Imagine for a moment that your face is like that famous retro toy, the Etch-A-Sketch. A turn of the knob here and a turn of the knob there and you can create layer upon layer of crisscrossing lines across the gray screen. Your face as it ages is like an Etch-A-Sketch after years and decades of frowning, furrowed brows, smiling, and squinting in the sun’s glare. The results of all those facial muscle movements are dynamic lines and wrinkles forming an Etch-A-Sketch-like patchwork up and down and across your once youthful face.
Now, what if there was a medical way to limit or minimize the action of all those facial muscles so that the lines and wrinkles never formed in the first place? There is, and it’s called preventive Botox injections. Cosmetic surgeons and patients in growing numbers are now viewing Botox not only as an effective treatment for facial lines and wrinkles that are already there but also as a chemical shield against the development of these age-induced skin flaws that appear years down life’s road.
It’s a fact: when you smile a lot, frown a lot, squint a lot or concentrate deeply enough, lines, furrows, and wrinkles eventually form in the prominent areas of the facial skin where this intense muscular motion takes place. The more your face engages in these movements, the deeper and more pronounced the lines and wrinkles become.
Cosmetic surgeons are finding that early Botox injections – long before the first lines and wrinkles have begun to appear – actually prevent the early occurrence of wrinkles. Think of it as nipping the problem of facial aging in the bud using Botox. This, in combination with good skincare, abundant use of sunblock, and proper diet actually seems to halt the formation of dynamic facial lines and wrinkles and prevent them from getting any worse if not forming in the first place.
An ounce of prevention truly is worth a pound of cure, as the old saying goes. Likewise, a shot of Botox in one’s mid-20s may be a real shot in the arm in the never-ending battle against skin aging later on. Still, doctors don’t recommend Botox use in the Wonder Years and little is known about the long-term use of Botox starting at younger ages. Nevertheless, as you enter into your 30’s and begin to ponder how you’ll look in your 40’s, Botox may very well be an effective non-invasive cosmetic tool to make the road getting there a whole lot smoother.
Remember, Botox is a controlled substance that’s best handled by an experienced plastic surgeon or dermatologist. If you want to learn more about the cosmetic uses of Botox, including the recent FDA-approved use for crow’s feet, a board-certified cosmetic physician is your best source for information and guidance.
Dr. Andrew Campbell is a double board-certified facial plastic surgeon at Quintessa Medical Spa located at 10604 N. Port Washington Rd., Mequon, WI 53092, and 2124 Kohler Memorial Drive, Sheboygan WI 53081. He can be contacted at (262) 242-7772 or (920) 803-3223 or view patients’ before and after Botox photos.