Skin Care
At What Age Do You Really Need Botox?Can preventative Botox stop a wrinkle in its tracks? A dermatologist weighs in on when six women should get Botox to keep aging at bay |
In Your Late 20s Late 20s is when Bowe starts to see serious candidates for what she calls "prophylactic Botox." The typical case? Fair-skinned individuals who have had a lot of sun exposure growing up.
Other candidates are those who constantly exaggerate facial expressions without realizing it -- the frowners, the squinters, the smilers and the eyebrow-raisers, says Bowe. "By using Botox in a prophylactic way, I actually retrain these muscles to react in a gentler way. I'm still allowing these muscles to move, but not in such an exaggerated way as to lead to etched-in wrinkles," says Bowe.
Diagnosis: Bowe says Emily, 27, is a perfect example of someone with very fair skin, so even a little sun exposure shows fine lines. Emily's forehead lines are horizontal (she's probably one of those "surprised" people) and she has fine lines around the eyes.
Treatment: "Even though her skin looks young and healthy, I would be a little more aggressive to smooth out those lines," says Bowe. "To treat these issues, I can usually get away with using less than 25 units per session, costing the patient $400 to $450. Using such a small amount means that the expression isn't affected -- no frozen faces. I find that I only need to treat these patients twice a year in order to get a very nice result," says Bowe.
Annual Cost: $800-900
SEE NEXT PAGE: In Your Early 30s
Other candidates are those who constantly exaggerate facial expressions without realizing it -- the frowners, the squinters, the smilers and the eyebrow-raisers, says Bowe. "By using Botox in a prophylactic way, I actually retrain these muscles to react in a gentler way. I'm still allowing these muscles to move, but not in such an exaggerated way as to lead to etched-in wrinkles," says Bowe.
Diagnosis: Bowe says Emily, 27, is a perfect example of someone with very fair skin, so even a little sun exposure shows fine lines. Emily's forehead lines are horizontal (she's probably one of those "surprised" people) and she has fine lines around the eyes.
Treatment: "Even though her skin looks young and healthy, I would be a little more aggressive to smooth out those lines," says Bowe. "To treat these issues, I can usually get away with using less than 25 units per session, costing the patient $400 to $450. Using such a small amount means that the expression isn't affected -- no frozen faces. I find that I only need to treat these patients twice a year in order to get a very nice result," says Bowe.
Annual Cost: $800-900
SEE NEXT PAGE: In Your Early 30s