Something strange has happened to my Instagram feed. In between posts of flawless-skinned celebrities, I’m juxtaposing photos of regular people (my friends!). They’re in their mid-30s, but their faces are so smooth, firm and serene that they look 10 years younger. Is it makeup? Serums? Supplements? Sleep? When I finally ask them how they achieve it, they’re happy to explain: “Baby Botox.”
Like regular Botox, Baby Botox involves injections of a muscle-paralyzing agent. The difference is that Baby Botox is passive, whereas Active Botox is passive. When first administered at a young age and then repeated every few months for the rest of your life, Baby Botox can help prevent wrinkles from forming. It’s called “baby” because it uses smaller doses than normal, resulting in a relatively natural effect, as opposed to the “frozen” look seen with Botox. And it’s usually young people who get this Botox. Not literally babies, but sometimes still teenagers.
Baby Botox isn’t a new procedure. In 2008, as a college student, I worked part-time as a physician assistant specializing in cosmetic injectables. Occasionally, a middle-aged patient would come in for Baby Botox, bringing along her daughter, who was about my age. But recently, the procedure has become more common. The number of people in their 20s getting Botox and similar injections has skyrocketed. 71 percent According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, Baby Botox is set to grow in popularity around the world between 2019 and 2022. The procedure is especially popular among wealthy millennial and Gen Z women who live in big cities, and can cost hundreds of dollars per session. (Although you can still find med spas that offer Baby Botox in the US.) Scottsboro, Alabama; Fishers, Indiana; and Lincoln, Nebraska) I know so many people who have had the surgery, I’m beginning to wonder if my own skin care routine (washing my face regularly, moisturizing, applying sunscreen) hasn’t been good enough. At 37, I’ve noticed a few wrinkles on my face. Laugh lines won’t go away, and the sagging lines under my eyes sadly make me look twice as tired.
The purpose of Baby Botox is the same as everything else in skin care: to slow down the signs of aging. Fenugreek and Ladanum To treat wrinkles, Chinese women in 500 B.C. Tea oil and rice flour To hide fine lines. These days, there’s an astonishing range of creams, serums, masks and peels available for the same purpose. People are obsessed with skincare, and they’re starting earlier than ever before. It’s the age of Sephora’s teens. Gen Alpha kids are obsessed with their moms’ anti-aging products. Baby Botox is the logical extreme of all these impulses: it’s not an attempt to slow down the signs of aging, it’s to stop it altogether.
When your face moves, you eventually get wrinkles. So-called dynamic wrinkles only appear when your face is moving, but with enough frequency and time, they eventually turn into static wrinkles, which remain even when your face is still, Helen He, a dermatologist at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, told me. Since Botox was first approved as a treatment in 1989, it has been used primarily to reduce the appearance of dynamic wrinkles (it has little effect on static wrinkles).
Baby Botox, by contrast, aims to prevent static wrinkles from appearing. There aren’t any good long-term studies on its impact on appearance over decades, but by and large, the procedure seems to work. “If you start Botox a little earlier, you can prevent wrinkles from appearing in the first place,” Raman Madan, a dermatologist at Northwell Health in New York, told me. After 10 years of treatment, their skin may look just as firm and elastic as when they started. Their foreheads and cheeks move, but gently, like calm water.
Of course, there are pitfalls. As with traditional methods, the effects of Baby Botox usually wear off after three to four months, says He. Without new injections, the effect fades, and as muscle movement is restored, facial expressions become more wavy and wrinkle-prone. To achieve the intended results, it takes effort: “It’s a lifelong commitment,” says Madan.
Continuing with Baby Botox will not stop the aging process, nor will it prevent sun damage, maintain skin elasticity, or prevent sagging skin caused by loss of collagen. Fairly safeA potential risk, he said, is that decades of use can cause facial muscles to atrophy, leading to an older appearance. Sometimes, the face decides to express emotion, and recruits other muscles to compensate for those that are stuck, which can lead to wrinkles in unexpected places.Bunny Line” Botox is injected around the nose. The skill of the person injecting the Botox makes a big difference. An experienced technician should be able to predict what is coming. But again, patients discontinue treatment at their own risk. As soon as the effect wears off, wrinkles will start to form on the face.
Injecting muscle-paralyzing fluid into your face three times a year from your early twenties (or late teens) seems like a big commitment, financially and otherwise. The average cost of treatment is $435 per session.Even small amounts can add up in cost, but many people justify the expense. After all, it’s much cheaper than more invasive cosmetic procedures like surgery or laser treatments. And injectables are a better choice than an $80 anti-aging cream that may not be effective.
The popularity of Baby Botox, he says, is driven by the usual suspects: selfies, social media, and celebrities, which not only promote the benefits of Botox (baby or otherwise), but also serve to reduce its stigma. Several Baby Botox patients I spoke to (women in their mid-30s who began treatment in their late 20s) said: Real Housewives and Vanderpump Rulesa reality TV personality whose episodes track her Botox injection journey, influenced her decision to start the show.
However, more and more people are getting Botox injections at younger ages. Under 19 People who have received Botox or similar injections 75 percent increase From 2019 to 2022—And then it rose again in 2023.“There’s no age that’s too early,” Madan said, but made it clear that it’s not appropriate to treat teenagers. He said teenagers and people in their early 20s can’t benefit from Botox because their skin is still rich in collagen, so they can’t wrinkle no matter how much they move. But some still get Botox. In the UK, it’s illegal for people under 18 to get Botox, so teenagers travel to the UK to get it. WalesIt is a country where the laws are not very strict.
Despite the treatment’s drawbacks, someone who starts Baby Botox at age 25 and continues with it may still look that old in 10 years. And after another 10 years, they may look noticeably younger for their age. Even if they stop treatment at that point, aging will be delayed by 20 years. “Will I look 20 when I’m 60? No,” but they will definitely look younger, Madan says.
Baby Botox is the pinnacle—or rock bottom—of anti-aging. The obsession with staying young has gripped adults and teens alike, and effective anti-aging tools have never been more desirable or accessible. Thanks to enterprising companies, skin-care-obsessed millennial parents, and TikTok beauty influencers, “personal care is making its way into the younger generation,” writes Elise Hu. Atlantic OceanIt’s no surprise that Baby Botox is becoming increasingly popular among young people. When I asked Dana Berkowitz, a sociologist at Louisiana State University and author of the book “Baby Botox,” she said: Botox Nation: Changing the Face of AmericaShe’s not sure if Baby Botox will ever become the norm, but she said: ” when.”
Nearly every Baby Botox patient I spoke to was amazed by the results and said they planned to continue.StolenOnline, the term “immortality” connotes a kind of lofty, fox-like aesthetic. But they also admit they feel compelled to pursue it. For many, especially women, taking anti-aging measures feels like an obligation. “Women are caught in the middle: If we don’t, we get scolded for neglecting ourselves, and if we do, we get accused of being vain and frivolous,” says Berkowitz.
As Baby Botox takes our ability to slow aging to a new level, what it means to get older is also changing. Skin care and lifestyle improvements have already changed the concept of “looking good for your age.” Before working indoors and using sunscreen, people definitely aged faster. Before I discovered my friend’s Botox treatment, I thought I looked good for someone in their late 30s. Maybe not anymore. Before, a youthful appearance was enough, but now it’s the norm to look like you haven’t aged at all.
Baby Botox may make you look younger for longer, but looking young forever may not be as great as it seems. No matter how standards change, looking young only gets you so much. When I was 21, someone much older told me I could be a news anchor, but only after I added some “dignity” to my plain face. Now, when I look in the mirror, I feel like I’m finally getting there.
