In an age of skin care obsession, it seems like a goal on everyone’s mind is to stay looking as fresh and youthful as possible. This manifests itself in many different practices, whether that be a twenty step routine with two separate kinds of sunscreen, or a round of injectables.
Botox has been around for a long time, specifically gaining widespread use in the 1990s, and being approved by the FDA in 2002. For the past 30 or so years, the youngest Botox patients were in their mid to late 30s, but in the current day it is becoming increasingly common for patients as young as their mid 20s to be receiving these procedures.
What exactly is preventative Botox? Botox is an injection that relaxes the muscles in the face so they will not contract. The repeated muscle contractions paired with gravity are typically what cause wrinkles, so the idea is that relaxing the muscles will stop the creation of wrinkles. Preventative Botox is when users start using these injections to relax their muscles before any wrinkles have appeared, in order to prevent any from arising. I feel that, in theory, this sounds like a great gig but in reality, there are a couple issues.
Preventative Botox is relatively new on the market, and there is still not much evidence to prove that this practice works. There is not yet a way to definitively tell that these injections will prevent wrinkles. Plastic surgeon James Zins at the Cleveland clinic says, “The idea of it is more theoretical than operational…we don’t have any hard data.” The lack of evidence that this treatment will actually work is concerning, given that preventative Botox is a life long investment. Once you start getting preventative Botox, in order for the effects to last, you need to continue to receive injections. This isn’t just a once and done ordeal, but a life long commitment. Dr. Zins goes on to say, “Botox is temporary, so once the treatments have stopped, then the effect goes away.” This means freezing your face twice a year and sinking at least two thousand dollars a year into this never ending cycle.
These issues raise the question of why this procedure has reached younger audiences at a growing rate, and why so many of them are listening. Board certified dermatologist Papri Sarkar, MD says for Allure, “Now we have patients in their 20s asking about it —and most of them just don’t need it.” It seems to me as though young people are scared of aging. So scared of aging in fact, that they undergo medical procedures to “stop” wrinkles before they even have any. With this new demographic of millennials and gen z going in for Botox treatments, it is important to consider the role that the internet has in all of this.
Social media influencers who are abundant in followers and sponsorships show a skewed view of life to their viewers. They are quick to tell their followers to follow in their footsteps of various procedures or products, and many times, viewers will listen.
A 23 year old TikTok influencer shared a video of her miming giver herself a Botox injection. Also an employee at a Med Spa, she shares with her followers that she receives Preventative Botox herself. The video has nearly 8 thousand likes. Without sharing any research or sources, she has influenced her viewers to start Botox injections. The comments are mostly all other young women saying that they want a similar procedure.
I think the bottom line here for Preventative Botox is to do real research before going through with the procedure, and explore other avenues. I would suggest to consider waiting until there is some definitive evidence, or until lines and wrinkles actually start to appear. Despite social media pushing out videos saying what procedures you need, there is nothing wrong with looking your age.