Women shun plastic surgeons in favour of ‘selfie’ facelifts

WOMEN are turning away from expensive facelifts and instead are using filters on their mobiles to make themselves look more attractive, admit leading plastic surgeons.

Rather than go under the knife, they are choosing to digitally enhance their appearance to look good on Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat, according to the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS).

Figures show the number of facelifts carried out on women has fallen by 44 per cent in the last year. Brow lifts on female clients are down 31 per cent, while eyelid surgery has dropped by a fifth.

The phone filters are software programmes that enable users to touch up their appearance. Many simply soften the face using tone but others can make the nose appear smaller or the jaw more tapered. Plastic surgeon Rajiv Grover said: ‘People can now improve looks without surgery. We call this new technique the “filter job”.’

While filters only work online, and not in the street or office, Mr Grover said this did not matter very much to many women because their lives were focused on the ‘virtual world’. But lest we feel sorry for plastic surgeons, the number of breast enlargements – the bread and butter of their work – is up 7 per cent.

Mr Grover believes the growing popularity of tight-fitting ‘athleisure’ wear, which leaves little room for disguise, has helped spur demand for boob jobs while online filters currently do little to virtually enhance a woman’s chest.