Botox's preventative aspect was proved in Beverly Hills plastic surgeon Dr. William J. Binder's groundbreaking 2006 twins study, where he injected one identical twin with the toxin for 13 years (from the age of 25). The result? The treated twin looked at least five years younger, in spite of living in sun-damaging Malibu (her sister lived in Munich).
"Muscles move and form folds in the skin. If you do that long enough, you'll get imprinted lines from the collagen breaking down," Binder explains. "Botox stops this process by preventing the muscles from moving."
He also assures me that despite controversy earlier this year, Botox is the safest drug he's ever used - and he's been using it since the late '80s.
But when is the right time to start the shots?
"It depends on your skin type and how much you move your face. Thinner complexions" - typical for women with lighter hair, eyes, and skin tones - "will develop more lines, faster," says Binder, who doesn't recommend treatment for teenagers (even if they live in Beverly Hills) or anyone who doesn't see lines yet, because if you can't predict where the patient will form wrinkles, you won't know where to inject the toxin. |
