What Millennials Like: Rise In Botox Use Linked To Social Media

RTR3FCU6 — A dermatologic surgeon at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York, demonstrates how Botox or other anti-wrinkle medicines are applied via syringe to a patient at his office in New York City, March 22, 2013. Reuters

More Millennials are opting for quick and easy cosmetic procedures, namely Botox, and social media and selfie culture could be to blame.

The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) revealed that nonsurgical cosmetic procedure usage was on the rise for millennials, and found that between 2011 and 2015, Botox treatments spiked 41 percent for those between the ages of 19 and 34. The spike over the last few years within the age group was linked to social media usage, CBS Miami reported March 6.

One millennial user, age 23, told the news outlet that social media influenced her decision to go under the syringe.

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“I think it influences me a lot to be honest,” Carly Crosbie said of her procedures, which involved lip injections. “Everywhere you look there’s girls who look absolutely perfect …”

Dermatologists revealed that the millennial Botox usage was, indeed, a growing trend. Some have said the pressure to resemble celebrities is a cause.

“If you look at this age group, they are social media environmentals,” Dr. Earl Minuk told CBS Miami. “And they’re bringing in pictures, they’re influenced by what they see on TV.”

A segment on USA Today last month accredited the rise in Botox to “preventative usage,” with other millennials claiming they undergo the procedure preemptively to keep wrinkles at bay.

“I think it really has a lot to do with social media,” one doctor told USA today. “Our young millennials are so used to taking selfies. I think they really evaluate how they look because of all of these photos.”

In the most recent full report from 2015, ASAPS revealed that cosmetic procedures had increased by 39 percent from 2011, and nonsurgical procedures – like Botox – were up by 44 percent. Overall Injectable usage (like Botox, Voluma and Dysport, among others) jumped 21 percent in 2015. The cost? Apparently, Americans spent over $13.5 billion in 2015 on both surgical and nonsurgical cosmetic procedures.