Botox® used to be for baby boomers, but now it is becoming a favorite of millennials who are using it not to look younger but to prevent the formation of future wrinkles.

Botox® is approved for patients 18 years of age and older. It is a muscle relaxer that is used to treat wrinkles in the upper part of the face – in the forehead and around the eyes. Botox® is specifically used to treat dynamic wrinkles, which are caused by repetitive muscle movements. Botox® temporarily paralyzes the muscles, relaxing the wrinkles. The effects of a Botox® injection usually wear off in three to six months.

MILLENNIALS AND BOTOX®

It used to be that people began having Botox® injections in their 40s. These people were having Botox® injections to treat the lines and wrinkles that naturally occur from aging. But now Botox® is becoming a favorite of millennials. We are seeing more and more people having Botox® injections in their 20s and 30s. Botox® is now being used to treat wrinkles you don’t have yet, which is a far more effective treatment strategy, taking a “preventative approach

According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, in 2015, about 1.2 million Botox® injections were performed on patients in their 30s, and more than 100,000 injections were done on people in their 20s. And those numbers are growing.

PREVENTATIVE BOTOX® INJECTIONS

The best time to treat wrinkles is when they first appear. Preventative Botox® injections are done earlier in life to help correct expression related lines before they have a chance to become more deeply etched into the skin as wrinkles.

Repetitive muscle movements caused by facial expressions can cause lines to start forming on your face early in life. As you age and these repetitive muscle movements continue, these facial lines get deeper. It’s easier and more effective to inhibit the progression of lines and wrinkles than it is to take them away once they have already formed. By treating these lines early – in your 20s and 30s – you can train your face not to make these habitual movements and to reduce the odds that you will develop permanent wrinkles in that spot.

To find out if Botox® is right for you, contact us for more information or to schedule a consultation. The Weston Center for Plastic Surgery, under the ownership and direction of board-certified plastic surgeon Nathan Eberle, M.D., D.D.S., serves patients in the Weston and Pembroke Pines areas.