03/01/2024, 19:46 Baby Botox, Social Media and Our Fear of Ageing

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Baby Botox, Social

Media and Our Fear
of Ageing
Content warning: references to
body dysmorphia

The pervasive desire for “preventive” cosmetic procedures

within the younger generations was brought to my attention
during a recent visit to the dermatologist. My doctor expressed
her concern for children as young as fifteen, most of whom were
accompanied by a guardian of legal age, who were coming in to
request facial fillers or body augmentations, such as lip and
cheek fillers or rhinoplasties. Why are such young individuals
seeking such procedures?

Perhaps the obsession with appearing and staying youthful

begins in childhood. As children, growing up, we often heard
stories about wrinkly, malevolent witches preying on the young,
naive and beautiful protagonists. Fairy Tales such as Hansel and
Gretel, Snow White and Rapunzel, and the legends of the
Philosophers Stone and Fountain of Youth, are only a few of the
stories that have fuelled this flowering obsession with eternal
youth and beauty. The actresses we watched growing up now
run the risk of irrelevance the older they get, losing roles to a 20-
something-year-old whose male co-star is a decade or two older
than them. Sometimes it’s not even that obvious. Playful
memes of Leonardo DiCaprio’s dating history and “Ok, Boomer”,
as well as Olivia Munn and Jennifer Lopez attributing their
youthful appearances to consuming copious amounts of
Japanese sweet potatoes and olive oil, instead of cosmetic
interventions, all contain elements of ageism.

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03/01/2024, 19:46 Baby Botox, Social Media and Our Fear of Ageing

We have been conditioned to antagonise what appears to be

outdated, worn or used.

Preventative Botox, also known as “Baby Botox,” has become

one of the most in-style beauty trends within the last decade.
The procedure entails only having a small or reduced amount of
Botox injected per session. Clients wishing to maintain their
appearance must regularly undergo these injections. Brands
such as Botox and Juvéderm have become catch-all names for
these injectable procedures, but there are considerable
differences between the two. Juvéderm, a type of dermal filler,
contains hyaluronic acid which can be used to plump lips and
cheeks as well as fill fine lines, while Botox contains bacteria, a
popular one being botulinum toxin A, which relaxes and
temporarily paralyses muscles. However, continuous use of
Botox comes with various possible side effects, such as muscle
weakness and flatness. The weakening of facial muscles can
have undesirable effects on an individual's ability to swallow and
vocalise, and may cause difficulties with eye movements which
can, in turn, result in double-vision. Some extended-use patients
may even experience discolouration and textured skin. There is
also the risk of patients being injected with subpar or illegal
market acquired filler. The consequences of such could be dire
and even deadly. Despite these ramifications, however, Baby
Botox has never been more desirable as it is today. How has a
product and procedure associated with an older demographic
found a renewed interest within younger ones? How do
Millennial and Gen Z fears of ageing affect their desire for
preventative cosmetic surgery?

Doctors suspect “selfie culture” and the rapid growth of social

media to be the leading culprits and primary driving forces
behind younger people seeking preventative cosmetic
procedures. Apps such as Facetune and Photoshop, as well as
instant photo filters, make it easier for people to seamlessly edit
their pictures. Through this process, however, they create an
idealised, false reality for viewers to strive to achieve or recreate.
The popularity of such a practice is attested by recent statistics
revealing that Instagram and Facetune garnered their highest
engagement levels during the pandemic, a time when many
found solace online. Another motivating factor is the rise of
“Instagram face.” Author Jia Tolentino describes the face as “a
young face, of course, with poreless skin and plump, high
cheekbones. It has catlike eyes and long, cartoonish lashes; it
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03/01/2024, 19:46 Baby Botox, Social Media and Our Fear of Ageing

has a small, neat nose and full, lush lips.” A combination of

features that, for the majority of the population, can only be
achieved through cosmetic interventions. People are
attempting to physically mimic an artificial filter or edited
physiques through fillers, augmentations and chemical
treatments. The saying “beauty is pain” has never been quite so
relevant and literal.

Coupled with the shift to online school and work, people are
spending more time looking at themselves through the lens of
a camera than through a mirror. This is especially true for
younger people who are more susceptible to believing
everything at face value, and doctored images therefore come
across as fact. Dr Helen Egger, a child psychiatrist, explains this
phenomenon. She says, “What is taking it to the next level with
these filters is it’s not just seeing an image of a celebrity who is
unrealistic and measuring yourself against that person, it’s
measuring your real self against a pretend image of yourself.”

On a more nefarious note, there are countless social media

accounts, with followers in the hundreds of thousands,
dedicated to exposing and analysing supposed undisclosed
cosmetic surgeries undergone by celebrities and influencers.
Some of these accounts even encourage users to comment on
what procedures they believe the celebrity in question has had
done. Often, common courtesy is not afforded the subject, with
commenters viciously critiquing their physical appearances. It is
easy to aimlessly scroll and dismiss these criticisms and
opinions, but regular exposure to such content can
subconsciously affect the way we perceive ourselves and others,
leading some to undergo the same procedures they ridicule
online. The hypocrisy of the contemporary beauty industry
generates a “damned if you do and damned if you don’t”
relationship with cosmetic surgery and photo editing.

In their annual statistics, The American Society of Plastic

Surgeons reported that Botox procedures have increased by 28
per cent, while dermal fillers have increased by 32 per cent
among the age group 20-29 since 2010. Furthermore, from 2013
to 2018, the use of Botulinum Toxin among people aged 19-34
increased by 87 per cent. The process of filler injections is
becoming likened to applying and removing makeup at the end
of the day. But unlike makeup, Botox does not completely come
off after long-term usage.

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03/01/2024, 19:46 Baby Botox, Social Media and Our Fear of Ageing

As cosmetic surgery loses its taboo and social media dominates

our screen time, doctors expect this trend to continue to grow in
popularity and especially with a younger clientele. Dr Craig
Teller at Bellaire Dermatology has seen an influx of millennials
seeking preventative cosmetic procedures at his clinic. In an
attempt to describe Millennial motivations, Dr Teller says, “This
isn’t about vanity as much as it’s about wanting to look and feel
the best that I can… I want to feel good mentally, and I want to
look good.”

What’s more remarkable is that companies producing these

injectables have changed their marketing strategies by
targeting Millennials and Gen Z, instead of those from Gen X or
Baby Boomer demographics. Carrie Strom, SVP of the company,
Allergan, the makers of Botox and Juvéderm, said, “Millennials
will have the most buying power of any generation, so we want
to serve those clients in the channels they are using while also
educating them and removing the stigma from Botox.” A 2010
advertisement for ‘Juvéderm XC’ featured three women who
were more representative of their original target audience:
middle-aged women and older. Unlike today, the 2010
commercial did not correlate dermal filler with the young, wild
and free. When you compare Juvéderm’s earlier advertisements
to their latest iterations, the shift towards marketing to younger
audiences is stark.

This article does not aim to chastise those who do use Botox or
fillers. Both have been used to treat a myriad of medical
conditions, such as chronic migraines, hyperhidrosis and muscle
contractures. Dermal filler, specifically Poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA),
has been used to treat and fill areas of the face that have been
hollowed by the effects of HIV. For some, Botox and filler are
miracle liquids which enable them to live better lives. Even if one
uses Baby Botox for its aesthetic purposes, it is not inherently
problematic.

Rather, this article is shedding light on an age-old problem:

body dissatisfaction. What is particularly harrowing about this
growing trend of cosmetic procedures is how it could motivate a
young individual, whose face and body may not yet be fully
developed, to believe they need such injections to “correct” or
alter what has not had the chance to completely form. Cosmetic
products and procedures should be a means of empowerment,
not a source of shame and anxiety. Before endeavouring to

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03/01/2024, 19:46 Baby Botox, Social Media and Our Fear of Ageing

undergo these procedures, one would be well-advised to err on

the side of caution and to conduct thorough research on the
products and procedures used, and more importantly, to ensure
that it is for the purposes of personal satisfaction and not the
fear of being perceived as anything less than picture-perfect.

Published: 27 Sep 2022 14:32 , Last updated: 21 Jul 2023 23:11

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