A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
A growing number of 20-somethings are getting what's known as Baby Botox. It's a preventative treatment that freezes the facial muscles to limit movement so they don't form lines. Health reporter Sarah Boden looks at what's driving this cosmetic trend.
SARAH BODEN: Fillir in Pittsburgh is unlike any doctor's office I've ever been to. It smells like a fancy hotel, sounds like a nightclub and specializes in noninvasive aesthetic procedures. Attorney Stephanie Moore comes here about every four months to get Dysport. Very similar to Botox, Dysport is another brand of injectable drug that temporarily paralyzes the muscle.
STEPHANIE MOORE: It's one of my favorite ways to treat myself.
BODEN: Moore paid $462 for today's treatment. She started coming here three years ago when she was 27. Medical director Dr. Christian Bosquet is administering the injections. He instructs Moore to scrunch her smooth face...
CHRISTIAN BOSQUET: Wrinkle upwards. Perfect.
BODEN: ...And then uses a green marker to dot where the creases and ridges appear. This is where he injects.
BOSQUET: Her muscles in certain areas have died down from when I first met her.
BODEN: Physicians I spoke to for this story said they've seen an uptick in 20-somethings and even some teens seeking it since the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Kristy Hamilton is a facial plastic surgeon in Houston.
KRISTY HAMILTON: TikTok really picked up then. There's a lot more of this content on social media and probably a degree of boredom, too.
BODEN: Sociologist Dana Berkowitz wrote the book "Botox Nation." She says because younger people live so much of their lives online, they're more aware of their appearances. And this is further driven by influencers on TikTok and Instagram.
DANA BERKOWITZ: They get free Botox or filler or microneedling or whatever if they're filming it, and then they post it because it's advertising.
BODEN: The Food and Drug Administration has not approved cosmetic injectables for minors. And Hamilton, the plastic surgeon, says there is no right age to start.
HAMILTON: And sometimes we see people in their mid-20s that have a lot of wrinkles, and that's just life.
BODEN: These drugs are derived from the same bacteria that causes botulism. Though, because it's administered in small doses, physicians say it doesn't pose a risk. But Miami-based plastic surgeon Dr. Paul Durand says Botox can cause too much muscle atrophy, which can make your face look hollow over time.
PAUL DURAND: As we age, we lose volume in the face. So you don't want to compound that with causing muscle atrophy.
BODEN: He says that hollow look is easy to avoid by not overdoing it, but there are people who end up looking frozen. Durand says if a patient is determined enough, they'll be able to find a clinician to give them more aggressive injections. That's partly because this is a lucrative area of medicine. Because insurance doesn't reimburse for it, people pay out of pocket. Also, sociologist Dana Berkowitz says once patients start getting Botox or a similar drug, they usually don't stop.
BERKOWITZ: So once you get people in their 20s, you have a lifelong consumer.
BODEN: Berkowitz is one of those lifelong consumers. She explains that when you stop getting injections, the effects eventually wear off, so people feel compelled to continue.
BERKOWITZ: And Botox is not only addictive in that way, but it can also be a gateway drug into other cosmetic procedures.
BODEN: Meaning those who start at 25 can spend thousands of dollars by their mid-30s. That's a lot of money that a young person could invest elsewhere.
For NPR News, I'm Sarah Boden.
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