For Millennials, Cosmetic Injectables Are in Vogue

It seems like every day Millennials are in the news for “killing” an industry or chain. Big box stores. Buffalo Wild Wings. National beer brands. J. Crew. Home Depot. Applebee’s. Motorcycles. Napkins. Homeownership. The list goes on and on.

Whether you actually believe Millennials are wiping out those things and whether or not they deserve to be killed is a discussion for another time and place. Instead, let’s take a look at one thing Millennials – and especially male Millennials – aren’t just not killing but are actively giving a big boost to: Botox and other plastic surgeries.  

The American Academy of Facial Reconstructive Surgery reported earlier this summer that 31 percent of men are now “extremely likely” to consider having cosmetic surgery of some sort. Of that 31 percent, 58 percent were men aged 25 to 34, aka Millennials. One of the top procedures they’re considering? Botox. Or, as many of them are calling it, “brotox.”

These days, many Millennials are realizing, just as their Boomer parents or grandparents did before them, that they don’t much like the idea of getting and looking older. So, what’s an aging Millennial to do about it? The answer for many is to take preventative action to keep themselves looking as young as they can for as long as they can. Increasingly, Millennials in their late 20s and early 30s are considering Botox and other facial rejuvenation procedures.

In addition to an increased desire to look younger, Millennials are increasingly realizing that injectable cosmetic procedures have come a long way in the past 10 years. Their prices have dropped while their effectiveness has gone up. These days, Botox is an affordable but sophisticated procedure, while celebrity and social media culture have helped to normalize the idea of having cosmetic procedures performed.

And according to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS), non-surgical cosmetic procedures like Botox have grown at a rate far outpacing that of surgical options. Botox, lip and cheek fillers and non-surgical rhinoplasties are particularly on the rise, with all injectable procedures having risen 10 percent in 2016. These procedures were most popular among Generation X, but Millennial procedures were up by a huge 30.7 percent. And looking ahead, market research firm Research and Markets projects that global facial injectable procedures will continue to grow by more than 10 percent over the next six years.

Millennials just don’t look at these procedures the same way their parents did. While the Boomers and Gen Xers certainly fueled the cosmetic surgery industry’s birth and early growth, social stigmas against cosmetic surgeries were strong for both generations. Millennials, however, don’t quite have the same problem. Thanks to the Kardashians, selfies, YouTube, Snapchat and pictures “for the ‘Gram,” the generation that has now moved fully into adulthood is much more accepting of cosmetic procedures. Again, this is especially true of injectables.

Whereas older generations may have tried to keep their cosmetic procedures secretive, it’s not uncommon today for Millennials to come in for injectable treatments with a group of friends. For these young adults, injectable cosmetic procedures aren’t seen as extreme procedures that a small group of the population may rarely have done. Instead, they’re viewed as an extension of their normal cosmetic routines like putting on makeup or going to the hair or nail salon.

After all, if you’re going to get your hair and nails cut, styled, colored, extended, etc., why not perform some basic upkeep on your face as well?

The trend isn’t showing any signs of slowing down, either. The next generation already seems to be taking to injectable procedures at least as much, if not more so, than Millennials. ASAPS data shows that although those under 18 only account for a mere 0.4 percent of all injectable procedures, this still represents an incredible growth of more than 66 percent among children.

So, what constitutes injectables, exactly? The term refers to a number of injectable cosmetic procedures that fight the signs of aging and scarring and beautify a patient, particular in the face and neck areas. These include:

• Natural and artificial fillers that fill in wrinkles, hollows and lines and add volume
• Targeted fat cell destruction to eliminate unwanted fat in problem areas
• Micro-needling treatments of fine lines, textures, and scars
• Neurotoxins that temporarily smooth out wrinkles by blocking nerve impulses to the nerves, which causes them to relax

Aging is a natural process that affects all of us sooner or later – but that doesn’t mean you have to take it sitting down! Thanks to the changes in attitudes and the increases of efficacy and price decreases mentioned earlier, it’s easier and more effective than ever for today’s young adults to keep themselves looking like young adults even as they move into their middle ages and beyond. If you are interested in injectables or other cosmetic procedures, book an appointment with us today.