You may be asking yourself, why would I get PREVENTATIVE botulinum toxin type-A (Botox / Dysport)?  I hear ya...a new handbag or outfit is far more appealing than preventatively treating something.  Well, give me 2 minutes to shed some light on the topic while also attempting to educate the haters because I hear you too, “You’re too young, and you don’t need it”.

Frown lines, crow’s-feet, and expression wrinkles form from repetitive muscle movement, which fold the skin.  Over time, the folding causes wrinkles (rhytides).  First, they begin as fine lines, next, into folded wrinkles then, into etched lines within those folds.  By injecting the muscles earlier in adult life, you can prevent all of them from forming in the first place - rather than attempting to fix them after they’ve developed which, happens to cost a lot more.

So, what is an etched line?  Take a look at your wrist – see those horizontal lines?  Those are etched.  There is no Botox in the world - in any strength that can make an etched line completely go away.  Now granted, we all need to move our wrists so don’t get me wrong, I am not suggesting we Botox our wrists!  It is simply an etched lines I am illustrating.  

Now that you better understand the goal of prevention let’s talk about when one should start treatments.  There is no definitive answer; it reasonable to consider starting treatment at whatever age you begin to notice or are bothered by wrinkles – frown, forehead, etc.  Botox is FDA-approved for patients 18 years and older although it isn’t until people are 25-30 years old that they typically start to notice the beginnings of fine lines. 

What if you already have some etched lines, it to late?  It depends on your expectations.  Botox / Dysport can definitely soften existing etched lines however, they cannot erase them.

It is worth mentioning for those in their 40’s another area to consider for preventative treatment is the angles at the corner of the mouth.  By injecting Botox / Dysport into the muscles (not the actual corners of the mouth) that control the downturn of the sides of the mouth — one can prevent the formation of marionette lines, which, once they form, are very hard to treat.

There you have it…a bit of education and a spoonful of “be quite” to the haters.  Should you still get an eyeball roll, you might ask them if they prefer to just treat cavities instead of getting regular dental cleanings!

T.