How does the internet feel about baby Botox? The title of this video should give you a sense: UMMMM I’M OBSESSED.
No, baby Botox isn’t Botox for babies. It’s a nonmedical term that refers to getting microdoses of Botox injections to prevent future wrinkles. The term is big on TikTok right now. Like 4.3 billion views big. But is it safe? We spoke with Healthline’s Medical Director, Jenny Yu, MD, to talk it through.
“For me, there’s a lot of issues with this,” says Yu, who used to work as an oculoplastic surgeon. “For the most part, it’s safe. Botox has been around for a long time. But it does have consequences.”
One of Yu’s concerns is that starting Botox in your 20s — as many of these TikTokers are — may set you up for a domino effect of complications down the road that could ultimately speed up skin aging, rather than slow it down.
“If you start early, by the time you're in your 40s and 50s you may not see any benefits from Botox because you’ve built up a tolerance,” she says.
Your body's natural reaction to a foreign material like Botox is to neutralize it, she explains. So over time, those age-defying effects may lessen, and you may need to up the dosage to stay fresh-faced. This leads us to Yu’s second point of concern: muscle loss.
“If you increase your frequency of use and dosings, it can cause the muscles to atrophy,” she says. “That can totally change the appearance and shape of your face.”
Indeed, muscle atrophying — when your muscles get smaller and weaker — is actually a natural sign of aging, which is exactly what Botox promises to evade.
So in summary, baby Botox is technically safe. But starting in your 20s increases your odds of having to deal with unwanted consequences later in life. If you’re bothered by the appearance of new fine lines, Yu suggests starting with a good skin care regimen before dipping into injectables. You can also take our 7-day challenge all about building a skin care routine to manage signs of aging by clicking here.
tl;dr – Baby Botox is trending, but it may not be as safe as people on TikTok say it is, according to Healthline’s Medical Director, Jenny Yu, MD. The practice, which involves injecting microdoses of Botox to fend off future wrinkles, may increase your risk of muscle atrophying down the road.
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