Seeking Perfection

Photo Credited To Pixabay

Cosmetic procedures have been around since the times of ancient Egyptians, but lately, they have increasingly become accessible and exceedingly popular among young people. It is not uncommon for 18-year-olds to already be starting their journey with cosmetic procedures, which can cause serious threats later on.

According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) in 2022, there were 23,527 cosmetic surgery treatments performed on individuals in the US under the age of 19, in addition to 244,252 less invasive cosmetic procedures. 

This phenomenon raises the question on why people, especially females, now feel the need to start injecting botox or fillers, or performing more intrusive surgeries, early on.

Dr. Mohamed El Sherbiny, founder and CEO of Primar Clinics, a plastic surgeon, and a member of the Royal College of Surgeons in England, explained that the most common aesthetic procedure done is dermal fillers. Dermal fillers help with reducing wrinkles and aim to bring back the fullness and volume of the face, including plumping thin lips or softening facial creases. 

“I have personally had many clients who either did not need [the fillers] or already had too much work done and still feel the need to enhance their appearance,” Dr. Sherbiny said.

With the rise of social media usage in the last decade or so, the exposure of young females and sometimes males to celebrities and influencers has made these cosmetic procedures extremely popular. 

Results from a study published in the National Library of Medicine (NIH) in 2019 about the influence of social media showed that out of 816 completed questionnaires, 48.5 percent reported being influenced by social media to consider undergoing cosmetic procedures. 

For many, what was once a way to enhance their features has now become an addiction and an escape from their own looks. 

A 24-year-old woman who preferred to stay anonymous shared her experience with addiction to beauty procedures. 

“I started with under-eye fillers because I had very deep and dark under eyes,” she recounted. 

Although she constantly felt insecure about her looks, she started to feel better when she started looking like the people she sees on social media and getting compliments for it.  

“I knew I wouldn’t stop,” she said. 

Now she has fillers everywhere, from under her eyes, to her cheeks, lips, chin, and jawline. 

“I am well aware that my lips are starting to look huge — some would say botched — but I can’t stop,” she said. 

Her fillers started to migrate and everyone urged her to dissolve some. 

“But I know I won’t be able to do that,” she confessed. 

At Dr. Sherbiny’s clinic, people would give him pictures of certain women wanting to look the exact same, rather than wanting to enhance the features they already have.

“We don’t have to all look the same, to have the same features, there is one look everyone wants to have, which results in most people looking the same,” he said.

While it is not uncommon for 18-year-olds to already start getting fillers, Dr. Sherbiny explained that it depends on the procedure, but that injectables like fillers and botox are better delayed. 

In his opinion, the minimum age for botox is 26 to be used as a preventative measure but not to change the features of the face. Other treatments however like laser hair removal and facials are safe to start at a young age and won’t cause damage. 

“Fillers are probably the most addictive beauty procedure out there, once you get your first filler injection it would be almost impossible to stop, so I do not recommend starting it early at all,” he said.

Dr. Sherbiny recommends that they focus on their skin quality, hair health, or any procedures that won’t change their actual look and their features but rather enhance the features they already have.