Surely those of you who have had Botox previously have heard, “but why? You don’t need it!” Or, “you are too young for that!” And for those of you who have thought about getting Botox, you may be concerned about running into these questions or the stigma surrounding aesthetic treatments. Well let’s chat about these concerns!
Botox is a neurotoxin injected into muscles to decrease movement that creates lines and wrinkles. It can also be used for treatment of headaches, TMJ and clenching/grinding, and excessive sweating. Back in the day, Botox treatments were typically used in middle to late- age women to address lines and wrinkles. But over the past several years Botox treatments and targeted populations have really evolved. We have even coined terms like “babytox” and “brotox” to normalize the use of neurotoxins in a younger population and in males.
Now let’s talk about a question I get a lot: does Botox prevent or treat lines and wrinkles? The answer is both. Imagine your skin is a piece of paper. If you crumple that paper repetitively, creases and distorted shape forms. Now imagine you stretch that crumpled paper back out and set it under a book for a while. The longer it’s under that book, the straighter it gets and the less visible those creases are. Same thing with your skin! If we paralyze the muscles that are constantly moving to create those pesky wrinkles, it’s going to prevent further creasing and treat current lines over time.
So, the ultimate question here is this: when should you start getting Botox? This is truly an individual decision and depends on how you feel about your face. If you can’t stand to see a single tiny line in your skin, I suggest starting early to mid-twenties to prevent those lines from developing. If little lines don’t bother you then hold off until you start noticing something bothersome. Just remember the longer you wait the more signs of aging you will have to reverse, which takes time and patience. If creases in the skin get to too deep over time, Botox may only help to a certain extent and then you’re looking at more expensive and often invasive procedures to correct this (in addition to Botox to prevent further age-lines). At the end of the day it’s your face, and nobody else’s business, so do what makes you happy!