A neuromodulator in the same class as Botox, purified to contain only the active toxin with no accessory proteins, which is why it is nicknamed the naked Botox. Same uses, similar dosing and duration, and the usual choice for people who have developed resistance to other brands.
Also called: incobotulinumtoxinA, xeomin injections, naked botox
Xeomin is the third of the major neuromodulators after Botox and Dysport, and the one built on a specific idea: strip the product down to the active toxin alone. Botox and Dysport carry accessory proteins that come along with the toxin during manufacturing. Xeomin removes them. For most people that changes nothing about the result. For the minority whose bodies have learned to fight those proteins, it changes everything.
What it does
The same thing every neuromodulator does. Injected into a muscle, it blocks the nerve signal that makes the muscle contract, the muscle relaxes, and the line it was carving softens. Xeomin is approved for frown lines and used across the upper face and elsewhere exactly as Botox is. Dosing converts one to one, so an injector who uses twenty units of Botox for your frown uses twenty units of Xeomin. Onset is three to five days, full effect at two weeks, and the result lasts three to four months.
Why choose it
The clearest reason is fading response. After years of regular treatment, a small share of people find their Botox or Dysport lasting six weeks instead of twelve, and antibodies to the accessory proteins are the usual cause. Switching to a product without those proteins typically restores the response. Injectors also reach for Xeomin when they prefer its feel for certain areas, when a clinic’s pricing favors it, or when a patient simply asks for a product with fewer additives.
If you are new to neuromodulators, Xeomin is a fine first product and no better or worse than the others in trained hands. If you have been treated for years and something has changed, it is the product to ask about.
What it costs
Per unit, $10 to $16, commonly a little below Botox at the same clinic. Frown lines run about twenty units; the full upper face forty to sixty. Compare treatments by total units and total price rather than by per-unit rate alone.
Choosing an injector
The brand matters far less than the hands. Ask how many neuromodulator treatments the injector does a month, which brands they carry and why, and to see results at two weeks on faces like yours. If you are switching because your response faded, say so; a good injector will confirm the pattern before recommending the change.
Browse the clinics below and compare Xeomin providers and per-unit pricing by city.
Why people choose Xeomin
Identical uses and results to Botox with unit-for-unit dosing
No accessory proteins, so it is less likely to trigger the antibodies that reduce response over time
Does not need refrigeration before mixing, which matters to clinics more than patients
Often priced slightly below Botox for the same treatment
Are you a good candidate?
Anyone treating frown lines, forehead lines, or crow's feet, and specifically people whose response to Botox or Dysport has faded over the years, or who prefer a product without added proteins
By location
Find Xeomin near you
765 clinics across 251 cities list Xeomin on ClinicCompass. 510 of them (67%) say on their own websites that they offer financing or payment plans;
ask about approval and interest before you book.
In head-to-head trials for frown lines, Xeomin and Botox performed comparably at the same unit dose, with similar onset and duration. Some injectors and patients report Xeomin feeling slightly softer or wearing off slightly sooner; others notice no difference. It is a legitimate alternative rather than a lesser one, and dosing converts roughly one to one, an industry rule of thumb rather than a label claim.
Why do people switch to Xeomin?
The most common reason is fading response. A small number of long-term Botox or Dysport users develop antibodies to the accessory proteins in those products, and their treatments stop lasting. Xeomin has no accessory proteins, so it is the standard switch when that happens. The other reasons are price, availability, and injector preference.
How long does it take to work and how long does it last?
Onset around three to five days, full effect at two weeks, and three to four months of result, essentially matching Botox. Because it is dosed roughly unit for unit, the same number of units usually treats the same area.
What does it cost?
Per unit, typically $10 to $16, often a dollar or two under Botox at the same clinic. Frown lines take about twenty units, so a treatment runs $200 to $350. Ask for the unit count with the price so you can compare across brands and clinics.
Sources
Where this information comes from
Clinical facts on this page are checked against these primary sources.
1.XEOMIN (incobotulinumtoxinA) for injection, for intramuscular or intraglandular use: Prescribing Information, U.S. Food and Drug AdministrationFDA approval for moderate to severe glabellar lines, horizontal forehead lines, and lateral canthal lines (crow's feet) in adults; the boxed warning on distant spread of toxin effect; that median onset occurs within two to seven days with a typical duration of effect up to 12 to 16 weeks (about three to four months); that XEOMIN is manufactured without accessory (complexing) proteins; that unopened vials do not require refrigeration; and, importantly, that XEOMIN's potency units cannot be compared to or converted into units of any other botulinum toxin product.
2.A new treatment for focal dystonias: incobotulinumtoxinA (Xeomin), a botulinum neurotoxin type A free from complexing proteins, National Library of Medicine, PubMed Central (National Institutes of Health)Confirms incobotulinumtoxinA is the only botulinum toxin product free of complexing (accessory) proteins, and that the complexing proteins in conventional formulations may increase antigenicity risk and possibly lead to treatment failure, the rationale for switching to Xeomin when response to another brand fades.
3.Neuromodulators, American Society for Dermatologic SurgeryNames Xeomin alongside Botox, Dysport, and Jeuveau as a neuromodulator used for frown lines, forehead lines, and crow's feet, with minimal pain, virtually no recovery time, and effects lasting about three months.
4.Botulinum Toxin, American Society of Plastic SurgeonsLists Xeomin among the FDA-approved botulinum toxin brands and confirms the mechanism: injections block the nerve signal to the injected muscle so it cannot contract.
