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6 Reasons to Have Your Face Injected Even if You Don't Have Wrinkles

Because it's easier to prevent skin aging than reverse it
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Despite working in an industry where I could've had my face injected with neurotoxins (like Botox) or fillers (like Restylane) countless times before I even turned 30, I resisted the siren song. I'm 34, and I've done nothing (if you consider lasers, peels and facials nothing). But I don't have many wrinkles, so I haven't felt the need for Botox, and because of my chubby cheeks, I never thought fillers were for me.

Then, I spent some time with the Galderma team (they make the filler Restylane), and I started to wonder if avoiding needles for the last 12 years has been a mistake. You see, there's solid scientific evidence that injecting your face with a hyaluronic acid filler like Restylane will encourage your body to produce more collagen -- meaning your skin will look younger and plumper longer. And there are similar benefits to using neurotoxins early: They freeze wrinkles before they form.

So I set out to answer the question: Should you get injections even if you don't have wrinkles? And most doctors agree that if you want to preserve a youthful look as long as possible, these products will help. Here are the reasons someone without wrinkles should still consider toxins or fillers.

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You're Genetically Predisposed to Wrinkles
I asked New York City plastic surgeon and founder of the Youth Corridor Clinic Gerald Imber, MD, if he'd administer a neurotoxin to a young woman with absolutely no wrinkles, and he suggested thinking about genetics. "Often, I take family history into account," he says. "If one's mother and grandmother have no wrinkles, I take a wait and see attitude. Otherwise, small amounts twice a year are a good idea."

Los Angeles dermatologist and founder of SKINxFIVE Ava Shamban, MD, explains how the aging process is different for everyone: "Some people who are 30 look 20, and others who are 30 look 40," she says. "This decade difference in physiological age versus chronological age holds true across the board." And if you're starting to look older than your years due to genetics -- even if you're only 25 -- injections can change the way you age.

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To Fight Resting Bitch Face
Even if you don't have expression lines (yet), early wrinkles can manifest themselves as "resting bitch face" -- which can be treated with injections. "RBF occurs when a person frowns, and the observer is unclear whether the person is thinking hard or concentrating or just plain angry," says Shamban. "In this case, I am treating the frown lines and occasionally the lateral, corners of the mouth to prevent that drooping, angry expression." With a treatment like this, you won't freeze away all emotion, but you will prevent those expression lines -- and you'll look a lot less bitchy, too.

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There's a Line Creeping Across Your Forehead
You may look young, but if there's a line starting to form -- even if you wouldn't call it a wrinkle -- preventative injections will stop it in its tracks. "A lot of young people have what I call the uni-line in the forehead -- the line that crosses all the way over," says New York City dermatologist Ellen Marmur, MD, of Marmur Medical. "And they can benefit from baby Botox or baby Dysport." She uses just a small amount of the toxin to smooth a line even before it turns into a wrinkle.

All the doctors I talked to agree that being proactive in your 20s and 30s makes things easier -- and could even save you money -- later. If you take a preventative approach, you'll need less product, less often as you get older, says Imber.

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You Crave Symmetry
If you have a lopsided feature that bothers you, it can probably be tweaked with filler. Fillers can be used to add angles to the face or balance out an asymmetrical face, says Imber. He uses fillers (or fat transfer) to enhance the angularity of the face and make someone look younger.

"Every individual with asymmetry requires treatment that is tailored to their particular needs," explains Shamban. "So, if they have one side of their forehead that is hypermobile lifting of the brow, Botox can be used to relax the brow. If they are asymmetrical with one cheek larger than the other, or one side of the lip larger than the other, then this can most commonly be corrected by injection of a hyaluronic acid [filler]."

BY DAWN DAVIS | DEC 29, 2016 | SHARES
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