Botox In Your 20's? Why Some Doctors Believe It's Never Too Early

   By SheSpeaksTeam  Oct 20, 2013

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When you think of Botox users you probably picture someone over the age of 40, but as some new commentary points out a person can never be too young for the wrinkle reducing injectable. The controversial advice, appearing in JAMA Dermatology, points out that by starting a regiment of Botox early on people can prevent lines and wrinkles from even starting.

Today reports about the article co-authored by Boston dermatologist Dr. Kenneth Arndt who calls early Botox procedures “pre-juvenation”.  Dr. Arndt explains, “It’s been clearly shown for a long time that frown lines, forehead furrows and crows’ feet are due to repetitive folding of skin from normal expressions. If you slow down the use of these muscles beginning early in adult life, the lines never develop. Rather than going backward and fixing something that’s there, you can inhibit it from starting in the first place.”

As most people know Botox is not a permanent fix, so if someone were to start getting regular injections in their 20’s, the lifetime cost of this type of cosmetic procedure would cost an estimated $3,000 per year. Not to mention, the whole “grow old gracefully” thing would no longer be an option.

But for those afraid to see their first wrinkle, early prevention may be pretty tempting. Dr. Arndt points out some studies backing up the claim that early Botox use delays wrinkles. He says, “The study shows pictures of them 10 to 15 years later and one has a smooth and attractive forehead and the other has the expression lines you’d expect with someone with normal aging.”

Some plastic surgeons don’t agree with the notion that early Botox use is beneficial. Dr. Arthur Perry says, “For the average person to start using Botox in their twenties is overkill. There’s a variability in the wrinkles and thinning of the skin, so to do it before the late thirties is probably unnecessary in the vast majority of people.”

What do you think of the advice to start Botox early to prevent wrinkles?

What do you think of “pre-juvenation” procedures?