What Is the Right Age for Getting Botox?

No longer do you need to wonder if you should or shouldn’t do it, or if now is the right time or not. We’re talking about Botox, the most famous of all injectables known for smoothing the face and stopping wrinkles. At Radiant Divine Medical Spa in Avon, Brecksville, and Medina, OH, we believe anyone with lines or a predisposition to them should have treatment, and the time is right because waiting only delays your more youthful appearance.

What Is the Right Age for Getting Botox?

It may surprise you to learn patients are no longer using injectables merely to correct wrinkles that already exist. They’re also choosing them to prevent wrinkles, and at the top of this treatment list is Botox with more than 7.5 million injections administered every year. The influx of demand is largely owed to younger patients who no longer want to wait until the signs of aging have gripped them; they want to stave off those signs altogether.

Generally speaking, 25 is the ideal age to begin treatment. This marks the time when patients start to notice lines that stick around after they smile or frown; these are definite indicators treatment can help. Others opt for this neuromodulator in preparation for their thirtieth birthday when the production of proteins that support the face has already slowed by as much as 5%.

A Dramatic Shift

This approach marks a dramatic shift in patients’ thought patterns regarding injectable treatments. Up until a few years ago, they were considered only as remedies for concerns like:

  • Lines around the eyes, commonly known as crow’s feet
  • Horizontal lines in the forehead
  • Frown lines between the eyebrows
  • Lines across the bridge of the nose, known as bunny lines
  • “Dents” in the chin
  • Age lines in the neck

Today, social media has made us more aware than ever of our own appearances. We don’t believe the signs of aging are inevitable. And cosmetic therapies are more widely available, and more mainstream, than ever before. They’re not reserved just for wealthy celebrities and socialites. In fact, just the opposite, these treatments are often incorporated into patients’ routine skincare regimens, from stay-at-home moms to marketing executives.

In Your Twenties

If you have an expressive face, in which you frequently move your muscles to emote, treatment in your twenties can relax those muscles and train them to move less frequently. We’re not saying you’ll no longer be able to smile or frown, because you will. We each have 42 muscles in the face, and relaxing several will not impede your ability to move as normal.

Instead, we’ll target treatment so that only muscles that may cause lines or wrinkles to develop are affected. An example is of a person who often frowns in concentration and is at risk for lines between the forehead. Alternatively, if lines already exist, we’ll deliver injections to those specific sites. The point is that treatment is delivered in a very controlled manner.

In Your Thirties

Health care providers generally agree the sooner you start Botox, the better. It gives both your skin and underlying muscles a chance to rest. But starting treatment in your twenties is not a hard and fast rule, and not doing so doesn’t preclude you from having future treatments. After all, some facial lines have genetic components that don’t reveal themselves until a person is in his or her thirties.

With this in mind, we treat each patient individually. If you’re 35 and are only now starting to see some unwanted changes to your face, such as crow’s feet when you smile, the right time to start treatment is today. Part of the appeal of this injectable is its versatility, meaning its effects aren’t limited to patients of a certain age.

In Your Forties

Now is the point at which we can say chronologic age is less important when speaking of Botox than the appearance of wrinkles. If you’ve made it to your forties with little to no lines, you’re obviously doing a few things right. This means avoiding excessive sun exposure, drinking plenty of water, and making healthy food choices. These factors, in addition to avoiding smoking and drinking, help keep wrinkles at bay.

Having said that, we can certainly start treatment on patients in their forties, although the outcomes will likely be a little different. For instance, the injectables will turn from a preventative measure to one that corrects. This is not to say that you won’t enjoy the benefits, because you will. But we’ll strive to retain your natural appearance and, rather than eliminate all fine lines, will likely target those that are the deepest.

Complementary Therapies

We may also, at this point, suggest complementary therapies to provide broader results. Dermal fillers, for example, can restore lost volume to the cheeks and lips, while Kybella can kill fat cells to eliminate the appearance of a double chin. Combining these treatments can rejuvenate your entire face and allow us to customize your results.

Neuromodulators and Brides

Talking about age brings us to our next point: women are increasingly choosing Botox – many for the first time – before their weddings to look their best for the upcoming rounds of parties and photographs. Surveys conclude that of all the beauty treatments women have before their nuptials, neuromodulators account for around 15%. And the ages of these patients range from the mid-20s to mid-40s, confirming the right time for treatment is anytime.

If you’re interested in having treatment for your big day, you’ll want to follow a few key guidelines. First, schedule your consultation as far in advance of your wedding as possible. Many women do this as soon as they get engaged. This allows us to create a treatment plan that will take you all the way to your wedding, and gives you a chance to see how you like the results before saying “I do.”

Do Your Planning

Also, factor the cost of treatment into your wedding budget to ensure you plan appropriately. We can provide you with a price at your consultation after we’ve identified your treatment goals and the number of sessions you will likely need.

Therapy can help you look fresh and well-rested even if you feel exhausted from weeks or months of wedding prep. This is especially true if you have treatment around your eyes, where relaxing the muscles will also smooth your skin. But you need the appropriate time to heal and should also be willing to undergo a few sessions to ensure we get the dosage correct. Incrementally adding more will helps us achieve optimal results that still look very natural.

Clearing Away Myths

Botox is a treatment shrouded in myth, thanks to a great deal of misinformation. We’re here to help clear away the myths and deliver the truth. We’ll start with the most obvious, that injections will freeze your face so you can’t make expressions. We briefly talked about this earlier but want to say again that treatment will not eliminate your ability to move.

We ensure this with precise and targeted treatment. The treatment works by blocking messages between nerves and muscles that prompt movement. This means we’re temporarily relaxing the muscles to prevent line and wrinkle formation. We don’t need to treat the entire face to achieve this, only a few common areas of concern that can make subtle but significant improvements to your appearance.

Myth: This Is a Fad Cosmetic Treatment

This treatment has been around for more than 30 years and only continues to grow in popularity. It is quickly and easily administered, well-tolerated, and very safe. But Botox is more than a cosmetic therapy. It’s also received FDA approval to treat:

  • Eye spasms
  • Migraines
  • Excessive underarm sweating
  • Overactive bladder

 

Myth: Treatment Is Addictive

This injectable does not include any ingredients that would lead to dependency. The truth is that patients continue with treatment because they like their results. Unlike creams and serums sold in the store, Botox is a foolproof way to smooth the skin.

If it has a drawback, it’s the fact that it’s not a permanent solution, which explains the need for repeat maintenance sessions. But this is the case with all injectables, and most patients schedule subsequent visits every three or four months with little to no inconvenience. It is, as we said earlier, a routine component of many skincare regimens.

Myth: The Serum Is Toxic

It’s true this treatment uses a purified protein version of the Botulinum toxin, but it’s in such a minute amount that it’s largely non-toxic. The protein is inserted directly into muscles, where it bypasses the bloodstream to ensure complete safety. You would actually need between 200 and 300 times what we administer to experience the effects of toxicity.

Myth: You Must Stay Upright for Over Two Hours

Once we administer your injections, the solution takes about 20 minutes to settle into muscles. We recommend you stay upright throughout this time, but anything in excess of this is unnecessary, meaning you don’t have to walk around for two hours so the treatment can go to work.

What we do recommend is that you not exercise too vigorously for a day or two. You should also avoid excessive heat, so skip that trip to the beach and delay a visit to your favorite tanning salon. And be gentle when washing your face, using only lukewarm water and ensuring you pat rather than rub the skin dry.

Myth: Treatment Is Painful

Treatment is quick and over before most patients know it. In addition, our staff uses careful prudence with each injection to prevent bruising and skin discoloration. Employing the proper technique also ensures that no one but you can even tell you’ve received injections. You’ll look more relaxed, like you’ve just returned from a long, rejuvenating vacation, but you won’t look dramatically different.

Myth: Treatment Is Only for Women

There’s been a 27% uptick in the number of men getting treatment since 2010. The reason is simple: they, too, want to look younger, especially for social media but also to stay competitive in the workplace and in dating scenes. It’s a more authentic alternative to posting pictures of yourself from five years ago, before fine lines developed, and also gives dependably youthful results.

A Versatile Way to Erase Wrinkles

When speaking of age, we can’t give you a definitive “right time” to start treatment. This depends on your goals as well as your current appearance. If you see fine lines, you should schedule treatment today. Likewise, if you hope to prevent common signs of aging, now is the time to do so. Schedule your consultation by calling Radiant Divine Medical Spa in Avon, Brecksville, and Medina, OH.