Duke It Out: Preventative Botox

April 23, 2010 9:00 am     Posted in Beauty, Reality  Lauren H - The New School g+ page


By Lauren H

[It's pretty obvious that the average CollegeCandy reader has some very strong opinions. Opinions that she likes to share with everyone on the site. We love a strong woman (unless she happens to be charging at us with her fists raised), so we thought we'd give her a real forum to discuss her thoughts, feelings, and perspectives. Every Friday I'll be featuring a hot topic (like tie dye! ) and leaving it up to you, the readers, to duke it out. So, read it and get your debate on in the comments section below!]

Hello, my name is Lauren, and I have a problem. I’d like to lay the blame on my mother (it’s just so convenient!) or maybe her mother before her, but the truth is it’s probably a lot of factors going back who knows how far that have led me to this moment: I’m obsessed with looking young.

While most of my friends still need reminders to wear SPF everyday, I’ve been using anti-aging products since I graduated high school. When I turned 20 I discovered my first fine line across my forehead and have religiously applied product to it almost every day since. This obsession, irrational and vain though it may be, has led me to consider some extreme measures – and it turns out I’m not the only one. Botox injections for women under 30 have skyrocketed in the last few years, and I’m torn.

The whole idea behind getting Botox at our age is to basically prevent the wrinkles from ever forming so you don’t have to fight an uphill battle when you get older. Sounds good! Perfectly rational. And while I’ve had some mixed feelings about plastic surgery in the past, these injections are relatively mild and non-invasive so it’s not quite so extreme. If it makes you feel a little bit better about yourself, more confident in the way you look, why shouldn’t you do it?

And sure, alright, I admit that it seems narcissistic to spend all that time and money worrying about the way that you look, but seriously, don’t most of us? If we didn’t care how we looked, would we buy the makeup, the crazy acne regimens, all the stupid little products that seem to multiply overnight in your bathroom like bunnies on Viagra until there’s no room to move? No, of course not, because we do care – so why should it be any more embarrassing to want to do whatever it takes to keep your skin looking young?

But there are a few things that stop me (aside from a certain fear of having paralyzing chemicals shoved into my skin). For one, once you start, stopping isn’t really an option. You have to keep up the regimen or else what’s the point – which pretty much means that you’ll be getting these injections every few months for decades… decades. And since Botox hasn’t been around for that long, we really don’t know what effects long term use like that might have.

Aside from the safety issues, there’s also that nagging little voice in the back of my mind that says “you’re being shallow.” So, you end up with a couple of wrinkles – big deal, everybody does eventually. Embrace the fact that you’re human, you’re natural. Enjoy being young while you can and stop worrying about it, right? Right?

OK, help me out girls. Do you fret about this stuff as much as I do, or am I out here on a limb by myself? Would you consider getting Botox now? Have you? Or do you think all of us 20-something youth junkies are just being ridiculous? Duke. It. Out.

13 Comments on "Duke It Out: Preventative Botox"

  1. Giona says:
    Fri, 23rd Apr 20105:34 am 

    Way too young. We're too young to know what we will look like when we're older – so why interfere and possibly make it worse than it would be? I've heard one of the best things you can do is exfoliate your skin, everyday and it will keep lines from forming and keep your skin looking young. I'll stick with that.

  2. zoe says:
    Fri, 23rd Apr 20108:18 am 

    Yeah… I'm weith Giona. This seems absurd! Now we're correcting "flaws" before we even HAVE them? My advice? Chill out. Worrying gives you wrinkles!

  3. hanabira says:
    Fri, 23rd Apr 20109:40 am 

    However hard you fight ageing, you're going to lose in the end. It'll be either simply looking your age, or alternatively by looking a stretched beyond recognition.

    Whats the shame in ageing? An older looking woman can still look more beautiful than a younger. Age doesn't equal beauty. A sounder investment with your time would be to work on your attitude, as acceptance ultimately will bring much more happiness to your life.

  4. markmartinez2 says:
    Fri, 23rd Apr 201010:11 am 

    "to spend all that time and money worrying about the way that you look"… what sounds far-fetched today would move into 'perfectly normal' if we zoom a few years ahead (mind you, I don't like this especially when it's an obsession with beauty for the sake for looks alone). Yet the way the media and big pharmaceutical companies are going… that's where it's being pushed. Think about 20 years back, who was considering botox treatment! Back then getting your teeth shined & putting up braces was big, now that's norm and the media is pushing for bigger things to be norm too.

    Mark Martinez,

    Testing out hypergain like the energizer bunny

  5. Nancy says:
    Fri, 23rd Apr 20105:19 pm 

    i just want to know cindy crawford's secret!

  6. Matthew says:
    Sat, 24th Apr 20107:29 am 

    You're being ridiculous.

  7. pinktu says:
    Sat, 1st May 20106:56 am 

    If you're considering preventative Botox it's best to know more about it. My dad is a plastic surgeon and once you start a Botox routine you do not need to continue using it for decades. Although it varies with each person, people who use Botox on a regular basis eventually stop needing it. Additioanlly, preventative Botox does actually help prevent wrinkles, since you can't make the squinting motions that aggregate over years to create wrinkles. She's not as ridiculous as everyone is saying-do you use daily SPF? Will you use more anti-aging products as you get older? Why not help yourself age gracefully by helping to prevent some of those wrinkles instead of futilely attempting to fix wrinkles once they've already established themselves? It's not the worst thing one could do so go easy on this girl.

  8. Courtney says:
    Thu, 6th May 20108:16 pm 

    I have recently started working at a medical spa, and was asked just last week if I wanted to try botox. I thought WHAT im only 23!?!!! My coworker who is also 23 thought the same thing, but now after thinking and reading up on it, both my coworker and myself are thinking why not!? I've been using te anti aging creams as well since high school. But I feel like I see more lines on my face each day I look in my mirror, and it's a bit of a bummer! AND THIS IS ONLY THE BEGINNING! lol

    My mom had a face lift, and I just couldn't bare going through that pain so if I can prevent it getting to that point then suuure I'll try to slow down the aging process, why not!?

    It's been hard for me trying to research younger girls who get botox and read their experiences on the internet because there are sooooo many negative comments littering everything. :/

    I just had a mild facial peel last week, so Im now trying to really get into a good regiment for my face and take care of it, especially this coming summer!!!

  9. June says:
    Mon, 25th Oct 20103:02 pm 

    You are not crazy. I am 32 and have been getting Botox every 4-6 mos. since I was 29. It is worth every penny. I am convinced Botox will continue to gain popularity for the many benefits it has in the hands of an experienced RN- I went to advoid the VERY small "11's" I was getting, and left with my forehead injected as well as a mini brow lift. This is the CELEB secret…no doubt it works- but the unexpected benefits for me included, no more migraines, and an enhanced mood. (And I was very depressed.) Common sense dictates that when we have hyperfacial expressions our energy quite literally imprints on the face- botox suspends these nasty emotions and makes it damn near impossible to fret. Go FOR IT!!! And if you can pluck your eyebrows, the pain is nothing. It is worth it.

  10. Joanie says:
    Thu, 23rd Jun 201112:53 am 

    Botox. She totally admitted it in an interview. People were reviewing all of her anti aging products really harshly and she admitted to getting botox since she was like 29. So secret is out.

  11. passion222 says:
    Wed, 21st Mar 20125:10 pm 

    I have been getting Botox for years. I am now 39 and am told all the time that I don't look old enough to have a 18 yr old. Thats all I need to hear. LOL Makes me feel Im doing a good job on my looks as hard as it is to preserve a youthful appearance. I also believe highly in SPF religiously. I tanned as a teen like crazy. By 30 People thought I looked 40. Ive had chemical peels and microdermabrasion to help eliminate some of the sun damage. I see nothing wrong with doing these small things to make me feel a little better about aging. I am not superficial and enjoy my life, family, and friends. Its just a few things I do secretly to boost my esteem.

  12. Ashley says:
    Thu, 6th Dec 201211:20 pm 

    We all want to be attractive and to have our men (and other men) be attracted to us physically as well as emotionally in our 40s and 50s and later. If our husbands met us when we were 27, they obviously were attracted to us at that age. So why wouldn't we want to stay as close to that as possible at 47 as well? I think this is a great idea. You can try it and see how you like it, and if you don't want to do it anymore until later, you can. If your skin is completely flawless, then I think it's silly to start, because you don't know how you will age or not age yet. But once you start to notice little indentations that weren't there before in pictures from a couple years ago, then I think that would be the time to start. It makes sense. Hooray for preventative measures!!!

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