We’re used to thinking of Botox as an injectable that diminished or eliminates wrinkles. You have a wrinkle, you get an injection of Botox, and the wrinkle becomes harder to see. The same is generally true of injectables, too. Once you see a wrinkle, you can get it treated.

Why Are Millennials Getting Botox?

But, as maybe we should expect by this point, Millennials are changing the game. As was recently reported in the Minneapolis Star Tribune, Millennials are becoming more and more interested in using Botox and other injectables as a way to prevent the formation of wrinkles in the first place.

Botox for Millennials is motivated by slightly different concerns than those that compel an older patient to seek out the procedure. When you see at A&E and SNY Center homepage, you will notice that the overall trajectory of the procedure is quite similar. So let’s take a look at what younger Botox patients might be after, how they can get it, and why it works.

The More You Use Your Face, the More it Wrinkles

There isn’t really an easy way to “rest” your face. As a human being, you make all kinds of facial expressions, some conscious while others are not. But over the years, even tiny facial expressions can add up to a kind of skin and muscle fatigue. That “fatigue” manifests itself in the form of wrinkles.

There are many physiological mechanisms that cause the formation of the wrinkles and lines in your face. “Concentration lines,” for example, are caused because your muscles (and the attached skin) become “stuck” in a contracted position and what was once an expression of discontent or thought becomes a permanent feature on the face.

That’s where Botox would usually come in. Botox is a neuromodulator, meaning an injection actually causes the muscle itself to fall into a relaxed state, releasing the wrinkle. If you’re a younger patient, you might be thinking that one way to prevent wrinkles, then, is to refuse to frown as much. Or maybe you’ll put more effort into keeping your face looking serene when you’re deep in thought.

The truth of the matter is that, as human beings (and without special training), we can only control so much about our facial expressions. Lines and wrinkles of this type cannot be prevented by changing our behaviors or facial expressions. But, as Millennials will attest, it might be possible to prevent lines and wrinkles using Botox.

Minimizing Wear and Tear

If you accept that the more you use an expression of the face, the more likely you are to get wrinkles in that area, then Botox offers an intriguing solution. Botox works, essentially, by subjecting the muscle to a very mild form of paralysis. This forces the muscle to relax and, in older patients, the wrinkle to diminish.

But the logic that Millennials and other younger patients have embraced is this: if you can force the muscles to relax earlier, you might prevent the wrinkle from forming in the first place. And if you can prevent the wrinkle from forming in the first place, you can look a little more youthful for a little while longer.

This preventative approach has been rapidly growing in popularity, so it’s not uncommon for Carillon Minneapolis to see patients that are as young as 18. These are, typically, patients that want to prevent the formation of wrinkles and lines in order to preserve the vitality of their looks for as long as possible. The idea is that by preventing wear and tear on the face in the first place, those youthful good looks will be easier to preserve.

Benefits of a Preventative Approach

The logic of preventing wrinkles is certainly compelling, if only because there are significant benefits to taking that kind of long-term, preventative approach. Some of those benefits might include the following:

• Perhaps most obviously, a preventative approach can reduce the number of wrinkles you have (or keep them at bay longer)
• Reducing the number of wrinkles you see can diminish the expenses involved in maintaining a youthful appearance later
• Preventing wrinkles can lead to a bump in confidence and self-esteem
• Patients often remark on how they feel that they look better and more energized in pictures (including selfies)
• When you come in for Botox, it gives you the opportunity to try other treatments as well

Of course, the incentives to get preventative Botox injections are going to be unique to every individual. Those benefits will depend largely on what you want to accomplish and the types of wrinkles you want to stop in their tracks.

Botox or Fillers?

If you’re looking to prevent wrinkles, you might be wondering whether Botox or a dermal filler is the right way to go. That’s because Botox isn’t some kind of universal wrinkle preventer. It works in a very specific way preventing a certain type of muscle-caused wrinkle.

To prevent other types of wrinkles, you’ll need a different injectable. That’s why some patients will consider a Juvederm or Voluma injection. These dermal fillers are typically used to mitigate wrinkles that develop due to loss of volume in the face. It’s what I call the “deflated balloon effect.” When the volume isn’t filled, wrinkles and lines form because of excess surface area.

That kind of skin laxity can certainly “wear out” your skin—causing more wrinkles and cracks. Therefore, it stands to reason that keeping your skin full of volume can help prevent some of those lines and wrinkles in the first place. Additionally, most dermal fillers (and Juvederm and Voluma in particular) help your skin produce collagen.

Collagen is a naturally occurring anti-aging molecule, and it can help you look more radiant and energized after an injection.

Combine Approaches to Wrinkle Prevention

It’s worth noting that these preventative measures work best when they’re combined with other prevention techniques. Some ways to keep your skin looking young and smooth might include the following:

• Refrain from smoking tobacco products; nothing will give you wrinkles quite as fast as smoking
• Refrain from getting too much sunlight, or at least wear strong sunscreen when you go outside
• Stay hydrated; the moisture from good hydration will keep your skin nice and healthy
• Ensure you get enough vitamins and minerals; some vitamins, such as B12, can be good for your skin

There are other “home remedies” that work to keep your skin looking and feeling young. But it boils down to this: try to keep your skin healthy and give it as many of the good nutrients as it needs.

Is Botox for Millennials a Good Thing?

Botox isn’t the only cosmetic procedure that Millennials are interested in. In fact, younger patients have shown an interest in a wide variety of procedures, from Skin Pen to Laser Hair Removal.

It should be noted that there is a such thing as too young for a given procedure. Most of the patients seen at Carillon Minneapolis are at least 18 years old—at least for aesthetic procedures. That’s because the body does a lot of changing in those younger years.

Temporary is Ideal

And that’s likely part of the appeal of Botox for Millennials: results are temporary. That’s true for dermal fillers too. Most results will only last anywhere between six months and two years, depending on your injectable choice. This means that patients can take a procedure for a “test run” and there won’t be any lasting effects.

For younger patients, that is often ideal. If they don’t experience benefits or if the results don’t meet their expectations, they can simply forego further treatment. But if they like the results, they can get maintenance injections to ensure that those wrinkles and lines in question are prevented for as long as possible.

That’s good, if only because many younger patients are keenly aware of how much they want to keep looking young. There is a certain prestige and confidence that comes with a smooth, youthful appearance and Millennials know how important it can be to keep that.

Is Prevention Worth it?

There are questions, of course, as to whether this sort of preventative approach is worth it. If you invest in a few Botox injections and that helps you prevent wrinkles to the point where you can push back a facelift for a number of years, you might be looking at some substantial financial savings.

But costs do tend to add up over time. It becomes the patient’s prerogative, therefore, to determine the best allocation of funds. For the exceptionally young patients who have been coming in for preventative Botox or filler injections, satisfaction is usually measured in improvements to radiance, confidence, and self-esteem.

Many patients base their fears of wrinkle and line development on genetics. So many patients, wishing to prevent heavy lines and wrinkles from forming, find preventative injections both valuable and worth the investment.

If you want to know what a preventative Botox or dermal filler can do for you, or if you’re a younger patient and want to know if this approach is the right one for your situation, contact Carillon Minneapolis to schedule a confidential consultation.