“I probably don’t need cosmetic surgery – but I could see myself getting Botox when I’m a little bit older,” said my 26-year-old friend over dinner last Friday. I think her opinion is pretty normal, but it begs the question, what age is “old enough” for Botox?
For most people, the appropriate age to get Botox (or Dysport) probably depends on when their frown lines become noticeable and when they have the disposable income to afford the treatment. But does that mean the patient is necessarily middle-aged?
According to Bay Area plastic surgeon Sirish Maddali, “many [of his] patients understand that using Botox at a younger age can be preventative and therefore start earlier.” But how many 20 or 30-somethings actually take these early steps to maintain their appearance?
According to statistics from the ASAPS:
2,464,123 Botox treatments were performed in 2008*
- 0.3 percent of patients were 18 and under
- 15.4 percent of patients were 19-34 (379,582 procedures)
- 49.1 percent of patients were 35-50
- 27.3 percent of patients were 51-64
- 7.9 percent of patients were over 65
According to these numbers, a fairly large number of young people are using Botox in the United States. So it’s misleading to pretend there’s a certain age you must reach to consider the treatment. If you’re bothered by frown lines and wrinkles, you might be there already.
