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Botox As a Preventive Measure - Antiaging

asked 3 years ago by gg96
Latest answer by Kris M. Reddy, MD, FACS
Question viewed 11,645 times
Tags: age 18-24, female, anti-aging, prevention, skin care

I'm young and am very concerned about aging. I've read that Botox can be used as a preventive measure, but couldn't find a lot of information about it. Can botox really prevent wrinkles? If it can, when is a good time to start? Would I need as much of it as someone who has already developed wrinkles? I want to prevent aging as much as I can (I'm already using sunscreen) but I dont want to be throwing away thousands of dollars by starting too early.

13 answers to Botox As a Preventive Measure - Antiaging

Using Botox BEFORE wrinkles are present

While we do have a good number of young Botox patients, most are in their twenties and are just beginning to see fine lines in the forehead or crow's feet area. In Southern California, because of heavy sun exposure, it's not uncommon to see a patient in their twenties that can benefit from Botox, but we don't advise using it before any lines or wrinkles are present..

Harold J. Kaplan, MD
Los Angeles Facial Plastic Surgeon

www.celibre.com

Botox for prevention of wrinkles

Greetings~ Botox is being used more and more frequently by people trying to do preventative treatments. Waiting until lines become etched into the skin means it's much more difficult to smooth their appearance again. Botox is used for lines and wrinkles that are formed by muscle movement such as scowling (creates lines between brows), raising the eyebrows (creates horizontal lines) and squinting (contributes to crows feet). Often by starting Botox... more

Grant Stevens, MD
Los Angeles Plastic Surgeon

Botox should NOT be used for prevention.

To gg96, I get upset when Botox is promoted to someone like you. Of course I don't know you, but my advice would be: Forget Botox, don't look in the mirror too much, and enjoy your youth. When you actually get lines or wrinkles that bother you, then Botox is a good thing.

George J. Beraka, MD
Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

Yes, it is best to start Botox before you have bad wrinkles.

gg96, It is best to start Botox before the wrinkles develop. The reasoning is that continued stress leads to dermal atrophy and breakdown of the structural integrity of the dermis (wrinkles). If you start Botox early, then you are decreasing the stress on the skin and, thus, helping to prevent wrinkles. I hope this is helpful. David Shafer, MD New York City

David Shafer, MD
New York Plastic Surgeon

www.ShaferPlasticSurgery.com

When to start Botox

Botox is being used as a preventative treatment for wrinkles. The question of when to start is more complicated. It depends really a bit on your facial structure and your predisposition for wrinkling. Many of my patients wait for the first signs of wrinkles to occur before treatment. The skin typically has enough elasticity that waiting until identification of problem areas will not prevent complete correction. I hope this helps.

Steven H. Williams, MD
San Francisco Plastic Surgeon

Botox As a Preventive Measure

Botox may be helpful to combat dynamic wrinkles before they get worse, and it would take fewer units for correction then if the wrinkles got worse. However, don't jump too quickly. Botox should not be used to prevent wrinkles from forming.

Kris M. Reddy, MD, FACS
West Palm Beach Plastic Surgeon

www.drkrisreddy.com

Botox and aging - study done

There have been twin studies where botox was used in one identical twin for a number of years and then stopped whereas the other twin did not get botox. Photos several year later showed the twin who had botox for some time looked younger than the "non-botoxed" twin. It works well. You probably need a lower dose and could spread them up to six months apart. Early botox has several advantages: 1. The muscles that you paralyze grow weak over time and don't work as well.... more

Chris Thiagarajah, MD
Washington DC Oculoplastic Surgeon

Botox as prevention for wrinkles

Botox works well for dynamic wrinkles on the face and neck. These wrinkles do not start as severe wrinkles, rather they gradually progress with age, stress, and sun exposure. Botox is effective only on dynamic wrinkles of the face. If you have these, even mildly, at a younger age, the early use of Botox will be preventative in nature to stop the progression of the wrinkles.

Raffy Karamanoukian, MD
Los Angeles Plastic Surgeon

Youth Versus Botox...Nothing Beats Youth

Hi gg, You should wait until you at least start to show a little crinkle (much smaller that a wrinkle) in your forehead. Following the advice of the other doctors will suit you very well in preventing wrinkles. We have many tools to help patients look young and healthy, but nothing beats the youth that Mother Nature has given you. Don't frown; you can wait for the earliest signs of age before committing yourself to Botox. Be well. Dr. P

Michael A. Persky, MD
Los Angeles Facial Plastic Surgeon

A stitch in time saves nine....

There is much I do not know about your individual needs, but in general, Botox works best in younger patients because it reverses the trend to frown unnecessarily. Over time, you can actually re-train those over-active muscles and prevent wrinkles. Often, I have seen patients put off Botox and fillers too long, and then these non-ablative, no-downtime measures are inadequate to effect a real change. Then the patient has no choice but to do risker and more expensive and aggressive procedures... more

Mary Lupo, MD
New Orleans Dermatologist

Healthy lifestyle for a healthy appearance.

I agree with Dr. Sattler's healthy habits and lifestyle for a healthy appearance. You have no control over the genes you have inherited, that is the tendency for wrinkling and predisposition to sun-damaged skin. There are several factors that you can control. If you're young (teens or early twenties) and daily applying a moisturizer with SPF 15 or greater, you're ahead of the curve. A diet rich in antioxidants (citrus fruits, berries, green tea), minimizing alcohol intake and avoiding... more

Bryan K. Chen, MD
San Diego Dermatologist

Yes-But are you ready?

Botox is used to relax the lines of expression (like lines between your brows and crowsfeet). As time goes people often start to get lines that are seen even when you are not making an expression. Botox helps the lines of expression and prevents permanent lines from forming in the area of the lines of expression. I would suggest that you start Botox when you get to a point that you find the lines of expression being objectionable. If you don't have lines you don't like when you smile or... more

Marc Cohen, MD
Philadelphia Oculoplastic Surgeon

Common sense prevails

While you are young, I think you're time and money is better spent in the following ways to delay the signs of facial aging (wrinkles etc...) 1. Wearing sunscreen and sunglasses when doing outdoor activities 2. Excellent diet and an exercise routine 3. Drink plenty of water 4. Use a good moisturizer on a regular basis 5. Get adequate sleep 6. Never, ever smoke. When the wrinkles finally arrive, find a good plastic surgeon and talk about Botox.