is preventative botox a real thing?
I’m sure you have heard a lot about preventative botox and don’t know whether to believe it or not. How can a liquid that is injected into the skin prevent the formation of wrinkles? Well I’m here to tell you that botox can prevent wrinkles… or at least delay the formation of wrinkles! How? That’s what we’re going to talk about!
Let’s start with what exactly botox is. Botox is a neurotoxin that when injected into the targeted muscle prevents the release of a neurotransmitter that allows us to move that muscle. So to put more simply, botox paralyzes/relaxes targeted muscles. Why in the world would we want to do this to ourselves you may ask? Because muscle movement is one reason wrinkles form. As time goes on and your skin loses elasticity, your constant facial expressions cause creases in the skin also known as dynamic wrinkles! These wrinkles become more and more apparent as you age. There’s an analogy I like to use when looking at the cause of dynamic wrinkles. Consider your skin as a piece of paper in this analogy. Imagine folding that piece of paper repeatedly; eventually, creases would form and become more noticeable and lasting. And that’s where preventative botox comes in! If we can target those facial muscles with botox so that we no longer move those muscles, that means that we won’t be able to form those creases!
So yes, preventative botox does work if you start in your 20s and/or 30s. If you are within this age group and want to age gracefully, preventative botox may be the treatment for you! Along with preventative botox, there are other things you can do to delay wrinkle formation: don’t drink out of a straw, avoid frowning when you squint in the sun, sleep on your back, and don’t forget to wear your sunscreen!
XOXO,
Sophie K.
Aesthetic Injector
