Nobody likes looking in the mirror and noticing new wrinkles on their skin. While there are thousands upon thousands of anti-aging creams, masks, and in-office treatments available, those are tackling fine lines & wrinkles that already exist. What if you could prevent facial lines in the first place? More and more people interested in preventative Botox believe that you can.
Curious about whether preventive Botox might be right for you? We’ve put together a quick guide to what patients can expect when they try early Botox.
Remember that your skin is unique, and what works for one person might not for another. There’s no way to know what’s best for your skin until you meet with a Botox provider – get in touch today to schedule a consultation. Dr. Harnois is a Botox expert who trains other medical professionals on injection techniques – you can be confident that you’re in good hands.
Why Botox Can Prevent Wrinkles
The answer to Botox’s preventative secrets lies in the way it works within your skin. Botox disrupts communication between nerves and muscles. When nerves are unable to command a muscle, that muscle ceases to contract. Botox is carefully injected to affect only certain muscles which are involved with wrinkle formation.
When you meet with a Botox provider, they will ask you to wrinkle or clench your forehead and mark the lines along which your skin furrows. Then they know exactly where to place Botox injections to yield ideal results. With Botox, the goal is to limit the formation of wrinkles while avoiding overdoing it. When you have too much Botox or poorly-placed injections, you lose some of your ability to emote and your forehead can take on that frozen look.
But the right number of units in the right spots will yield results that are just right. By starting Botox young, you can improve the appearance of eventual wrinkles and require less involved anti-aging efforts down the road. The question with preventative Botox is: are traces of future wrinkles showing yet on your face? If your skin is still smooth, you may not be able to get Botox quite yet – more in this below.
Who Can Get Preventative Botox?
There’s no clear answer to this question, but your age does play a universal role. Proactive wrinkle-fighters in their 20’s and 30’s are typically the patients interested in trying Botox before they really “need” it. This practice is on the rise – according to the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, 64% of plastic surgeons have seen an increase in patients under 30 requesting anti-aging procedures. Since Botox has become a household name, many interested individuals are wondering if they can get started before lines take hold.
As we mentioned, you do need to be showing an indication of where wrinkles will likely form on your forehead, between your eyes, or at the corners of your eyes. If you’re not seeing clear wrinkles yet, you’re not disqualified – all you typically need is faint traces of where lines are beginning to form, when your face is at rest. By treating the muscles responsible with botox, you stop the muscle movements that cause these lines, and prevent them from deepening.
If you receive regular Botox treatments in your 20’s or 30’s, you can train certain muscles to stop contracting when you frown or clench your brow. This could help you reduce your anti-aging efforts in the future, so it’s a smart investment. Early Botox also helps you reduce the frequency of treatments and the number of units. You’ll see the same results as you would if you started Botox years later, with fewer injections.
What If My Skin Doesn’t Have Any Lines?
If you don’t see traces of young wrinkles when your face is at rest, hold off on the Botox for the time being. Guessing at which areas might wrinkle could lead to unnatural-looking results. This could lead to the kind of frozen-faced, emotionless visage that we’re all hoping to avoid when we get Botox. This kind of dead forehead can also make you look older than you are due to awkwardly stiff muscles, and then all your efforts have backfired.
Worried about preventing signs of aging? There’s plenty that can do without Botox. Always, always protect your skin from the sun and wear SPF daily. You can also try gentle options like facials, chemical peels, topicals, and superficial laser treatments. Always moisturize your skin and hydrate to make sure it has the moisture it needs to thrive.
Interested in learning more about preventative Botox? Get in touch today to schedule a free consultation!