr. Lee's practice

Growth of my minimally invasive Cosmetic practice in Modesto, CA from 2009-2012

  • Bar 1 represents 2009, Bar 2 is 2010, Bar 3 is 2011, and Bar 4 is 2012 (last year) for my minimally invasive cosmetic surgery practice.
  • Our Minimally invasive practice increased 29% last year compared to the national increase 6%.  We have not yet compiled our data for surgeries.  Dr. Wu has access to that data.  I have access to my data and this is my blog.
  • The growth between bars (1-4) respectively: 42%, 23%, 29%
  • I just did our own analysis of Surgical Artistry Cosmetic popularity based on zip codes