Botox And Younger Generation

By Margarita Nahapetyan

If cosmetic surgeons are to be believed, young women started using Botox injections as often as they dye their hair.

According to the experts, while older ladies are more worried about fixing wrinkles and fine lines, their younger counterparts use Botox almost every three months in order to change the shape of their eyebrows and lips.

Dr. Gabrielle Caswell, the head of the Cosmetic Physicians Society, says that women in their 20s are turning to Botox in order to follow fleeting fashion trends and that getting Botox injections had become as common as coloring hair. "A lot of the girls are using it as a fashion trend," Dr. Caswell noted. "They do like the plump lips ... and it is very trendy to have flanged outer eyebrows," the expert added. Dr. Caswell said that some younger women also had their frown-lines flattened, but the absolute majority just opt for a new style.

Michael Zacharia, Bondi cosmetic surgeon, said that changing the shape of eyebrows is one of the most popular cosmetic procedures among young women. There is a big number of younger patients coming through, Dr. Zacharia said. And the most often "I see the younger ones coming in and ask for their eyebrows to be lifted," the surgeon said. He added that what he usually does is recommend that younger women have a "small amount" of Botox administered in order to give them an opportunity to see the result before any further injections are being done.

In 2008, a survey by British BBC Radio 1 Newsbeat revealed that women under the age of 30 years made up 25 per cent of Botox customers at one major London center. In addition, according to the same survey, the number of center customers under the age of thirty years had doubled in just 3 years.

Earlier this year, a study by Australian consumer group Choice found that while Botox was "still a risky procedure" and was not suitable for some individuals, many doctors did not explain in a proper way to their patients what potential consequences could be expected. According to the Choice report, one plastic surgeon told one of the clients that Botox would not be suitable for her, as she would experience problem when using her eyebrows to express herself. Instead, the professional suggested to do a filler, which, according to the experts, was quite a reasonable advice. However, 9 other doctors recommended both a filler and Botox. A brow lift along with Botox or a filler was recommended by other 6 doctors, which the experts also considered reasonable.

The report stated that the amount of injections needed and where they would be administered varied widely between doctors. The experts came to the conclusion that while one doctor would be injecting Botox in the wrong part of the face, the other would suggest a client that Botox would not fix her problem, and yet offer the service anyway.