More young people are getting botox, not to get rid of age lines but to prevent them from ever forming.
But doctors say there are things you need to know before going under the needle.
Let’s connect the dots.
It’s a trend that is taking over social media -- often called “baby botox."
The idea is to soften the movement of facial muscles to prevent the appearance of lines down the road. According to the Washington Post, people ages 20 to 39 were responsible for about 20 percent of all botox procedures in 2019.
While most of the patients are women, dermatologists report more and more men are jumping on the anti-aging bandwagon.
Preventative botox is not the same as erasing age lines. Instead, small amounts of the toxin are used on targeted muscles to temporarily weaken them.
Also, fewer treatments are needed than the traditional procedure. If done right that means you will still have natural facial movement. It just stops you from tensing those muscles too hard.
So what do doctors want you to know? First, there isn’t a lot of research on the long-term effects of baby botox -- good or bad. Although, prolonged use over time could have consequences.
Also, since this is preventative, patients will need to keep getting injections regularly and that could be costly.
Plus, since things can go wrong if the procedure is not done properly, you have to do your research when finding a provider.
Because you want to stay forever young, not forever frozen.
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