There’s a fine line when it comes to “baby Botox.”
Injections, fillers, and vapes are among the sneaky culprits making Gen Z look older than millennials, experts warn, as cosmetic procedures soar among the younger generation.
While it may seem like Gen Z is taking good care of themselves, practitioners aren’t so sure — in fact, starting injectables too young can affect the natural development of facial features.
“It is not uncommon to see 18-year-olds with lip filler,” Dr. Ross Perry, the medical director of Cosmedics Skin Clinics, told the Daily Mail this week.
He added: “20-year-olds are having Botox and fillers, semi-permanent make-up in the form of eyebrows and lips, all of which combined can make you appear older, but actually once you start down this route, it’s very hard to go back to being entirely natural, especially when the ‘affirmations’ start on social media.”
The TikTok tag #BabyBotox, which has drawn 189 million views on the platform, features a slew of clips from young women receiving just a touch of the toxin in their faces to prevent deep wrinkles.
Gen Z has grown up with screens and social media, meaning “insights and education on cosmetic procedures, trends and suitable skincare are available at the tap of their fingers,” Dr. Sindhu Siddiqi, of London’s No Filter Clinic, explained to the Daily Mail.
“Although this may not always be beneficial, this does mean that they have grown up with more of an awareness and knowledge of aesthetic offerings as many practitioners and brands use these platforms to promote their offerings,” she added.
To wit, there are “very few people” under 30 who could benefit from the wrinkle-relaxing injections, chimed in Dr. Sophie Shotter, of the London-based Medical Cosmetic Skin Clinic.
“Having these treatments before they’re truly needed can sometimes make someone appear older (in the wrong hands) with an almost mask-like appearance,” said Shotter, who also blamed, in part, the trendy, full-glam makeup routines touted by social media influencers.
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Overfilled cheeks and lips “distort the face,” aesthetics practitioner Amish Patel argued, making the person look much older than they are.
For their part, millennials are seen as the more health-conscious generation — experts say they’re less likely to smoke and more likely to exercise than other generations — and they’ve taken particular interest in skincare.
Gen Z, on the other hand, seems to favor smoking and vaping.
“Cigarettes are terrible but cool,” New York blogger Meg Superstar Princess, who is in her mid-20s, previously told The Post. “I know cigarettes are terrible for you. But everybody looks cool with a cigarette … You have to pick your vices in life.”
Such “lifestyle factors” affect skin health and “how we look,” said Dr. Glyn Estebanez of Prima Aesthetics in the UK.
While Gen Zers — and even Gen Alphas, like North West, 10, and Penelope Disick, 11 — have leaned into skincare, misusing products could do more harm than good.
“A 14-year-old, for example, doesn’t require a complicated skin regime, definitely nothing that is anti-aging at [that] age,” Dr. Saniyya Mahmood, medical director of Aesthetica Medical Clinic, told the Daily Mail.
Instead, teens should stick to the holy trinity of skincare: cleansing, moisturizing and applying sunscreen.
Retinol, Perry warned, shouldn’t be used in your 20s because of how “harsh” it is on “young skin” — with the potential to cause irritation and damage.
“It is a good idea to start a skincare regime [as] a teenager, but the products used should be aimed at not just your skin type but also age-appropriate,” said Perry, of Cosmedics Skin Clinics.
