If you are a Baby Boomer and you are starting to age and look, well, like a Baby Boomer, perhaps you’ve thought about Botox. The cosmetic form of botulinum toxin, often referred to by its product name Botox®, is a popular nonsurgical injection that temporarily reduces or eliminates frown lines, forehead creases, crows feet near the eyes and thick bands in the neck. The toxin blocks the nerve impulses, temporarily paralyzing muscles that cause wrinkles while giving the skin a smoother, more refreshed appearance. Several Lancaster physicians offer Botox injections and, not surprisingly, the majority of their patients are Baby Boomers.

Dr. William Andersen of the Lancaster Skin Center has worked with Botox for about five years. He agrees the majority of his patients are Baby Boomers.  Most are women, though men have shown interest in recent years. And it’s all about self- esteem. Andersen says, “With society’s emphasis on appearance, people feel better when they look their best.”

Most of Andersen’s patients come in on an ongoing basis. What may bring them are special occasions like a wedding or a reunion (high school, college, family). “But then a lot of them like the results and they come back in three to four months for more treatments,” says Andersen. That’s all the longer that the effects of a Botox treatment lasts.

Andersen says the most common area Boomers get Botox is between the eyes; other places are the forehead, and to get ride of crows feet, and the “bunny lines” on the nose. (Scrunch up your nose like a bunny sniffing a carrot. Those lines.) There is also an emphasis on appearance in the professional world. Though older workers have the experience and the knowledge in their fields many, especially men, feel the need to have Botox in order to compete with younger looking colleagues and competitors. Andersen said the most common spot for men to get Botox is on their forehead.

Dr. William Carter of Medical Cosmetics in Lancaster has found that the majority of his patients are also in the Baby Boomer group and that their goal is to look the best they can for their age without looking “distorted.” “They want to be a good example of their era. They would like to look a passable five years younger than their actual age,” said Dr. Carter. “They want to be seen as being at the head of their class — not in a different class.”

Baby Boomers today have the luxury of being able to focus on themselves. Past generations were happy just to be — to just be able to survive. Carter went on to say that trying to look too young just doesn’t work. “There are so many other signs of aging than just facial wrinkles. As you age,” Carter explained, “your posture changes, the backs of your hands change.” Botox can’t do anything for those signs of aging. “It wouldn’t all fit,” he said. Carter says he will also help arrange Botox parties at homes. Kind of like a Tupperware or Pampered Chef party, the hostess (or host?) gathers a group of friends for the treatment and she gets a discount. The number of guests that receive a treatment determines the percentage of the hostess’ discount. Carter has helped hold Botox parties at patients’ homes, hair salons and even patients’ beach houses. They’ll socialize while turning back the clock a few years.

What’s the easiest and least expensive way to look younger? Is it Botox? Carter has a thought on that: simply lie about your age! Dr. Alice Cohen of the Randali Center says there are biological reasons why people want to get Botox, too, not just for vanity.

“Humans are programmed to appreciate that which is beautiful,” she said. “We stare at a beautiful work of art, we stare at a beautiful baby,” she said. In our society, Cohen says, youth (beauty) equals health. Frown lines and wrinkles can make a person look angry, sad or tired. “Our face is the outward manifestation of how we feel. We don’t want to send the wrong message.” Today we have the means to age well. We exercise and make good nutritional choices. “So wouldn’t you want your face to show how good you feel?” Cohen asks.

Cohen has also seen an increase in Baby Boomer men getting Botox. She explains that older men are generally perceived to be weak. Many men want to correct their signs of aging especially for their careers. Cohen adds, “Your face is your calling card. You feel better when you look better. But, of course, just because you are beautiful on the outside does not mean you are beautiful on the inside.” But that is a whole other issue.

This article originally appeared in Lancaster Newspaper June 29, 2008.