Botox injections booming among millennials

NAPLES, Fla. If you think botox is only for the old and wrinkled, think again.

Maribel Diaz, a 25-year-old mother of two young children, does it to make time for herself.

“On the weekdays, I go to work 8-5, get home, cook, kind of do the housework, then go to bed,” she said.

Dr. Katherine Russell, a dermatologist at the Woodruff Institute in Naples, said botox is becoming a young person’s game.

“A lot of people are jumping on the bandwagon and trying to prevent the crow’s feet and lines between their eyes,” she said.

Botox is a neuro-modulator that relaxes the muscles and some of the wrinkles on the face caused by repetitive movement.

But starting Botox injections before wrinkles have a chance to form may prevent them from forming at all, Russell said.

“I see my mom and I see my grandparents and I see my genes,” Diaz said. “I don’t want to be there, so I’m just helping myself out a little.”

Fifty-six percent of surgeons from the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery noticed an increase of injections and cosmetic surgery among those under 30 last year.

“People are just hyper-aware of appearance now,” Russell said.

Treatment at the Woodruff Institute, which can last from three to five months, costs between $250 and $300 per session.

Possible side effects include pain, swelling and bruising at the injection site. Headaches, flu-like symptoms, droopy eyelids, crooked smiles and drooling are also a possibility.

Those who experience any adverse reactions are advised to call their doctor immediately.