Botox gets younger, louder, and more mainstream
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Botox patients are getting younger and they're less shy about discussing their treatments, industry professionals tell Axios.
The big picture: The Botox gap between millennials and Gen X is shrinking, according to Qsight data shared with Axios.
What they're saying: Botox appointments are becoming about as mainstream as hair appointments.
- "Injectables have gone from being a whisper topic to something people openly talk about with friends, colleagues, and even on social media," American Society of Plastic Surgeons president C. Bob Basu told Axios.
By the numbers: Gen X is leading the charge, making up about 39% of all neurotoxin procedures in the past year, Qsight senior data scientist Duey Xu tells Axios.
- Millennials "have rapidly gained ground in recent years," now up to 35% of procedures, Xu says.
- Gen Z is starting to become part of the trend, too. Those born after 1997 make up 6% of patients.
Zoom in: Millennials actually represent a larger share of Michigan neurotoxin procedures than Gen Xers, the data shows.
Case in point: Robert DiPilla has offered Botox and other facial rejuvenation services at his Metro Detroit dentistry practice for about 20 years.
- DiPilla tells Axios he has seen more interest among young people and men since COVID. Their mindset is to look better today than yesterday.
- "The biggest thing that we see in the younger generation is they're doing it not really for wrinkles — they're doing it for preventive" reasons, he said.
- DiPilla says facial rejuvenation procedures now represent about 30-40% of his practice.
State of play: While younger patients focus more on "preventive" treatments, overall interest in lip fillers and masseter toxin injections is on the rise, Rebecca Small, a physician who specializes in advanced aesthetic treatments, tells Axios.
- With lip fillers, synthetic hyaluronic acid is injected into lips to add volume.
- Masseter injections are Botox shots into jaw muscles, often to offer a slimming effect.
The bottom line: No matter how people are talking about injectables, "these are medical procedures, not just quick beauty fixes," Basu asserts.