If you pay attention to plastic surgery in the news, you’ve likely come across articles about women in their 20s using BOTOX® not as a way to erase wrinkles, but as a way to prevent wrinkles from occurring. Since this seems to be a big issue in the media these days, we want to address this trend from the perspective of a plastic surgery office with over 25 years’ experience serving the greater Knoxville area.
Many wrinkles are the result of moving your facial muscles over and over: frown a couple hundred thousand times, and you’re likely to get “frown lines” as you age and your skin loses its elasticity. BOTOX ® is designed to relax some of your facial muscles, preventing you from reflexively frowning, and therefore softening the lines in your skin.
The idea behind getting BOTOX® or dermal fillers in your 20s is that, by reducing the number of times you frown at an early age, you’re preventing lines from appearing until much later in life. This might seem like a sound theory, but it’s important to note that no clinical trials have tested the theory, so it remains scientifically unproven. Likewise, no studies have tested whether there are any side effects to using BOTOX ® for 10-20 years longer than you normally would.
So, yes or no to preventative BOTOX ®? The truth is, there’s no easy answer. Some women do start getting lines on their face in their 20s, and it’s possible that these women could benefit from BOTOX ® injections. However, we would not recommend the procedure to anyone with a naturally line-free face, no matter how old they are. If you are thinking of getting BOTOX ®, the most important thing is that you discuss your options with a board-certified plastic surgeon who has many years of experience and a proven record of patient care, like Dr. Kleto.
If you have questions about how BOTOX ® or dermal fillers can improve your appearance and self-confidence, then call Dr. Dean Kleto’s plastic surgery practice at (865) 366-4755 or toll-free at (877) 907-0747 to schedule an initial consultation. We serve patients in Knoxville, Sevierville, and Knox County, Tennessee.