There are two places in Clemson to get Botox and filler and five in Seneca.
While this isn’t inherently harmful, using young women as a target for these treatments and normalizing “preventative Botox” and “baby Botox” — especially on social media platforms like TikTok — is concerning, detrimental and quite indicative of the society we live in.
The trend of Botox and filler bombards women of all ages, and lately, new forms of marketing have been created to specifically target women in their early 20s. The terms “preventative Botox” and “baby Botox” were coined to describe an early intervention to combat wrinkles and signs of aging.
These procedures ironically highlight the idea of a natural look in lower doses, mainly to keep the “unnoticeable” look of elasticity in facial expressions. This isn’t fundamentally dangerous in itself, but preying on young women’s insecurities about aging is damaging and creates unrealistic standards.
“If you get preventative Botox, you’ll have fewer wrinkles as you age!” Is a popular sentiment regarding these types of treatments, but many people do not know the implications and side effects of Botox and fillers.
Starting these treatments too early can cause someone to develop muscle imbalances and obstruct natural facial expressions. Something that TikTok does not discuss often enough is that these fillers have a neurotoxin that can cause complications like botulism if injected in the wrong way or by an inexperienced doctor, or worse, at home by the recipient.
According to an overview of Botox through Cleveland Clinic, “If you consume large amounts of botulinum toxins or the bacteria get into a wound,” like with an inexperienced doctor, “you can develop botulism.” Botulism is an illness that attacks nerves in the body and can cause muscle paralysis.
Though there are many harmful side effects, both mentally and physically, there are a few positive aspects of receiving these treatments. Botox and filler can help with insecurities, which can lead to an improvement in self-esteem, which is awesome if you are willing to deal with potential side effects.
There are also medical conditions that Botox can help with. Botox was originally created as a treatment for those with crossed eyes and muscle spasms, as reported in Penn Medicine. Another positive aspect of these fillers is that they can help people with hyperhidrosis to reduce sweating.
Though there are plenty of ways Botox can help medically, young women might feel pressured into getting these treatments because of impractical standards that society has set. Unrealistic filters like those found on Snapchat, Instagram and TikTok might be contributing factors. These filters contribute to unfair beauty standards that make many women insecure about not having a small enough nose or large enough eyes. They notice and criticize every fine line in their faces.
The truth is that aging is a beautiful part of life, and no one should feel pressure to stay young forever, especially with treatments that can potentially have serious side effects.
However, this is not meant to shame young people who have chosen to get Botox treatments, just to shed light on the unrealistic standards that society sets for young women and to acknowledge some harmful side effects.
Sophie St. James is a sophomore English major from Central, South Carolina. Sophie can be reached at [email protected].
