Botox and neurotoxins in Mission Viejo
Priced per unit, injected by a board-certified nurse practitioner. Cosmetic treatment for movement lines, and masseter treatment for jaw clenching, TMJ and a heavy jawline.
Medically reviewed by Lindsay Short, NP-BC, Board-Certified Nurse Practitioner · last reviewed September 2026
What neurotoxin costs here
Priced per unit, which is the only honest way to quote it. Per-area pricing sounds simpler and conceals the thing that actually varies between patients: how much product the muscle needs.
- Botox
- Daxxify
- Xeomin
- Dysport
Neurotoxin is priced by the unit, because a unit is a fixed dose of product and an area is not. We agree the unit count with you before anything is injected.
- Quoted in writing before anything starts. You hear the full figure at your consultation, not after treatment and not on the day.
- The consultation is free, with no obligation to book and no charge if you decide against it.
- We do not bill insurance. No prior authorization, no coverage denial part-way through, and no treatment decision made by a plan rather than by your clinician.
- Cherry and CareCredit financing are available, and membership pricing is lower than standard rates.
How many units each area takes
| Area | Typical units | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Frown lines (glabella) | 20 to 25 | Softens the vertical "11s" between the brows |
| Forehead lines | 10 to 20 | Softens horizontal forehead lines |
| Crow's feet | 12 to 24 | Both sides, lines fanning from the outer eye |
| Masseter, per side | 20 to 30 | Reduces clenching force, slims a heavy jaw |
| Lip flip | 4 to 6 | Rolls the upper lip outward slightly |
| Bunny lines | 4 to 8 | Creases across the bridge of the nose |
Ranges, not quotes. A first treatment is deliberately conservative so we can see how you respond and add at the two-week review, which is included.
Masseter treatment for jaw clenching and TMJ
The masseter is the muscle that closes your jaw, and in people who clench or grind it becomes overdeveloped. That produces morning jaw ache, worn teeth, tension headaches and a squared, heavy lower face.
Neurotoxin reduces the force the muscle can generate. Patients typically report less clenching within two to three weeks, and dentists often notice less wear at the next check-up. It is worth being precise about what it does and does not do: this treats the muscle, not the joint. If your pain originates in the joint itself, it will help less, and we will say so rather than treat and hope.
The jawline slimming is a side effect, not the mechanism. As the muscle is used less it reduces in bulk over two to three months, which narrows the lower face. People often come for one of those two outcomes and are pleased by the other.
It uses more product than any cosmetic area, 20 to 30 units a side, and masseter bulk varies more between people than anywhere else we treat, so it is assessed and quoted individually rather than from a menu.
Which product, and why it matters less than you think
Botox
The most studied and most predictable. If you have had neurotoxin before and were happy, this is usually where to stay.
Xeomin
A bare toxin with the accessory proteins stripped out. Worth trying if other products have stopped working for you over time.
Daxxify
A peptide carrier rather than human albumin, and it tends to last four to six months. Fewer appointments a year at the same price per unit.
All three relax the same muscles by the same mechanism. The differences are real but narrow, and they matter far less than the judgment about dose and placement.
What happens at your first visit
We watch your face move, not rest
Lines at rest and lines in motion are different problems. Neurotoxin treats movement. If what bothers you is visible when your face is completely still, it is etched into the skin and this is the wrong treatment. We will tell you that.
A clenching assessment where it is relevant
If you mention jaw ache, headaches or tooth wear we assess the masseter by having you clench. That muscle is easy to feel and its bulk decides the dose entirely.
A unit count and a total, in writing
Before anything is opened. Units per area, totaled. Nothing is drawn up until you have seen the number and agreed to it.
A two-week review, included
Results are not final until day fourteen, and if an area needs a few more units we add them then. Judging the result at day five is the most common reason people think it did not work.
The first two weeks, and what wearing off looks like
The first four hours
Stay upright, skip the gym, and do not rub or massage the treated areas. The product needs to stay where it was placed, and pressure in the first hours is the one thing that can move it.
Day three to five
Movement begins to soften. This is where people conclude it has not worked, and it is genuinely too early to tell.
Day fourteen
The real result, and the point we review. If an area needs a few more units they go in then. Assessing before this is the most common reason for an unnecessary top-up.
Month three onward
It fades rather than stops. Movement returns before the lines do, which is why treating at the first sign of movement keeps a result smoother than waiting for the lines to come back.
Masseter treatment behaves differently: it lasts longer, often six months, because the muscle reduces in bulk rather than simply relaxing. Jaw slimming builds over two to three months and fades correspondingly slowly.
Who this is for, and who it is not
Movement lines, frown lines, forehead lines, crow’s feet. Jaw clenching, TMJ discomfort and a heavy jawline. Excessive underarm sweating. A lip flip for a slightly fuller upper lip without filler.
Who it is not for
If lines are visible when your face is completely still they are etched rather than dynamic, and neurotoxin will soften them only slightly. Those respond to resurfacing or skin tightening. If the concern is lost volume, that is a filler question, and a lip flip is not a substitute for lip filler, it does a different job.
Not appropriate during pregnancy or breastfeeding, or with certain neuromuscular conditions. We screen for that and decline where treatment is not clinically appropriate.
Why the injector matters more than the brand
- Who treats you
- Lindsay Short, NP-BC, every visit
- Credential
- Board-certified nurse practitioner
- Consultation
- Free, no obligation
- Two-week review
- Included, adjustments at no charge
Every product on this page is available at dozens of clinics within a half-hour drive. What is not interchangeable is the judgment about how much, where, and when to stop. A result that looks obviously done is almost always a dosing decision rather than a product one, and it is why we treat conservatively first and review at two weeks.
Book your free consultationWhy we price by the unit
Most clinics quote by area, a price for “forehead” or “crow’s feet”, and it sounds simpler until you realize it hides the only number that matters. A unit is a fixed dose of product. An area is not: one person’s frown line needs eighteen units and another’s needs thirty-two, because muscle strength varies enormously between faces.
Priced by area, the person needing eighteen units subsidises the person needing thirty-two, and neither knows what they received. It also creates a quiet incentive to underdose, because a fixed price and less product is a better margin, which is the single most common reason people report that their treatment “did not work” or wore off in six weeks.
Per unit, you pay for exactly what goes in. We tell you the unit count before we start, it goes in your record, and next time we can adjust it up or down deliberately rather than guessing at the same flat price.
24002 Via Fabricante, Suite 201, Mission Viejo
Centrally located in Orange County. Easy parking, friendly front desk, and a comfortable waiting space designed for genuine conversation about your goals.
Saturday: Closed
Sunday: Closed
Answers before you book
How much does Botox cost per unit?
Quoted by the unit, with Xeomin the least expensive of the three. You are quoted the total before anything is injected and the consultation is free. We price per unit rather than per area because the same area needs different amounts on different faces, and per-area pricing hides how much product you are actually receiving.
How much is masseter Botox?
Masseter treatment uses considerably more product than a cosmetic dose, commonly 20 to 30 units per side, so the unit count is considerably higher than a cosmetic dose. It is quoted properly at consultation after we assess the muscle, because masseter bulk varies more between people than any other area we treat.
Does masseter Botox help TMJ and jaw clenching?
It reduces the force the muscle can generate, which is why patients report less morning jaw ache, less tooth grinding and fewer tension headaches. It does not treat the joint itself, so if the problem is the joint rather than the muscle it will help less. Slimming of a heavy jawline follows over two to three months as the muscle reduces in bulk, which is a cosmetic side effect of a medical treatment rather than the other way round.
How many units will I need?
Frown lines between the brows commonly take 20 to 25 units, forehead lines 10 to 20, crow’s feet 12 to 24 for both sides. A lip flip is 4 to 6. Masseter is 20 to 30 per side. These are typical ranges rather than a quote: muscle strength varies a great deal and a first treatment is deliberately conservative.
What is the difference between Botox, Xeomin and Daxxify?
All three relax the same muscles. Xeomin is a bare toxin with no accessory proteins, which some patients prefer if other products have stopped working for them over time. Daxxify uses a peptide carrier and tends to last four to six months rather than the usual three to four. Botox is the most studied and most predictable. The choice is usually about longevity and about how you have responded before.
What is a lip flip?
Four to six units into the muscle just above the upper lip, which relaxes it so the lip rolls very slightly outward and shows more pink. It is not filler and it does not add volume, it changes how the lip sits. It lasts around two to three months, shorter than most areas, because the muscle is small and constantly used.
How long does it last?
Three to four months for Botox and Xeomin, often four to six for Daxxify. Masseter treatment tends to last longer still, sometimes six months, because the muscle reduces in bulk rather than simply relaxing. It wears off gradually, and movement returns before the lines do.
When will I see results, and will I look frozen?
Movement softens around day three and settles by day fourteen. A frozen look is a dosing decision rather than a property of the product, and we treat conservatively first and review at two weeks, adding units is straightforward and removing them is impossible.
Is there downtime?
None. Go back to work immediately. Avoid lying flat, heavy exercise and facial massage for the rest of the day, and expect small raised bumps at the injection points for about twenty minutes.
Who does the injecting?
Lindsay Short, NP-BC, a board-certified nurse practitioner, performs every treatment personally. Injectables here are not delegated to unlicensed staff.
Find out how many units you actually need
A free consultation with the injector, a written quote in units, and a two-week review included. We start conservatively, because adding is easy and removing is not.