There is no more famous cosmetic injectable in the world than Botox, but many people are still unsure about the best time to seek treatment. Are you too old to be helped? Are you too young to consider it? The answer to this question is simple: this treatment is right when it’s right for you. At Boulder Plastic Surgery in Boulder, CO, we offer this treatment to anyone interested in fighting back against the changes that aging makes in their face.
What Is the Best Age for Getting Botox?
People of any age can get treatment with Botox, and it is regularly used on people between the ages of 25 and 50 particularly. No matter how old or young you are, however, this treatment can relax the look of wrinkles and even stop them from forming in the first place.
When Botox was first invented, it was mostly used by people in their 40s and 50s. These days, we realize that it can be helpful to a wider range of people, including younger people.
Botox for Younger People
For younger people, this cosmetic injectable is a great preventative treatment. Rather than using it just to correct fine lines, you can actually stop those lines from forming as early by seeking treatment before they appear. By using this neurotoxin treatment as a way to stop visible aging before it starts, you can look younger for longer.
This works because the treatment relaxes facial muscles that caused wrinkling. Because you’re these muscles relax before the wrinkles appear, it will take a lot longer for them to begin forming in the first place. For many people, the ideal age for preventative treatment is about 30.
Why 30?
Age 30 might be the best age to begin using this treatment because of how the natural aging process begins (and progresses) in most people. Most of us start suffering from lowered production of collagen and elastin sometime in our mid-20s. For some years, this lowered production is not noticeable, but it is still happening. Without collagen and elastin, our skin lacks the strong support structures necessary to keep it tight and youthful looking, and it becomes less supple, which means that it bends more easily and lines can form.
By the time we reach age 30, most of us are right on the cusp of seeing our first permanent lines forming, particularly in certain places around the forehead and eyes. But by seeking treatment before those lines appear, you can slow the effects of the aging process. Bear in mind that this process is unique for each individual. If you have relatives who showed signs of aging in the face very young, it’s highly likely that you will, too.
If that’s the case for you, you might want to seek treatment even earlier than 30. It’s not uncommon for people in their mid-20s to seek treatment. On the other hand, if your family tends to look younger for longer, you might want to wait until you’re 35 or older before seeking preventative treatment. Your lifestyle matters, too. Spending too much time in the sun without sunscreen, drinking heavily, and especially smoking can all age the skin quickly.
What Can Be Treated?
This treatment is great for dealing with crow’s feet, glabellar lines, chin dents, bunny lines, horizontal lines across the forehead, and neck bands. Of course, the treatment can be used once all these signs of aging appear for the first time, but they can also be used to prevent those lines from forming for years. It all has to do with your expressions.
How Expressions Change Our Faces
We each have 42 muscles in our faces. These muscles move together every time we make any expression, from the widest smile to the slightest contortion of concentration. Every time we make these expressions, we move our skin over the muscles in the same way.
You have probably already noticed that everyone has their own particular way of smiling, frowning, concentrating, and more. These particular expressions are set in childhood, so by the time you are 25, you have been creasing your skin in exactly the same spots every time you smile for decades. Eventually, your skin will be affected by this constant movement.
How Botox Works
This treatment works by interfering with the signals from nerves to the muscles, but only in the area where it is injected. By strategically injecting this product in an artistic way that takes into account the way your face looks and the way you express yourself, we can calm the muscles that are causing lines and wrinkles while leaving plenty of muscles untouched so that you can still make natural expressions.
You will still be able to smile, frown, laugh, and otherwise look natural: you will just do so a bit more subtly, giving your skin a rest in the process.
What If I Already Have Lines?
All this talk of preventing lines and wrinkles might be discouraging if you are already dealing with them, but don’t worry; this treatment can help. You have not missed the window for successful treatment, even if you’re in your 40s and 50s. In fact, some people even seek treatment into their 60s, though the results are not as profound at that point.
Whatever your age, by stopping the constant muscle movement, you allow your skin time to relax and smooth out. This will improve the look of any wrinkle, even the deepest, and even if you are older and it can’t get rid of the deepest wrinkles completely. The result of treatment is that you will always look younger than you are. And the process of injecting this product also stimulates your body to produce more collagen in response. This causes an overall rejuvenating effect.
Botox Myths Addressed
My Face Will Be Numb After Treatment
You may have heard this popular myth before: if you get treatment, you will lose all sensation in your face. This is simply not true. You will still be able to feel your face just fine after treatment because this product only affects the nerves that control movement. It does not affect the sensory nerves, which are responsible for allowing you to feel things.
If I Get Treatment Once, I’ll Have to Get Treatment Forever
This is the addiction myth. The idea is that your body will become chemically dependent on the treatment. This is a completely unfounded concept because neurotoxins do not create any chemical dependency. The reason people continue to seek treatment is that they’re pleased with the results!
My Face Will Look Frozen
This is the most common myth about treatment. Many people believe that their faces will look frozen and they will not be able to make natural expressions. This myth is based on early treatments from decades ago, before there was much experience with this product as a cosmetic treatment. These days, an experienced injector knows exactly how much product to use and exactly where to inject it to get you perfectly natural results.
This Is a Toxic Treatment
This treatment is formulated from a botulinum toxin, and when people hear that, they can get nervous. However, there is nothing to worry about. This formula is highly purified and non-toxic. It is also injected directly into the muscles and not the bloodstream, so it will not go through your body to affect other areas.
In addition, anything on earth, even water, can be toxic in the right amounts. You would have to have 200 to 300 times as much product as is used in a cosmetic treatment to even get close to toxicity levels.
Getting Treatment Hurts
Some people are worried that this will be a painful treatment, and the good news is that this is a myth. These appointments take just about 20 to 30 minutes, and most people don’t feel anything. We use extremely thin needles, a professional technique, and a topical numbing cream to keep you perfectly comfortable from start to finish.
This Is Only for Women
This persistent myth says that only women should care about the effects of aging on their faces. All of us have the right to seek treatment if we want it, and anyone can benefit from the self-confidence boost that comes from getting cosmetic treatments. Since 2010, there has been a nearly 30% increase in men getting this treatment!
Attack Your Wrinkles Today
Botox is a great treatment for anyone, of any age, to consider. If you’re ready to learn more, contact us at Boulder Plastic Surgery in Boulder, CO to get started.