Botox, lip fillers, and other kinds of injections have been around for a very long time. At first, they were used as alternative surgeries for thirty to fifty-year-olds. Now, the average age range for Botox and other fillers hangs in the mid-twenties.

Botox is generally used to reduce wrinkles, while fillers are used to fill in wrinkles that already exist. 

Has society set its expectations too high?

These “preventative” injections are most common among girls. They tend to ask for “baby” Botox, which is basically injecting Botox into areas of the face that have no wrinkles. This type of Botox is said to prevent wrinkles from forming later on in life. It essentially stops wrinkles before they even have the chance to appear. 

This captivating guarantee draws in all the young girls who seek to stay youthful in this day and age. The promise of flawless, wrinkle-free skin is almost too good to pass up.

When Nahla Darkazally, MD FACEP, was asked about the fast-growing trend in Botox for young people, she responded, “Yes, it seems to be a more common trend. There is a lot of talk about ‘preventative Botox’ in young people. The suggestion being [that] if they get Botox early, they will have less wrinkles later in life.”

This “suggestion” isn’t necessarily true, according to Dr. Darkazally. 

“I think there is a continued social pressure not to look older,” the physician claimed.

Although women believe that Botox is beneficial for them at such a young age, it might all be a myth. 

“The problem with too much Botox too early is [that] we don’t really know the lasting effects and it can cause the muscles of the face to become weaker and ultimately make the skin sag and look less healthy as we age,” Dr. Darkazally argued. 

Not only is Botox ineffective for young women, but it could potentially negatively affect their skin in the long run.

When asked about her own thoughts on young people and Botox, the Board Certified Emergency Medicine Physician replied, “I feel it is most frequently an unnecessary procedure in young people that can be costly to maintain and feed into negative body image.” 

As mentioned by Dr. Darkazally, the best and simplest way to keep skin looking healthy is to use a good “daily sunblock moisturizer and [to avoid] skin damage from the sun.”

So, that’s really all it comes down to. Who needs Botox when they can use sunscreen instead?

We asked a few Paschal Panthers how they felt about using Botox at such a young age or as a preventive measure to getting wrinkles or even to enhance their perceived good features.

Avery Garcia (11) claimed that she would “probably wait to get [lip filler]” until she was 21. 

When asked if she would ever get Botox, the friendly junior responded, “I don’t think I would ever get Botox because I just wouldn’t want my skin to look fake.” 

“The only reason I would ever get lip filler is because when I smile, my top lip disappears,” Garcia humorously remarked.

Miss Hockstad, a history teacher here at Paschal, declared, “I wouldn’t get lip filler because it scares me. I’ve seen too many bad ones.”

She confessed that she may get Botox at 40 if she feels self-conscious about wrinkles at that point in her life, but probably not. 

“Personally, I don’t have a desire to get it, but if I were to get it, it wouldn’t be to look young. It’s a confidence boost,” the amiable teacher stated. 

When asked about her thoughts on Botox preventing wrinkles in the long run, Mrs. Kirchner, another history teacher at Paschal, replied, “I think that’s true, but I think you would have to be very diligent early on.”

When she learned that this “fact” was not true, Mrs. Kirchner let out a surprised laugh. 

“I would not get Botox, personally. If I were to get it, it would only be for wrinkles, but I don’t think I’ll ever get it,” the sociable teacher affirmed. 

The affable pair of history teachers compared their genetics, claiming that genes play a key role in aging skin.

Mrs. Kirchner disclosed that at 64, her mother has good genes and does not have any wrinkles.

Miss Hockstad, on the other hand, playfully supplied, “My grandmas are raisins, so I know what’s coming.”