When Should You Start Preventative Botox?
Updated on 23/07/24
Preventative Botox is used to help younger patients from developing wrinkles, offering a more natural look to Botox.
The difference between preventative Botox and Botox is that as the name suggests, preventative Botox prevents the onset of wrinkles early on in life, whilst Botox is used to correct wrinkles.
If you want to prevent wrinkles and are considering Botox, this raises the question: when should you start preventative Botox?
The answer to this question is largely subjective, as the right age to receive preventative Botulinum Toxin (Botox) is subjective to you and your skin.
Due to legislation in the UK, it is illegal for Botox and dermal filler procedures to be administered for cosmetic reasons to people under 18.
As such, you’ll neither need nor want to start preventative Botox before the age of 18. That said, many people opt to have preventative Botox in their late 20's and early 30's to prevent fine lines from turning into established wrinkles that become deep-set in your 40's.
Let's explore preventative Botox in more detail, including the factors that may make you want to consider the treatment.
How Does Preventative Botox Work?
Before we get into the right time to start preventative Botox, it's a good idea to understand how it works.
It’s natural for everyone to have some wrinkles when we move the muscles in our face, which are known as dynamic wrinkles. Preventative Botox works at preventing deep wrinkles from developing on other areas on your face, such as at the corners of your eyes (crow’s feet).
Botox blocks nerve signals to the facial expression muscles to stop them from moving. As most wrinkles are caused by repeated movement of facial muscles, Botox prevents the expressions from forming to prevent wrinkles in the future.
When Should You Start Preventative Botox?
Most patients start getting Botox when they start to see wrinkles on their skin, but in the case of preventative Botox, patients need to receive the treatment before wrinkles begin to appear.
In most cases, the 20's and 30's are the ages where patients can receive preventative Botox. Patients in this age group often have expressive faces and have worries about lines becoming more prevalent as they age.
Many people opt to have preventative Botox in their 20's and early 30's to prevent fine lines from turning into established wrinkles that become deep-set in your 40's.
Factors To Consider Before Preventative Botox
If you are in your 20's or early 30's and are unsure about whether you should get preventative Botox, here are some factors to think about before making an appointment.
- Have sun damage
- Use sunbeds or have used them in the past
- Sunbathe without SPF protection
1. Have Sun Damage
The first reason you might be considering preventative Botox is due to sun damage.
Looking after your skin by wearing SPF every single day is essential, even on cloudy days, but many people still forget.
That said, if you’ve already experienced sun damage on your face early on in your life, then this is when it would be wise to consider preventative Botox as young as during your 20's.
How does sun damage impact skin?
This comes down to the fact that sun damage can ‘lead to premature ageing’ and wrinkles, and aside from this, ‘too much ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun can damage DNA in your skin cells and cause skin cancer’, emphasising just how serious the problem is.
At You Can Clinic, we offer a variety of aesthetic training courses, including our Botox course.
If you’re interested in learning more about preventative Botox, send us an email at courses@youcanclinic.com, or call +44 (0)2921 678747 to talk to a friendly member of our team today.
Sun damage can lead to 'premature ageing' of the skin, meaning that if you experience sun damage in your 20's, you might want to consider preventative Botox.
2. Use Sunbeds Or Have Used Them In The Past
Another reason why you might want to consider preventative Botox is if you use sunbeds or have used them in the past.
Sunbeds cause your skin ‘to age prematurely, making it look coarse, leathery, and wrinkled’ no matter how many anti-aging potions and creams you use.
A staggering ‘third of adults say they have used sunbeds at least once’ across the UK, despite the dangers that they present in terms of damaging your youthful complexion and increasing your risk to cancer.
Investing in your health by looking after your skin whilst you can is essential to prevent long-lasting damage, which is where putting a stop to the sunbed sessions and investing in preventative Botox can make a real difference.
As such, opting for preventative Botox can help you to keep your skin looking both supple and youthful, helping you to prevent deep-set wrinkles from appearing on your face in the future.
3. Sunbathe Without SPF Protection
Lastly, you might want to consider getting preventative Botox if you sunbathe without SPF protection.
Can UV reach your skin through clouds?
You might have been lulled into a false sense of security that you don’t need to wear SPF in a country like the UK, and you wouldn’t be the only one, as we tend to experience more cloudy days than sunny days here.
However, this is false, and can lead to sun damage if you’re not careful when you consider that ‘even on overcast days, up to 80 percent of UV rays can still penetrate light cloud cover and reach your skin’.
That said, if you’ve made the mistake of sunbathing without SPF protection, even for a short period of time, you will want to consider preventative Botox earlier on in life.
This will increase your chances of ensuring that your skin remains youthful for longer as you age, in spite of sunbathing without SPF protection.
However, it is worth noting that whilst preventative measures can be taken with aesthetic treatments, such as Botox, to prevent premature ageing, it is your responsibility to ensure that you’re doing everything that you can to protect yourself against skin damage.
Investing in your health by looking after your skin whilst you can is essential to prevent long-lasting damage and wrinkles.
Hopefully this article has given you a better idea of when you should start preventative Botox, and has emphasised the importance of looking after your skin.
You Can Clinic is one of the UK's leading providers of aesthetic training courses and pharmaceutical supplies. Over 1000 individuals have progressed through our affordable programmes, which provide comprehensive coverage of all relevant aesthetic procedures. Available from beginner to advanced courses.
Do you see yourself in the industry? Check out our articles on Botox, Weight Management and Dermaplaning Training Courses.
Written by Jemima, for You Can Clinic.
