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Botox Is A Growing Trend Among Youth To Look Beautiful, But What Are Its Risks - Altechbloggers

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Botox Is A Growing Trend Among Youth To Look Beautiful, But What Are Its Risks

A few years ago, Sydney Brown’s mother saw a wrinkle-like line on her daughter’s forehead during a video call. After this, both of them together decided that the solution was to take anti-wrinkle injections. Sydney started taking it. Sydney was 23 years old at that time. Sydney is now 25 years old and she has got Botox and lip fillers done. She is very happy with her decision. According to Sydney, one should do whatever it takes to feel confident. Her mother Dr. Hayley Brown is an award-winning plastic surgeon and lives in Las Vegas, America. She injects a small amount of Botox on her daughter’s forehead every day.

Growing popularity among youth

Hayley Brown says that this makes Sydney look less tired, feel more confident and possibly in the future she will not need a major operation to remove deep wrinkles. The type of anti-wrinkle injection Sydney uses is called ‘preventive Botox’. Botox users in their 20s and 30s hope to prevent wrinkles from forming in the first place, or to control fine lines before they turn into wrinkles.

But the question is, ageing is a natural part of life, so are these cosmetic treatments really a smart way to keep us young? Or are we just spending thousands of dollars on a huge industry that thrives on our insecurities?

To find the answer, I spoke to both Botox users and experts. The less you contract your muscles, the less likely your skin is to crease and wrinkles appear. Wrinkle prevention was once a luxury reserved for the rich or celebrities, but today it has become an industry. Around 900,000 Botox injections are given each year in the UK. Cosmetic treatments are growing in popularity worldwide among 18- to 34-year-olds, with 25 per cent of all people receiving such treatments falling in this age group.

In a brightly lit clinic in the Prestwich area of north Manchester, Dr Javed Hussain is waiting for a client. He is also a doctor and medical director of his own company called Neo Derm. Wayne Grasu, 26, has been coming here for Botox for two years. Wayne carefully shows the doctor where he wants the injections this time. He raises his eyebrows and points to the lines on his skin.

Holding the injection in his hand, Dr Hussain smiles: “You will feel a little prick… and that’s it, in a matter of seconds.” Wayne doesn’t seem to flinch at all. Wayne’s forehead looks slightly red, and he tilts his head back to talk to me. “I know I’m young. But it’s not an age factor. I’m using it to prevent further wrinkles,” he says. He says, “Not having wrinkles gives me confidence, it helps me in my job and I want to age well.”

So far Wayne has spent thousands of pounds on this treatment. He is a business development manager and also works for Neo Derm. He says, “This is an investment in my confidence and it is completely worth the money.”

How does it affect wrinkles

Now the question here is, when wrinkles have not yet appeared, how does injecting botulinum toxin in the face slow down the ageing process? Dr Hussain answers this. He says, “It does not stop you from ageing, but it definitely slows down its speed.” He says that the temporary folds that appear when we make facial expressions are called dynamic wrinkles. Targeting these reduces permanent lines (static lines) in the long term.

He says, “When we relax the muscles that contract to form wrinkles, the skin also shrinks and this prevents those lines from getting deeper.” Dr Hussain says that in recent times the number of 18-19 year olds who are coming for this treatment has also increased. Although legally anyone above 18 years can get this injection, but he himself often refuses such young people. “Some girls have come to me who want Botox and lip fillers – some were asking for up to 3 or 4 milliliters of filler. This is too much, especially if they have never had any treatment before.”

However, not everyone agrees with Dr Hussain that preventive Botox is an effective way to prevent wrinkles. Nora Newgent, president of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BASPS) and consultant plastic surgeon, does not recommend getting Botox at such a young age. She says starting too early is a waste of money. “You can’t fix something that isn’t there,” she says. “Getting Botox in your 20s, when there’s nothing to fix, is a waste of money for no benefit.”

How appropriate is it to think about wrinkles?

She wants clients to come in when fine lines start to appear. Then she can see how age is affecting the face and treat it accordingly. “There’s nothing wrong with caring about your looks or getting aesthetic treatments. But it’s important to do it for the right reasons,” she says. Sometimes it’s a decision taken under pressure from friends or society, but the purpose of aesthetics should be to make decisions of your own choice that make you feel better about yourself, not to do it under pressure.

This pressure is also bothering experts like Jane Toomey. She is a nutrition and eating disorder therapist and lectures on body image in schools. “We live in a society that is obsessed with anti-ageing. Botox and fillers are becoming more common among teenage students,” she says. Jane fears this will affect their mental health in the long run. She tries to teach children to focus on their positive qualities beyond their physical appearance. “They shouldn’t worry about wrinkles right now,” she says.

Be sure to take expert advice

Ashton Collins is the director of Save Face, an organization that demands better rules and regulations in the cosmetic industry. She says she has seen patients as young as 18 with Botox-related problems who have fallen victim to a bad situation because of ‘unscrupulous specialists’. She says, “I have serious concerns about the way preventive Botox is being marketed. Posts on social media that target and pressure young women are pushing them towards procedures they don’t really need.”

Ashton warns that if Botox is not done carefully, it can have negative effects in the long run. These include altered facial expressions, uneven face and in some cases muscle weakness (atrophy), which can take years to heal. She also says that taking botulinum toxin at such a young age can cause the body to develop tolerance to it. She herself started getting Botox at the age of 26 and now at the age of 37, she has to get it done more often than before because its effect wears off very quickly.

Experts may have different opinions on how effective Botox is in preventing wrinkles, but all agree that regular cleansing, moisturizing and daily sunscreen can protect the skin from premature ageing. At the same time, if someone wants to get a treatment like Botox, then it is important that he gets it done from an accredited practitioner with a medical background.

Effects last only for a few months

There is no concrete research available on what happens if Botox is taken regularly throughout life. Finding a group on which one can study for decades is very difficult. Skin health depends on many things. Like what is your lifestyle, what is the environment, how much stress, what is your diet and how much exercise you do. All of these things play a role in how our skin ages. Botox only lasts three to six months, so any long-term study would have to make sure users keep taking it.

This is where the real challenge comes in. The fight against wrinkles is actually a repeated battle. Once you start treatment, after a few months the effect wears off and you have to repeat it again and again. Sydney will continue to receive anti-wrinkle injections. She trusts her mother to help her look young and naturally beautiful. She says her mother will prevent her from getting too much Botox and avoid the condition when someone doesn’t recognize changes to their own face, known as “Botox blind” or “filler blind.”

“I only get a little bit and I will continue to do so. It’s very easy to take, my mother knows what to do, and I feel much more confident about myself when I take it.”

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