Is there an ugly side to the aesthetic procedure industry?

“I looked close into the mirror one day and finally decided something needed to change," says Abigail Reynolds, a 22-year-old who has had lip fillers done.

 

In the 2019 British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS) audit, it was found there were over 28,000 cosmetic procedures took place in 2018. This was only a small increase of 0.1% from 2017’s figures.

 

Despite traditional cosmetic surgery remaining stable in popularity, non-surgical treatments are booming too. Research from LangBuisson found that the non-surgical procedure industry could be worth over £3bn over the next five years. So why are more people shifting away from going under the knife?

 

Dr Rupert Critchley, director and founder of VIVA Skin Clinics and ambassador for the Joint Council for Cosmetic Practitioners (JCCP) thinks it’s due to celebrity endorsements and social media. He says: “Young people are becoming more concerned about their appearance, it is being fuelled by social media and selfie culture. They’re picking up on little things on their faces. Celebrities are also pushing it on their pages, so it is becoming normalised within society.”

​

​

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Julie Scott, a registered nurse and clinical director for Facial Aesthetics Limited thinks it’s due to the effect of reality TV. She says: “Everyone now feels as though they can be seen any time of the day, not just celebrities. We’re also in an age of treating yourself where people are generally more willing to spend money on themselves and their appearance.”

Kylie Jenner is the sixth most followed person on Instagram with 156 million followers. She regularly updates her stories with images of her famed lip fillers, aesthetic clinics and of the after results of her touch ups.

 

Tiana Grano, a 21-year-old social media influencer says that social media and in particular Instagram influenced her decision to get a non-surgical rhinoplasty (NSR). She says: “I didn’t even know before that it was possible to straighten your nose without going under the knife until I saw a video on Instagram of an NSR procedure. It was so quick!”

A YOOTS conducted survey found that 69.5% of respondents aged 20-25 cited social media as the main factor which has influenced them to consider getting a cosmetic procedure done. Lip fillers were the most popular choice, with 49.5% of respondents wanting to plump their lips. Celebrities and aesthetics clinics advertise these procedures on various social media platforms.

 

Vice found similar results, with a Snapchat poll finding that 68% of respondents aged 13-24 had at least one friend who had already undergone aesthetic procedures like lip fillers.

 

Critchley was alarmed by the number of young people who wanted to change their facial features with aesthetic procedures. However, he says that non-surgical treatments are less harmful to young people than surgical procedures. He says: “They are quicker and more easily reversible than undergoing traditional cosmetic surgery. I can see why younger people would be more enticed to get a quick filler than having to endure surgery.”

 

With the quicker results that aesthetic procedures bring, there are also risks. The non-surgical aesthetic industry is less regulated than the traditional surgical industry. Critchley says that under current UK legislation, a medical background is not needed to administer these procedures. He says: “The people carrying out these procedures could potentially have only two days of experience then they can go on to legally inject anyone.”

 

Reynolds was shocked to hear that people could be providing treatments with such little training. She says: “It’s scary to think inexperienced people could be injecting things like Botox which is literally a poison into people’s faces.”

​

​

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Critchley has had to do corrective work for clients who had botched procedures at other clinics which were not as reputable. He says: “We need tighter regulations on who can and can’t carry out these procedures, we’re working on this at the JCCP. People who are getting their first procedure done, especially young people need to do extensive research on their chosen clinic because people can take advantage.”

The YOOTS survey found that 81.9% of respondents said that a ‘confidence boost’ was the main reason why they would want to undergo an aesthetic procedure. Other responses included: “Self-improvement, insecurity and for corrective reasons.”

Grano’s life revolves around social media, in particular her 149,000 Instagram followers and an up and coming YouTube channel. She feels pressure from having such a following online. She says: “Social media is my job and looking good is a big part of it. Fillers and treatments like it are glamourised online, which could influence a lot of young people’s self-esteem and decisions. It definitely influenced me.”

 

Reynolds also feels that the advertisements she saw online influenced her. She says: “I am exposed to so much social media that it encouraged me to not be scared of getting lip fillers done.”

 

Information received through a Freedom of Information request from The NHS North West London Collaboration of Clinical Commissioning Groups found that there was a 46.97% decrease in the number of outpatient cosmetic surgery procedures between January 2013 and November 2019.

Scott thinks that the shift away from traditional cosmetic procedures could be due to young people being more proactive. She says: “People are turning more towards what I call 'tweakments' as they tend to be more appealing than surgery. There’s a trend towards pre-empting and preserving as opposed to waiting until the only option is surgery. The thought process is that prevention is better than cure.”

 

Reynolds thinks that social media was useful in her aesthetics journey. She says: “Yes, social media definitely brings me down seeing these people who seem and look perfect but it also educated me. I was able to view the work of the doctor I chose on his Instagram, this made me more comfortable in my decision. I think young people considering these procedures should use this as their first step, it doesn’t take much effort since we are all on our phones anyways.”

 

The survey found that 16.2% of respondents had already had a cosmetic procedure done. It is quite common for people to touch up on the treatments they have already undergone or to venture out into what the world of injectables has to offer.

 

Despite Grano experiencing uncomfortable swelling during her first procedure, she wants more. She says: “I want cheek or chin fillers, they just look so much more attractive and they’re quick. If something goes wrong I can just pop in to get it reversed. It is not as invasive.”

 

It seems that it is the mix of wanting that ‘perfect insta look’ and the greater accessibility to these treatments is why non-surgical cosmetic procedures are becoming more popular with young people.

 

Critchley says that there are very little downsides to these procedures if they are done at a reputable clinic. He says: “If used in the right context you can make a massive difference to self-confidence. That makes my job so much more valuable."