When should you start considering Botox? When are you too young? When are you too old? Can you be too old or too young? These are good questions I am frequently asked. Today I’m going to try to answer them.
To know when it’s time for you to skinvest in Botox you first need to understand how it works and what it achieves. To understand how Botox works you need to understand what makes wrinkles. The wrinkles that we soften with Botox are lines in motion. That means when you squint repeatedly over the years crows feet develop around your eyes. When you scowl and pull your eyebrows closer together and down, over the years “11’s” develop. Years of muscles repeating the same motions basically etch those lines into the skin. In other words, lines in motion become lines at rest. Botox is a medication we inject into the muscle, not the skin. The Botox relaxes the muscle enough that it can’t etch those lines into your skin. When done by an expert injector, the muscle is not frozen but relaxed naturally resulting in softer lines at rest. Back to the original question, when should you start injections? In my opinion, this age varies from person to person. I believe you should get your Botox at the first sign of a line in motion becoming a line at rest. Don’t wait until you have a deep line at rest. The first sign, make a consult with an expert injector. Although the theory of prevention of lines with Botox is out there I feel it may not be necessary. Why relax muscles that haven’t even started to etch a line in when you can wait until the very first sign of an etched in line and get Botox resulting in no line? Yes, of course if you start now you will never get that line but save your money and start a good medical grade skincare line until you’re ready for Botox.
The difficulty lies in knowing what the first sign of a line a rest developing looks like. I assess skin everyday. I could tell every single person I see everyday if, in my opinion, they would benefit from Botox. Unfortunately most people don’t have that assessment skill. And why should you? That’s not your topic of expertise. That’s why it’s important to have a dermatologist. The only medical specialty that is specially trained in skin. No offense to the pyramid scheme skin care line you are using but Dermatology is where the experts in skin reside. Remember that and make an appointment. Let someone you trust with your skin assess you and let you know where you should be putting your skinvestment money. I have 20 year olds with deeper lines than some of my 30 year olds. I don’t have a particular age number for you as the answer to when to start Botox, but I do have the assessment skills and the knowledge to tell you when you’re ready. So be proactive. Go get a consult. Take control of your skin. The answer isn’t on the Internet. It’s at a dermatology office near you(insert wink emoji here).
Can’t wait to see you at the clinic this week. Gearing up for our Gratitude celebration in November and it’s going to be great!
Stay Skintastic, Nina
