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Increase in millennials using Botox to prevent wrinkles

 COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.(KXRM) – Those who got Botox in the past were typically women in their late-40s to mid-60s.

Now, the biggest users of Botox are much younger – millennials.

According to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, Botox treatments from 2011 and 2015 spiked by 41 percent for people between ages 19 and 34.

It’s a trend Colorado Springs, Colorado is also seeing at Genesis MedSpa.

“We see some who do not have any visible lines at rest, but they realize that they use those muscles quite a lot. Either they use their forehead a lot when they speak because they have an expressive forehead or they tend to scowl when they’re concentrating,” said Lisa Jenks, M.D. and medical director/owner of Genesis MedSpa.

Botox is one of three neurotoxins that disrupts the nerve’s ability to communicate with the muscles.

It then stops the muscles from moving so that wrinkles do not progress.

Botox is also FDA-approved to treat migraines.

24-year-old Marissa Palmer started getting Botox at age 22.

“First I used it for headaches, but then I found out that my selfies were better so, I kept doing. And then I could actually use it on my mandibular muscle right here because I get really bad night pains from grinding my teeth, but it actually slims out my face too, so that’s another positive,” Palmer said.

Doctors say more people are getting Botox for wrinkle prevention. They say getting Botox before lines set in will make it easier to treat as you age.

“It’s way easier for me to, say if a 20-year old starts to do Botox at the age of 40, she’s not going to have many wrinkles, whereas if she comes in for the first time at the age of 40 and I have to stat with a lot of wrinkles on her face, I’m going to need to use more Botox,” Jenks said.

Whether we squint or scowl a lot, experts say lines can also be partially genetic.

“The three most common places to use Botox are in between the eyebrows, which is called the glabella, and those are our scowl muscles, across the forehead and the crows feet. We can also use them in fine smoker’s lines which we call even in men or women who don’t smoke, as well as for some of the neck lines. We can also use Botox to treat headaches and millennials are becoming more aware of that,” Jenks said.

Many say the benefits outweigh the costs.

“Before I started doing it I actually have like, a resting b—- face and I actually don’t have that anymore which is really nice. So, a lot of people that I actually look nicer too so, that’s a good part of it,” Palmer said.

Jenks also says Botox treatments can vary depending where you live.

“Many of them are also aware that living here in Colorado, we tend to squint a lot because we have so many days of sunshine. And even those of us who are very religious about wearing our sunglasses end up with more crows feet than people do with other parts of the country because of how much sun we have,” Jenks said.

Jenks says 10 percent of their clients are men and that’s expected to double in the next 5 years. He also says mens’ muscles tend to be stronger than females, so they may need more Botox treatments.

Botox is one of the top aesthetic procedures that has been growing in recent years, including procedures for fillers and laser hair removal.

Doctors say the effects of Botox will start to show in about 7 days and will generally last close to three months after the first treatment.

Genesis MedSpa says their Botox prices range from $150 to $300.

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