Millennials using Botox to stay young looking, plastic surgeons say.
Injectable cosmetic procedures in your 20s and 30s seen as a preventative measure.
Some millennials keen on preserving their youth are turning to Botox to smooth away hints of creases on their faces before they become more pronounced.
A recent survey of American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery members reported a surge in patients under 30 getting “preventative Botox.”
And it appears to be a broader trend. Toronto-based cosmetic plastic surgeon Cory Torgerson, whose practice focuses on the face and neck, said he’s “definitely seeing” it.
“The (millennials) are cued in to preventative maintenance and are engaging in injectable cosmetic procedures more commonly in their 20s and 30s,” said Torgerson.
In a U.S. survey, 64 per cent of members reported an increase in millennial patients getting injectable treatments or cosmetic surgery. The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery reported that Botox treatments for people between the ages of 19 to 34 shot up by 41 per cent between 2011 and 2015.
The trend doesn’t surprise Candace Shaw, a Toronto-based feminist and cultural commentator.
“We have such an image driven culture and our careers and our lives are very image driven, so I can see why a lot of people, especially people who grew up in a culture where we have the Internet, we have Facebook, we have Instagram, are responding by saying, ‘well, I want to look my best and in this culture my best is not having wrinkles,’ ” she said.
Gina Bourne, a 31-year-old OCAD student who also works as an executive assistant, said she started getting Botox when she was 29.
“(At the time) nobody I knew was doing it,” she said. “I had these lines between my eyebrows and on my forehead and I just had been feeling like I was looking a little tired for a while.”
Bourne did some research and found Botox, one of three products that stop muscles from contracting, pulling on the skin and creating wrinkles, was preventative, so she kept the treatments up. She thinks she’ll do it for the rest of her life, she said, barring any advancements.
“I definitely feel that it’s had a good result for me and I’m definitely happy with what’s happened,” she said. It feels smoothed out, said Bourne, adding she doesn’t look tired and doesn’t worry about going out without makeup on.
Dr. Sean Rice, a Toronto-based plastic and cosmetic surgeon, said many of his clients come in when they are “starting to see (wrinkles) and it’s kind of freaking them out,” he said, adding they use it as a prophylactic measure to “avoid getting wrinkles down the road.”
Rice, 51, and Torgerson, both use Botox preventively to eliminate wrinkles.
“For me, I can really personally notice a big difference in the way my appearance looks between when I have Botox and don’t have Botox,” said Rice, adding he gets it on his forehead and the glabella, the area between the eyes.