Whether it’s detailed skin care routines, gut health, or cosmetic procedures, TikTok is obsessed with anti-aging.
Cosmetic procedures and injections from rhinoplasty (nose jobs) to ‘Barbie Botox’ also dominate the platform, with many people claiming the procedures help them look younger and feel better about themselves.
Now, a new trend has formed on the platform when it comes to botox. Dubbed #BabyBotox, the trend involves smaller amounts of Botox being injected into the skin starting in your early 20s as a preventative anti-aging approach.
With millions of views on TikTok, the hashtag #BabyBotox reveals the people who claim that starting young with smaller doses of injections can prevent wrinkles and lines, smooth skin texture and boost confidence.
“No, it’s not Botox for real babies,” explains Emily Long, a plastic surgeon who is also a TikTok influencer, in a video. “It’s essentially preventative Botox. So instead of using a full dose, it’s a much smaller dose – maybe a third of the normal dose – so the patient can still move their face, it’s not completely frozen, but it’s basically designed to keep them from getting over the rest lines. year.”
Another plastic surgery TikTok influencer, @Pa_Nicola, referred to the trend as “microdosing” Botox.
“You’ll be putting fewer units per area than you would with traditional Botox,” he explains in the video. “While this might allow you to have a bit more animation [in your face]you must also understand that with this type of treatment, your duration will be significantly shorter.”
TikToker @samcity_ posted a video showing her before and after results from Baby Botox, noting that she hoped it would reduce the lines on her forehead.
“I knew if I was moving on with my life [making this facial expression], I would develop lines there,” he says in the video. “So I got preventative botox and here are the results… Now when I raise my eyebrows — do you see that? — It’s kind of frozen, but I can still move my eyebrows.”
TikToker @hayleejoe posted a video in January discussing her experience with Baby Botox, noting that she started getting injections at 21 after noticing wrinkles on her forehead in her late teens.
“I get [Botox], like, every four months — and I love it,” she says. “Also, starting Botox so young has definitely trained my forehead not to express as much… so I don’t really have any legs or lines on my face.”
Baby Botox on the rise
Baby Botox reflects a much larger trend: The rise of cosmetic procedures as a whole. According to the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (AAFPRS), plastic surgeons reported a 58% increase in bookings and treatments in 2022.
Three quarters of plastic surgeons surveyed also said they have seen an increase in the number of patients under the age of 30.
Experts have cited many factors contributing to this rise, from selfie obsessions on social media, unrealistic beauty filters on TikTok and a post-pandemic return to in-person activities.
Either way, it has opened up a conversation about body image, anti-aging and mental health.
While many people on TikTok support getting Baby Botox from the age of 18, others have discouraged it.
“I think this is so confusing [Baby Botox] it’s a thing now,” says TikToker Matilda in a video that has gone viral.
“We have always prioritized the youth as a society… but the last few years it is [gotten worse]”, she explains herself. “Women in their 40s are expected to try and always look 20 to 29 – which is impossible and unachievable. You have such a narrow window in your life as a woman to enjoy the age you are and to be appreciated at the age you are. We get this very short window, and we have to spend the whole time with a 20-step skin care routine, with botox and using retinol and all these things that were meant for older women… When do we get to the rest? The answer is never again.”
However, it doesn’t look like Baby Botox — or other similar anti-aging trends — are going away anytime soon.
Nearly 80% of plastic surgeons expect an increase in preventive and early maintenance cosmetic procedures among people in their 20s and 30s, according to the same AAFPRS survey.
