Considering Botox? Here's How to Do It Right at 20, 30, and 40
Different rules for different decades. (Photo: Gallery Stock)
It used to be a procedure reserved for Beverly Hills housewives, but nowBotox, hailed for its minimal invasiveness and drastic results, is pretty commonplace. And these days, 20- and 30-somethings are depending on the injections to treat and prevent lines and wrinkles. In fact, theAmerican Society of Plastic Surgeons reports that Botox injections have increased by as much as 750 percent since the year 2000. What’s more, in 2015, plastic surgeons saw a 64 percent increase in patients under 30 getting injectibles or cosmetic surgery, according to the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.
“Now that the procedure is less controversial, we’re starting to see young women view it as a preventative measure instead of a means to treat skin that’s already showing signs of aging,” says Tsippora Shainhouse, M.D., a Beverly Hills-based dermatologist. If that’s the case, when should you get started, and what should you know before going under the needle?
For Starters, Here’s How Botox Works
Botox is an FDA-approved drug made up of botulinum toxins that, when injected into the facial muscles, temporarily blocks local nerve impulses that trigger contractions. This softens wrinkles and prevents even more lines from forming. “As the skin ages, it loses its elasticity and collagen breaks down, so constant muscle and skin contractions can create more permanent creases,” says Shainhouse. While you can technically get Botox at any age under a doctor’s supervision, the FDA has only approved it for those ages 18 to 65.
RELATED: HOW YOUR FACE CHANGES IN YOUR 20S, 30S, AND 40S
What You Should Know About Getting Botox
In your 20s: To prevent wrinkles, some docs may recommend using Botox as early as your mid-to-late twenties to reduce facial muscle overexpression—a totally genetic thing, says Shainhouse. (Many women don’t have wrinkles in this decade, and wearing SPF daily can help keep skin line-free.) If you’re considering using Botox in the future, think of your twenties as a training wheel period: It can actually help you train your facial muscles not to move as much to prevent future skin wrinkling. Just remember, Botox will affect the way your facial muscles move in general. This means it might feel funny when you try to make a particular expression. Don’t want that frozen face? Your derm can use a smaller amount of the botulinum toxin and also inject it more superficially, so it doesn’t go as deep into the skin, says Shainhouse, who notes that the frozen effect happens when too much is used.
In your 30s: This is the decade when you normally start noticing somefine lines developing between your brows and around your eye area. “Botox will soften and even erase many of the finer lines around this age, as long as you continue keeping up with this regimen every three months or so,” says Shainhouse. If you’re only getting the procedure to look wrinkle-free for a particular event—ahem, your wedding, let’s say—or simply as a feel-good booster every now and then, you can space it out to every six months to save yourself the cost of an appointment.
In your 40s: At this age, your skin is thinning more rapidly, meaning wrinkles are far more obvious. “If you’ve not yet used Botox, your muscles have been contracting for a long time and you might have a few static wrinkles,” says Shainhouse. “Lines are more likely to have become etched in your skin even when you’re not moving the muscles underneath—not just dynamic ones that form only when you move your facial muscles.” There’s also some mid-face volume loss (aka sagging) at this age, which Botox can help with, but your skin may not be perfectly smooth afterwards because of the changes in its quality and resilience. Again, you’ll want to keep up injections approximately every three months.
The bottom line: You don’t need Botox. Wrinkles are a part of the natural aging process, after all. But if it’s something that interests you, discuss it with your derm so that you can come up with a treatment plan that won’t leave your face looking stiff as a board.
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By Jenn Sinrich