One of the most common questions I am asked is “what is the appropriate age to start with injectable treatments?” The answer to this is not straightforward. There is no doubt that these days many of us are having more  beauty treatments and starting those at a younger age than our parents and grandparents. The press is frequently reporting on young reality stars (for example) who are undergoing aesthetic treatments and more recently there have been reports on the growing trend for children to have facials and manicures.   Once upon a time aesthetic treatments were purely for the rich and famous. The rise of celebrity culture, social media and the accessibility of beauty treatments seems to have resulted in an obsession with grooming, personal appearance and the desire to stay young forever. As you may or may not know by now, dermal fillers and botulinum toxin serve different purposes.   

Essentially Botulinum Toxin reduces muscle activity – resulting in the prevention of static lines or if lines are already present, it will prevent deepening. This means that in order to benefit from this treatment, one needs to start having treatments before deep static lines have set in. This is the reason that Botulinum Toxin is often referred to as a ‘preventative’ treatment.   

Dermal fillers provide volume and also can be used to smooth deep static lines. Whilst used to target loss of volume incurred with age, Dermal fillers may also be used to replace volume loss through ill health or radical weight loss.    So for me, it is not so much what age you should start but: What are your goals? What are the driving forces behind these? What is your understanding of the risks and benefits?   Then, finally with that in mind, I can provide the answer to whether the treatment is appropriate and whether the client is at the right age. If not, then guidance and advice about other ways to manage your concerns will result in an effective consultation and an honest practitioner-client relationship.