Lure of the ‘Love Island look’ clinics
Experts’ fears as reality TV stars tempt young into cosmetic procedures
BEAUTY clinics are using the stars of Love Island and other reality television shows to tempt young people to undergo cosmetic work that experts say is unnecessary or even harmful.
Some of the posts promote the wrinkle-reduction treatment Botox, which as a prescription-only medicine should not be advertised at all.
Sam Gowland, who has appeared in Love Island and Geordie Shore – is featured on the Instagram account of The Aesthetic Lounge in Newcastle. The clinic described the 23year-old as ‘looking fresh after his Botox and facial treatments’. In the same picture, fellow Geordie Shore star Chloe Ferry, 22, is shown after undergoing ‘facial sculpting’.
Meanwhile, The Consultant Clinic in London has used Love Island’s Laura Anderson to promote its treatments. The business does not promote Botox but in pictures posted online, Laura is seen visiting the premises ‘to have a few tiny tweaks’.
These include facial rejuvenation, liquid rhinoplasty and a ‘mid-face volume’ procedure. A caption under a picture of the 29year-old reads: ‘We think it has genuinely taken years off her.’
More than 3.5million viewers tuned in to watch the final of Love Island last month – the majority aged between 16 and 34.
A spokesman for the Advertising Standards Authority confirmed that ‘any reference to Botox is a problem under our rules’ and added: ‘While the use of celebrities to promote products and services isn’t prohibited, they should never be used to promote prescription-only medicines.’
Last night, experts warned that the trend of trivialising cosmetic procedures was ‘increasingly worrying’ and highlighted the dangers of having Botox too young.
Consultant plastic surgeon Gerard Lambe said: ‘You are not going to prevent wrinkles but by continually weakening your muscles, they will shrink.
‘You can end up with shrunken areas where muscle used to be.’
The Aesthetic Lounge did not respond to requests for comment. The Consultant Clinic said its treatments were carried out by medical professionals and it never paid anyone to advertise services.