As the world increasingly becomes more bothered about their appearance and the number of younger people having procedures has tripled since the millenium we ask ourselves, how young is too young to have facial aesthetics.
Its something that we have thought long and hard about as there is now age limit legally on who can have the procedure however many insurance companies are taking the law into their own hands and refusing to cover procedures on minors which are cosmetic not medical benefit.
The General Medical Council (GMC) and Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) have also stated that Botulinum Toxins should not be administered to individuals under the age of 18 nor should treatments be sold to children or used to incentivise them within their guidlines.
There has been a dramatic surge in the amount of people aged 18 – 25 years who are having procedures classed as preventitive as it is said by some that the earlier you start the less you will need when olders, however on the other side of the fence some say the earlier you start procedures the more you will need as time goes on. So which side of the fence are you on?
A persons appearance can affect their self-esteem and the ways they are perceived, which may support cosmetic intervention. But it is important that the patient is made aware of all the options available to achieve similar results and that they realise cosmetic services won¹t necessarily bring satisfaction to the their lives as it is not a magic wand and some just move on to the next thing and have more procedures which becomes a cycle. A thorough consultation is key to all procedures and with our younger patients we urge them to go away and think about the details given during this consultation for 7 days before booking their treatment appointment.