Should I get ‘Baby Botox’ at the age of 21?

As a member of Gen Z, social media is my beauty bible. Whether I’m seeking make-up tips, fashion inspiration or skincare advice, platforms such as YouTube and TikTok have become my generation’s go-to, trusted guides. But within the plethora of beauty trends that my screen has served to me recently, one particularly grabbed my attention: ‘Baby Botox’ and why I, at the age of 21, am the perfect candidate for it.

Both Botox and Baby Botox use the same neurotoxin, but the technique in which it is used differs. While the former is used to smooth out wrinkles, Baby Botox uses the toxin in smaller doses with the intention of preventing wrinkles from forming in the first place. The muscle relaxant is injected to restrict movement in areas of the face that might typically wrinkle over time.

Annually, it is estimated that 900,000 anti-wrinkle injections are given to customers over the age of 18 in the UK. With the average price per treatment costing around £250, there’s a lot of profit to be made. Due to being a prescription-only medicine, Botox procedures must adhere to strict advertising regulations which means you cannot promote Botox. Yet in America, the trend has taken off more vigorously ‒ the American Society of Plastic Surgeons found that use of neuromodulator injections in adults aged 20-29 rose by 71 per cent in 2022 compared to 2019.

And so on social media, TikTok aestheticians are advertising these procedures. The TikTok audience, Gen Z, is a demographic with a maximum age of 27, the majority of whom may not have even considered Botox before.

My initial intrigue with this trend was quickly replaced by a sense of unease. In a world already obsessed with unattainable beauty standards, the constant chatter about Baby Botox might add just another worry for me and many other women my age.

It seemed that everywhere I looked on social media, posts would shout to me about the wonders of Baby Botox. The hashtag #antiaging has more than 7.9 billion total views on TikTok. “Girls who are getting Botox in their 20s are winning,” yelled one video. “I got Baby Botox and I’m obsessed,” said another. It made me wonder if I should be seriously considering jumping on the Botox bandwagon now ‒ is this the new normal?

There was a stark difference in the way that I looked in the mirror before and after being exposed to the Baby Botox frenzy. Face-changing filters, trending on TikTok simultaneously, which show you what you will look like in 50 years, are also adding to a general fear of ageing among women my age. Negative content surrounding ageing is inescapable for me and it’s truly taking a toll on mine and a lot of other women’s lives.

“It’s hard when the messaging all around you is that younger is better,” says Funmi Fetto, contributing editor at British Vogue and beauty podcaster. “I work very hard to ignore the subliminal and not-so-subliminal messages that keep on telling women that we are not enough as we are.” Fetto’s sentiment resonated with me ‒ even she, as a woman with 20-plus years of experience in the beauty industry, admits that she has to “work very hard” to ignore the messaging that youth is beauty.

Not only is the trend affecting mental wellbeing, but it could also affect the physical wellbeing of those who get Baby Botox. Celebrity facialist and skincare expert Lisa Harris says that she finds the idea of starting Botox in your early 20s “appalling and unnecessary”. Rather than succumbing to the relentless pursuit of perfection promoted by social media and beauty trends, she advocates for a holistic approach to skincare that prioritises overall health and wellbeing. She shares, “Botox destroys the nerves which contract the muscles, the nerves eventually regenerate again but over the long term they just don’t grow back.” In the long term, she suggests, heavy Botox use from a young age could speed up the ageing process rather than stop it.

In some cases, the improper use of Botox can lead to muscle atrophy, a condition characterised by extreme weakness in the muscles, potentially rendering them unable to function normally. A spokesperson from Save Face, the British organisation focused on cosmetic safety, underscores this risk, explaining that “if an unscrupulous practitioner is over-treating a patient at shorter intervals than the recommended 12 weeks, then the muscles will not have the chance to regain movement and will atrophy over time”.

Dr Christine Hall, an aesthetic doctor, further discourages Baby Botox. “In the early stages, Botox will reverse fine lines and wrinkles completely and so starting preventative Botox before static lines have really formed is, in my opinion, a waste of money.

“If larger doses were used continuously and without a break then, yes, there would be a risk of muscle atrophy,” Dr Hall adds. “Rather than age, the reason to start Botox should be when you develop static lines ‒ lines that remain when you aren’t moving or animating your face.”

Harris’s stance encourages people like me to also challenge the notion that youthfulness equates to beauty. “Looking after your skin from inside out naturally is the best preventative measure against the ageing process,” she says. “We need to change the way we think about ageing faces, embrace a healthier approach to ageing and accept that having a few wrinkles is OK as long as you are healthy and feel young.”

The efficacy and safety of Baby Botox remains uncertain due to limited long-term studies, meaning that the entire process may be expensive and ineffective. The allure of Baby Botox may have seemed tempting to me at first glance, but upon closer examination, I’m left wondering whether this is another fad, crafted by an industry eager to target a new demographic.

I’ll save my money for now ‒ and work on cultivating a healthy mindset towards beauty instead. I might start by tuning out of TikTok.