Cosmetic procedure now ‘the norm’
‘Definitely an increase in Indian community’
MONTHS before a wedding in the family, 36-year-old Salisha* began panicking. “Seeing close, critical, family after a long time is the worst,” the Chatsworth mom explained.
“Hello, how are you?” fast becomes “you put on weight” or her favourite, “you’re looking so tired”.
“In the small gene pool of Indian South Africans dark rings under the eye – puffy circles, if your luck has really run dry – makes you look instantly tired, stressed, older and in general unattractive,” said the journalist.
“If you’re really self-conscious then you spend a fortune on eye creams and make-up to soften the blow. You know nothing will actually work but try every YouTube home remedy you hear of.
“So when I bumped into a high school friend, who was a practising plastic surgeon, just before this large family gathering it was a godsend.
“Filler, less than 2ml injected under each eye on my lunch break!
“The substance: hyaluronic acid, naturally present in the human body, would either be absorbed and do little to nothing or last just a few months.
“For me it was an instant, subtle difference. No more ‘shame you look exhausted’ at the office. Hurray! It lasted just under a year and cost about as much as I’d spent on useless eye creams and facials in about two to three years.”
“People do fillers all the time now. It’s a part of the beauty regimen because it’s fairly affordable, minimally invasive and works like a bomb. Nobody talks about it because they all want you to think this is just how they look. Duh!”
Stats and professionals in the aesthetic industry agree with Salisha’s sentiment and show that Botox treatments and procedures, and elective nips and tucks, have become the norm for many men and women in South Africa.
On November 1, The Global Aesthetic Survey was released by the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (Isaps) – which surveys plastic surgeons throughout the world, including South Africa. The survey analysed procedures completed in 2017.
An overall increase of 5% in surgical cosmetic procedures within the past 12 months was noted.
It said the top five countries – the US, Brazil, Japan, Mexico and Italy – account for 38.4% of the world’s cosmetic procedures, followed by Germany, Colombia and Thailand. While South Africa was not ranked in the 2017 survey, the 2016 survey placed the country 24th.
The report also showed that Breast Augmentation continued to be the world’s most popular cosmetic procedure at (1.7 million procedures globally), followed by Liposuction (1.6 million), and Eyelid Surgery (1.3 million). The most popular non-surgical procedures continue to be injectables with Botulinum Toxin (Botox) at 5 million procedures.
Dr Anjana Bhana – who has practised aesthetic treatments in Durban and Johannesburg over nine years – said there has definitely been an increase in the Indian community seeking treatment.
“And this is both male and female patients. I can speak on my practice in terms of age and gender – it ranges from patients 18 years old to 70 years old. It’s absolutely great that people accept that this is not vanity but just a way to boost confidence and feel great. Our most popular treatments in this group would be fillers, Botulinum Toxin, plateletrich plasma facials as well as multiple treatments regarding prevention and treatment of hyperpigmentation.”
Dr Nerina Wilkinson, a Cape Townbased plastic surgeon, said unlike trends overseas, South Africans don’t come to consult with a makeover wish list.
“Most of the patients I see are people who just want to be better versions of themselves. They don’t want to look different, just to slightly enhance the features they have,” said Wilkinson.
She said in terms of age ratio, there were certain preferences:
Most younger clients want breast work done (where they feel their breasts are either too big or too small).
Next is the mommy makeover, where moms just want to get back to the bodies they had. No unrealistic celeblook ambitions, but more in line with lifting or adding volume to the breast, a tummy tuck, or a bit of lipo and/or body sculpting with the aim being to get back their original shape.
Progressing further along the age line is where the facial work becomes more popular, she said, with a bit of crossover with younger patients wanting to do their lips and cheeks – Kardashian-style – but not over the top. While older patients aim to address sagging, particularly to lift their eyelids as the eyes start looking tired and the eyelids start to droop.
Wilkinson said cosmetic surgery seems to be growing in popularity largely because of changes in society.
“It has definitely become more acceptable to have work done and to say you’ve had it done. With all the celebrities having these procedures, you find that people are more open to it than what they may have been several years ago. I think social media has definitely enhanced this as well,” said Wilkinson.
In August, research released in the JAMA Facial Plastic Surgery medical journal, said doctors have become concerned over the increasing numbers of patients – particularly teenagers – bringing in their smartphone edited selfies and wanting to look more like them. According to a report in The Washington Post, they called this “Snapchat dysmorphia”.
Bhana – who often speaks internationally on related matters – said Snapchat dysmorphia is a concern.
“And it’s not just teenagers. Adults up to the age of 50 would like to emulate the filtered images of themselves. Snapchat and Facetune apps are great fun, but sometimes we can lose touch with reality. So the shift is now from trying to look like a celeb to wanting to look like a Facetuned version of yourself.
“It is a concern – not to mention whether filtered or not – your features are distorted when taking a selfie. You have to be honest with the patient in terms of what can be achieved with non-surgical options. As the practitioner you also know when to say no and use your ethical judgement to guide you,” said Bhana.
“Trust your gut as a patient. Do not get swayed by sensationalist marketing and make sure you are in a safe medical environment. Not at home on your couch at a Botox Party while you are sozzled. This is your face and body, look after it.” *Not her real name