Let’s ’tox about it

More and more younger people are turning to Botox to postpone the signs and lines of aging.

BY ABBY LEE

Aweek in the blinding Florida sun would make anyone squint their eyes and furrow their brow. Logan Wise, 23, was no exception. She returned home to Missouri with pale lines between her eyebrows that stood out from her tan — and a new mission against wrinkles.

Wrinkles can start to appear in someone’s 20s. And in an ageist society, people often turn to treatments such as Botox injections, rhinoplasty and soft tissue fillers to delay the reality of looking their age.

In the past, Botox (botulinum toxin) has been used to fill wrinkles once they appear, but that is changing.

Shifting demographics

Although 80% of those getting Botox injections are over age 40, the treatments are gaining popularity among a younger crowd as a form of “preventive care” with the intention of stalling the formation of wrinkles. Close to 75% of surgeons from the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery have reported an increased number of patients under 30 requesting cosmetic surgery or injectables.

That is what Wise decided to do. After getting advice from her two sisters in their 30s, she started getting Dysport injections, a product similar to but not as potent as Botox. “When I get older, (my goal is) not to have those really deep-set lines,” Wise says, gesturing to where her so-called 11s — the lines between the eyebrows — would be.

Social media also plays a role. A study published in Current Psychology in 2019 found that “social media use was a stronger predictor of a participants’ desire for cosmetic surgery than body dissatisfaction.”

This suggests that if someone spends a significant amount of time on social media and follows others who have received cosmetic enhancements, they are more likely to receive cosmetic surgery.

Lynn Itagaki, an associate professor of English and women’s and gender studies at MU, describes cosmetic procedures as a tool for avoiding signs of and punishments for aging. At work, for example, she says becoming older can be viewed as a sign of broadening responsibilities — such as having children — and having less time to devote to being an employee.

“(Botox) is an easy and relatively cheap solution to the larger problems of misogyny, control of women’s appearances, viewing women as possessions, treating women as objects and objectification, and then also ageism,” Itagaki says.

Like most cosmetic procedures, injectable treatments are targeted toward women. In 2022, 92% of cosmetic procedure recipients were women worldwide.

A form of self care

Wise advocates for her decision to receive Dysport. “If that makes someone feel better, then why should anyone care?” she says. “If that’s their way of life, they look in the mirror and like themselves more, then sure, they can get it all over their face if they want to.”

Dysport is a type of botulinum toxin that is injected into a person’s glabellar lines. Often called 11s, the lines are the vertical wrinkles between eyebrows.

A study published in 2015 in Journal of Cutaneous and Aesthetic Surgery found that improved self esteem and improved subjective appearance are two of the main reasons women get Botox. Another study published in 2021 in Nature found that Botox injections can also reduce anxiety. This study suggests that the progressive muscle relaxation might induce mental relaxation, too.

Wise says she sees the injections as a form of self-care. “Honestly, it adds a little bit more structure to my life,” she says.

“The Botox makes my at-home routine a little more strict because I want to keep up with it.” Because her main goal is avoiding deep-set wrinkles or looking older, it would be counterproductive to get Botox and then not protect herself from sun damage through an intentional skin care routine.

Under The Needle

Botox and similar products, including Dysport, Xeomin and Jeauveau, are used to reduce wrinkles by temporarily paralyzing facial muscles. They do this by blocking signals that make muscles contract. When the muscles relax, it reduces wrinkles.

Itagaki says that the self-reported reasons and societal pressures behind getting injections don’t exist in total conflict with each other.

“Maybe one of the reasons why it reduces anxiety is because if you look younger and if you’re more attractive, then people will treat you better,” Itagaki says.

Coexisting pressures to enhance natural beauty and to conform to traditional beauty standards continue to push the Botox industry forward. Although the quest for everlasting youth is no new phenomenon, younger generations are embracing this new skin care routine without even raising an eyebrow.