Doctor Claims Early Botox Will Make You Look OLDER

Princess 19 on 3 Jun 2011 at 9:00am

Ever since it's introduction, millions of people have used celeb-faved Botox as both preventative and maintenance from unsightly frown lines, crows feet and the like. But, according to one British doctor, starting Botox early may may you look older sooner.

As reported in the Daily Mail, UK's semi-celeb Dr. Darren McKeown claims that the idea of using Botox as a preventative measure are unsubstantiated. He says that excessive use of Botox at an earlier age could actually cause muscles to deteriorate and evetually cause premature aging sooner (versus not using Botox at an early age).

Kim Kardashian preventative Botox "There is no evidence that in the long term Botox works as a preventative, nor is there any licence to use it as such," said Dr. McKeown. "The drug works on wrinkles by relaxing the muscles responsible for expression lines and is licensed only for the treatment of moderate to severe frown lines."

Not all doctors agree, however.

"The time to start Botox is before you need it," says San Diego plastic surgeon Dr. Vincent Marin. "As your muscles continually contract and 'wrinkle' your skin over many years, the lines only seen when the muscles are contracting become lines present at rest. Thus, if you treat (paralyze) selected muscles before these lines appear (it is normal to have them when your muscles contract), you can slow the 'aging' process, at least as it relates to fine lines on your skin."

Read more about the "preventative Botox" debate here.

Photo credit: Dr. Gregory Pippin, NY Post

Comments (11)

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KitteNYC
17 Jun 2011

No, this is definitely true--at least, for certain muscles. It's a fact that incorrectly injecting botox under the eyes or around the crows' feet results in the pseudoherniation of the periorbital fat. This happens because some of the extremely delicate muscles around the eyes are designed to hold in the periorbital fat. If these muscles are weakened, or paralyzed, they will atrophy and no longer be able to serve this crucial purpose. The periorbital fat will slide out, causing extremely premature undereye bags. This pseudoherniation happens to nearly everyone as they age, and is the cause for true undereye bags (not edema or hyperpigmentation). It's also a fact that the use of botox in a "botox brow-lift" results in horizontal forehead lines because of the higher placement and freer action of the eyebrows. I believe that the only safe place for early botox use is the glabella (in between the eyebrows).

Just for reference, I'm 18 years old, obviously not a doctor, and a current botox user.

Andy Castillo
22 Jun 2011

The key word there is INCORRECTLY... if Botox is administered properly by a well-trained medical professional, problems such as those you discuss can be avoided.

I applaud you for doing your research, RobinNYC!

KitteNYC
23 Jun 2011

Hehe, thank you, Dr. Castillo. I feel that far too few consumers are aware of this information. Unfortunately I seem to be suffering from a very unique adverse reaction from a botox treatment to my masseters, so this result has sparked even further research.

Andy Castillo
9 Jul 2011

I'm hoping for the best for you, RobinNYC. Adverse reactions are rare, but they CAN occur. Hang in there...and know that you are your own best advocate!

Dr. Andy

avrilcole
7 Jun 2011

I agree too. I'm not a doctor, but I have a friend working for a botox Mississauga clinic, and she told me exactly what Dr. Andy said. In my opinion, if botox is considered the best anti-aging treatment, it should be used to eliminate the signs of aging, and these signs are visible after a certain age, but not before 35-40 years.

avrilcole
7 Jun 2011

Andy Castillo
6 Jun 2011

I agree with Dr. Martin. I've been administering Botox for nearly 10 years, and see no evidence to the contrary.

KateH (Community Manager)
23 Jun 2011

Good to know. I have a ton of friends in their late 20's, early 30's that have started using Botox as a preventative measure.

Octaviawayne
24 Jun 2011

I had 31 units of Botox for two vertical lines between my eyes I have no other lines on my forehead I'm 63 years old. The lines of course did not disappear, but looked less like I was frowning, but its been about 5 weeks now and its all gone...I think its to expensive to wear off that quick. What do you think Doctor?

KitteNYC
26 Jun 2011

31 units is a rather larger amount of botox for the tiny glabella...although, I suppose more is needed in a more mature patient. Some people can acquire a tolerance to botox over years of treatment because the human body produces antibodies to combat the toxin. Have you ever used botox before? Also, are you sure it was "Botox?" There are a few botox alternatives, the most popular being Dysport. Dysport is mainly used in the upper third of the face because it tends to spread more easily than botox, helping paralyze a number of facial muscles despite fewer injections. If you were injected with Dysport instead of botox, you may be experiencing the diffusion process of the toxin, which may result in a less localized relaxation. Have you noticed any effect around your brows, your upper forehead, or other places you were not initially injected in?

Furthermore, botox only lasts 3-4 months. Meaning, by as little as 3 months, the toxin has entirely left your body. So, by 5 weeks, your botox results may be as much as half gone. There are more botox alternatives that will be FDA-approved within the next year for cosmetic use that will address the issues of antibody-formation and the relatively short duration of botox.

If you're looking for a permanent, drastic solution for glabella lines, you may opt for glabella removal, which is a surgery that excises the glabella muscle.

Andy Castillo
9 Jul 2011

Had you ever had Botox or Dyport before this? Those muscles can be quite strong...as with any muscle, the more you use it, the more pronounced it will get. This is great for certain muscles, like abs, but not good for frown lines.

Five weeks IS quick...but if you continue to use it the next time it might last longer as the muscles atrophy (get weaker). You will never hit a point where you won't need to use it any more to maintain results, but hopefully it will last longer than 5 weeks.

I will caution you, however, some people simply aren't great responders. If your provider offers Dysport, give that a try. Some people think it lasts longer, and it tends to be less expensive.

After July 15, there is a new rebate from the makers of Dysport...and if you can prove that you had Botox within the last 3 or 4 months (I believe), there's an additional rebate. So you might find it worth trying again.

Good luck! ~ Dr. Andy