Baby Botox, Anti-Aging Skin Care for Teens: How Young is Too Young?

Okay, so baby Botox is technically not Botox for actual babies, although that subject is surprisingly less than fictional.  Julian McMahon’s character on Nip/Tuck recently faced the moral dilemma of whether he should inject dermal fillers into the lips of an infant model.  Okay, so that’s still technically fictional, but check out this site and a clip of a young “Toddlers and Tiaras” type of girl who desperately wants plastic surgery because “I love my mommy.”  Huh?

Baby Botox actually refers to a less-is-more approach to injecting Botox Cosmetic that aims to simply soften fine lines and wrinkles without creating the cliche “frozen face” or perpetually quizzical look.  Baby Botox is becoming more popular especially among younger women in their 20’s and early 30’s (Jessica Simpson was having regular Botox injections and lip fillers as early as 25!).

The New York Daily News printed an interesting and related article this week on anti-aging skin care for teenagers, stating that “a third of women under 25 years old regularly apply anti-aging products meant for the 40-plus crowd.”

Some British dermatologists have spoken out about this trend and it’s potentially negative effects for the youth-obsessed teens: “cosmetic products that boast of maintaining youthful skin contain high concentrations of retinoids and AHAs, which can actually accelerate the aging process for those with vibrant skin.” These retinoids and AHAs (alpha hydroxyacids) can stimulate cellular renewal in those with more mature skin. However, in the young, the dermatologists contend, they can lead to redness, irritation, itchiness and a greater susceptibility to sun damage and hyperpigmentation, especially if the teenagers are not wearing sunscreen.

So how young is too young?  Unless the teenager has an acne problem, we recommend keeping skin care simple.  It is a great time to learn proper skin care basics and to create routines that will hopefully last a lifetime, including daily cleansing, hydration and, most importantly, sun protection.  Botox will always eventually wear off.  However, sun damage is not an easy problem to fix.