ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35 ORLANDO) -
Cosmetic procedures like Botox injections can be expensive, but a quick search of deal websites like Groupon and Social Living brings up big deals. We found some offering up to 70 percent off the original price for Botox.
"Don't go for a bargain on your face," says Larry Blevins, M.D., of Mesos in Winter Park.
Dr. Blevins says bargain Botox could be bad Botox. It comes in a powder form and is then diluted to make a solution to be injected, but Botox comes with a certain shelf life. Day one after it's mixed the solution is full strength.
"The next day it might be 90 percent," Dr. Blevins explains. "The next day 80 [percent]."
Dr. Blevins says places that offer discounts and don't do injections daily may not be giving you Botox at full strength and patients may not see the full results.
"When they're doing one to two injections a week, they're using a bottle and it's lasting for the whole week," Dr. Blevins says. "As the solution gets diluted in strength, it's not as effective."
Mesos is a fully licensed and board certified plastic surgery clinic that does five to 10 injections a day. Dr. Blevins says ask a few questions to see if they're in the business of Botox.
"Make sure that clinic does it daily; it's part of something they do often," Dr. Blevins says.
If not, and you're just looking for a discount, he says you may end up getting what you pay for.
Another warning: buying Botox online may not come with a full consultation first. The experts say you could also end up needing a completely different procedure to get the results you're after, and some clinics may charge more once you're in the door.
