Table of Contents
- Preventative Botox: What It Is and How It Works
- The Ideal Age to Start Botox Treatments
- How Botox Prevents the Formation of Deep Wrinkles
- Long-Term Benefits of Starting Botox Early
- Additional Anti-Aging Measures
- Key Signs You Might Be Ready for Preventative Botox
- Does Preventative Botox Offer Better Results Than Treating Wrinkles Later?
Preventative Botox: What It Is and How It Works
Botox injections have been around for the last twenty years and have been growing in popularity ever since. Botox is still the most widespread ‘go-to’ treatment for anti-ageing. And, whilst the miracle jab was used traditionally by people who already had wrinkles, these days attitudes towards Botox treatments are changing. Younger clientele are opting for it in ever increasing numbers. Why? To effectively prevent wrinkles from forming.
Preventative Botox, as the term suggests, is when Botox is injected in anticipation of wrinkle formation rather than in a corrective way once lines and wrinkles are already present.
Preventative Botox also works well when lines have only just started to faintly appear, but deeper creases have not yet formed. Botox will help lessen the appearance of wrinkles and slow down their development over time.
The Ideal Age to Start Botox Treatments
It’s not uncommon for adults in their mid-20’s and 30’s to seek out measures to prevent wrinkles from forming; there’s no right or wrong on the ideal age to start Botox. How someone’s skin is ageing is a very individual thing. There are many contributing factors to consider and a combination of these can lead to some people developing wrinkles faster than others.
Genetics, whether you smoke or drink and your exposure to sun can all affect how and when wrinkles are formed. Someone in their 20’s may develop deeper wrinkles compared to someone in their early 30’s who are showing only faint lines.
The best age to start having Botox injections depends on a few factors including:
- The presence of faint or visible lines
- Skin type
- How expressive your face is
- Genetics
- Hydration
- Lifestyle
- How much sun exposure you’ve had
Each of these factors will have some effect on how your skin is likely to cope with aging and whether or not it could do with a helping hand.
If you want to combat the early signs of wrinkles you may want to start preventative Botox as an effective, affordable and non-invasive treatment. Botox has only a temporary effect so if you decide Botox isn’t for you, the effects will wear off after three to four months.
Botox in Your 20’s
Legally you can start having Botox injections at 18 however at our Brighton clinic we will generally only see people who are 25 years and over. Even then, after fully assessing their individual skin type and appearance, we may recommend they follow other skincare or lifestyle measures if are they are not suitable candidates for Botox treatment.
Botox in Your 30s
As you hit your 30’s you may start to notice some lines. Collagen starts to become depleted and skin doesn’t spring back like it used to. The frown area and the skin around our eyes usually shows the first lines, although this varies from person to person. Starting preventative Botox in your 30’s will helps soften, slow down and minimise lines and wrinkles as they develop.
Botox in Your 40’s
You may detect that the lines you see in your 40’s have become a little deeper so, as well as Botox treatments, a variety of additional procedures to improve the skin’s overall appearance may be recommended. Some areas of pigmentation, volume loss and loose skin can be alleviated with several non-invasive treatments including peels, fillers and skin boosting treatments such as Profhilo and Ameela.
Botox after 50
Hormonal changes including menopause can leave the skin looking dull and feeling dry which results in further lines developing or getting more pronounced– time to added skin boosters to your Botox regime! Arrange a consultation with an experienced, qualified aesthetics practitioner to get a rejuvenation treatment plan which works alongside Botox injections. Treatment planning ensures that your whole face remains balanced and rejuvenated.
How Botox Prevents the Formation of Deep Wrinkles
When you smile or frown, groups of facial muscles pull on the skin. Each time the muscle pulls the skin, the elasticity decreases and the natural collagen degrades. Over the years repeated frowning may lead to ‘frown lines’ between the eyes and smiling may cause the formation of ‘crows feet’ wrinkles. To prevent wrinkles and lines forming Botox can be injected to weakening these facial muscles and lessen the muscle’s ‘pull’ which helps prevent the formation or deepening of wrinkles and lines.
An experienced aesthetic practitioner will first thoroughly assess your appearance and listen to your concerns. They will then inject Botox into the appropriate facial muscles relaxing them by blocking signals and nerve responses, preventing you from making certain expressions that wrinkle certain areas of the face.
Botox (the brand name for Botulinum Toxin) focuses on relaxing specific muscles groups responsible for dynamic lines. By temporarily weakening these facial muscles, Botox prevents these dynamic wrinkles, leaving you with a more rejuvenated, youthful appearance.
Preventative Botox can be applied areas most susceptible to wrinkles such as:
- Around the eyes
- Between the eyebrows
- Around the lips and mouth
- The forehead
Long-Term Benefits of Starting Botox Early
Some people choose preventative Botox in their 20’s or 30’s to keep their facial muscles from making the movements and contractions that eventually lead to wrinkles. Preventative Botox aims to weaken the wrinkle-making muscles, making them less active and the skin smoother.
A US study in 2006 looked at the long-term effects of Botox on a set of twins: One woman received regular injections for over a decade, the other did not. The twin who got regular Botox injections had noticeably less wrinkles than her sister even after stopping the Botox treatments. Preventative Botox had slowed down the development of the lines and wrinkles seen in the other twin.
Additional anti-aging measures
Preventative Botox is a very effective, non-invasive way halt wrinkle formation however to keep your skin healthy and lessen the overall possibility of future wrinkles you may also want to:
- Quit smoking or vaping: Nicotine slows down the essential collagen production which gives your skin structure and elasticity. Too little collagen can lead to wrinkles.
- Wear sunscreen: Wearing sunscreen (SPF15+) every day even in less sunny climates can help prevent sun damage that leads to wrinkles.
- Choose the right skincare products: In addition to sunscreen, a good moisturizer every day is a good way to help keep wrinkles at bay.
- Hydrate: As your body’s largest organ skin needs water; drinking water also helps to flush out toxins. In addition skin boosting treatments such as Profhilo and Ameela are designed to help your skin lock in much needed hydration.
Key Signs You Might Be Ready for Preventative Botox
There’s no ideal age to start preventative Botox injections however often milestone birthdays are the prompt for some people to starting the treatments. Clients of all ages come into our Brighton clinic to start their Botox journey, from people in their mid-20’s to those in their 60’s.
Most aesthetic practitioners agree that there’s one sign to look out for that you might be ready for Botox – when you notice the first signs of a fine line or wrinkle on your face at rest (ie when you’re not making a facial expression.)
Often the first wrinkles people see forming are horizontal line on the forehead, vertical frown lines in the middle of the brow or the fine lines around the eyes. When you see the early formation of these lines you might consider a consultation with an experienced aesthetic practitioner as early, preventative Botox can effectively slow down line formation.
Even very faint lines can be a signal that a wrinkle is about to form in that area of the skin. Paying attention to your skin and looking closely in the mirror for the early signs is a good idea. Also taking note of your family’s genetics; where do their own wrinkles appear and when? This is purely a guide as lines and wrinkles are also influenced by lifestyle factors.
Does Preventative Botox Offer Better Results Than Treating Wrinkles Later?
Botox has been traditionally associated the softening already visible fine lines and wrinkles. Preventative Botox is an earlier intervention increasingly being employed as a proactive step to prevent wrinkles from forming in the first place. It is part of the beauty trend of ‘prejuvenation’ – a new term combining ‘preventative’ and ‘rejuvenation.’
Prejuvenation is all about starting anti-ageing earlier and Botox treatments are becoming increasingly popular among those in their 20s and above who are focused on maintaining youthful skin.
Delayed Natural Ageing
The main benefit of preventative Botox is that it will help you avoid wrinkles and fine lines before they even start to form. By getting Botox injections early, you can prevent the muscles in your face from making repetitive movements that lead to wrinkles and you can maintain a youthful appearance for longer, avoiding more invasive treatments down the line.
- Prevention vs Cure: Similar to the advice in other medical fields, prevention is better than cure; it’s easier to prevent signs of aging than to correct them later on.
- Less costly: The deeper the wrinkle the more Botox required to treat it; you’ll need fewer treatments the earlier you start
- Subtle results: Botox injections reduce signs of aging in the face. Choosing to wait until a wrinkle has progressed before undergoing Botox injections means that the visible change in skin quality will be more obvious to friends and family. By choosing preventative Botox patients will gradually improve their skin quality and smoothness without it being obvious.
- Skin elasticity: The skin’s natural elasticity decreases as we age which contributes to lines and wrinkles. With preventative Botox individuals the skin’s elasticity can better by preserved by preventing repetitive muscle contractions that contribute to collagen breakdown and skin laxity.
- Tailored to you: Preventative Botox allows for an individual treatment plan completely tailored to your unique facial anatomy and ageing concerns. A qualified and skilled practitioner will assess your facial dynamics, identifying areas prone to wrinkle formation, place Botox injections to achieve natural-looking results that enhance the individual’s features.
Frequently Asked Questions Preventative Botox
What is the best age for preventative Botox?
What is the best age for preventative Botox?
Many dermatologists and plastic surgeons say preventative Botox can temporarily stop wrinkles from forming. But there are no high-quality clinical trials on the treatment
Is Botox worth it in your 30s?
Is Botox worth it in your 30s?
For most people, the early 30s is when the first fine lines appear at rest, and that is when preventative Botox® can have the most benefits. This is when most women start Botox® treatments today, often as a birthday present when they enter the new decade in their life.
What does Botox look like after 10 years?
What does Botox look like after 10 years?
Aside from what can happen after long-term use of Botox, one thing is for sure: “If you continuously get Botox for 10-plus years you will certainly look much younger and have fewer wrinkles,”
Where does Botox go when it wears off?
Where does Botox go when it wears off?
The neurotoxin protein in Botox blocks neurotransmitters from engaging with your facial muscles. Over time, the Botox components are broken down into harmless particles called amino acids.