When Should You Start Having Non-Surgical Cosmetic Procedures?
The debate about when to start having non-surgical cosmetic procedures has always been fierce, especially with the current trend amongst teenagers keen to put in a preventative strike against ageing. At Save Face, we strongly believe that there is such a thing as being too young to undergo non-surgical cosmetic procedures, which is why we campaigned tirelessly for a new to law to prevent practitioners from injecting dermal fillers and botox to children under 18. We were delighted when MP Laura Trott responded to our campaign and decided to utilise her Private Members Bill to ensure the issue was addressed. In 2021 a new law was passed which means it is now illegal for anyone under 18 to have cosmetic fillers and botox.
On the other hand, it’s generally accepted that prevention is better than cure, especially when it comes to combating the signs of ageing. There are a lot of factors that can contribute to how quickly an individual begins to age visibly, so tackling these should always be a priority.
Smoking
Unsurprisingly, smoking exacerbates the ageing process considerably. The toxic chemicals in cigarettes can thin the hair, while the free radicals introduced to the body by smoking break down collagen and elastin in the skin. In addition to this, the carbon monoxide in cigarettes deprives the skin of oxygen leaving it lacklustre and dull, while nicotine restricts blood flow leaving skin sallow and dry. That’s before you even consider the deep lines caused by pursing the lips around a cigarette and squinting through smoke.
Drinking
Sometimes overlooked in the fight against ageing, alcohol has a significant impact on the ageing process. Alcohol dehydrates the skin (which makes it wrinkle more quickly), robs the body of vitamin A (an essential antioxidant critical for cell renewal), causes rosacea and broken capillaries, and creates bloating.
Exposure to sunlight
Again it’s no surprise to learn that long-term UV exposure can lead to pigmentation issues, reduced skin elasticity and a degradation of the skin texture. In fact, a recent study by L’Oreal Research and Innovation Centre, Paris has found that the sun is responsible for 80.3 percent of skin ageing.
Lifestyle
In a study carried out by scientists from the University of California, San Francisco, a good diet, moderate exercise and stress management have been proven to slow cellular ageing as they increase the size of telomeres, structures that protect chromosomes from becoming damaged.
Apart from the things mentioned above, there’s one thing that’s common to everyone when they reach their mid-twenties; their bodies stop producing collagen and elastin, the two proteins responsible for keeping tissue looking full and skin elastic, so it could be argued that this is the best time to begin non-surgical cosmetic procedures.
Dr Robert Grant, Chief of the Joint Division of Plastic Surgery at New York Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Centre has coined the phrase ‘life-stage personal enhancement’, and believes that taking small, relatively inexpensive steps at a younger age can prevent the need for more costly invasive procedures later in life.
When discussing life-stage personal enhancement, he said “it’s a gradual programme of age maintenance procedures that enables patients to look and feel their best at any age.”
He goes on to say that age maintenance means beginning to care for your appearance at a younger age (mid twenties) rather than having more extensive procedures later in life.
However, this is not to say you won’t enjoy effective results if you do wait until later in life to begin these treatments. Procedures such as dermal fillers, which correct fine lines and wrinkles, are a particularly good way to address areas that have already become a problem, and the results can be impressive.
If you are looking to undergo a non-surgical cosmetic procedure, identify the best practitioner using the Save Face search engine. We will only put you in touch with practitioners who have been proven to comply with our comprehensive set of objective standards, protecting you from unnecessary risk.