Preventative Botox

Preventative aesthetic treatments, especially neurotoxins (such as Botox, Jeuveau, Dysport and others) are a bit of a hot topic. So here’s a little bit of a background in order to understand why “preventative” treatments are recommended by some injectors.

When we are young, we don’t have wrinkles or skin folds as we have not had years of use or wear and tear of our skin, muscles, and facial fat pads. We have that young & plump looking skin. But overtime, with persistent use of our facial muscles and other age related factors, we develop skin folds and wrinkles. Genetics also has a big part in this. Some wrinkles can be dynamic – meaning that we only see them when we make certain facial expressions. Some wrinkles and folds can be quite static – meaning that we see them even at our resting no-expression face. 

Of course, the presence of these fine lines and wrinkles allude to the aging process. So, people have been trending towards injecting Botox earlier in life so that they use a particular muscle lesser so than usual. This lack of use can help prevent the formation of dynamic & static wrinkles, fine lines, and folds; ultimately slowing the appearance of normal aging. In theory, it sounds great. And I do think there is some merit to it. But all of this does not come without concerns.

One of the biggest concerns is developing antibodies/resistance to these toxins. A lot of younger patients tend to use lower doses of Botox or other neurotoxins to achieve their desired results. But if started early, there is a possibility of developing antibodies. Luckily, we have other neurotoxins that can take place if you do develop antibodies to a particular brand. And so far all of them are pretty efficacious regardless. Ultimately it just depends on your personal preference. Until there are major studies out there, recommending one way or the other, I think preventative “lower dose” Botox can be used to avoid from having to use higher doses of Botox or even fillers down the road and preserving a younger facial aesthetic.