Dr C: Please be wary of “Zoom surgery”

Nearly a year of video calls has seen a spike in enquiries about nose jobs, Botox and fillers as people become more self-conscious. But Dr Christian warns against rushing into cosmetic procedures

It’s been reported that there’s been a huge rise in demand for cosmetic surgery, thanks to people scrutinising themselves on video calls. Before 2020, you’d glance in the mirror while you brushed your teeth, styled your hair and put on your make-up.

Now, with millions staring at their faces for hours a day on poor-quality cameras on computers and phones, it’s no wonder people have become fixated on their looks.

QUESTION THE REASONS BEHIND IT

If somebody told me they had been doing back-to-back Zoom calls and it had made them hate the way they look, and they wanted surgery as soon as the restrictions eased, I would try to provide some perspective.

If they hadn’t felt like that until six months ago, I would ask them to reflect on what’s changed, and not to evaluate themselves based on their image on a screen.

CHECK YOUR EMOTIONS

It’s important to pin-point what’s behind someone’s feelings if they are thinking about cosmetic procedures – how obsessive that thought is and how recent it is. Is it reasonable to say that you have always hated your nose, and that surgery may help, or is it related to current levels of anxiety and a lack of life satisfaction? Consider how long you’ve been feeling down about your looks, and how much it impacts you day-to-day. Is it that you see the bags under your eyes on Zoom and feel rubbish or, pre-pandemic, were you so self-conscious that you avoided social situations or restricted your life in some way?

GIVE IT SOME TIME

We’re all feeling low right now, so it’s easy to target a small flaw and make that the scapegoat for your anxieties. Before making a big decision about future surgery, Botox or fillers, try turning off your computer camera and asking people if they’d be happy to chat over the phone instead, or consider using a flattering filter. It’s like when we stay in a hotel with harsh lights and notice all our wrinkles; natural light from the window will be nicer. Try these changes and it’s possible that after a couple of weeks you’ll have forgotten your hang-ups.

That said, it isn’t always a bad decision to make a change. Years ago I had hair transplants and it had a huge impact on my confidence, so it was definitely the right choice – but it wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment decision. It was thought about, researched and I recognised it was a big deal. Cosmetic procedures can be beneficial, but it’s really crucial you figure out if the trigger is a feeling that is likely to pass when all of this upheaval disappears, or if the problem is truly deep-seated?

WATCH FOR PITFALLS

It’s easy to go over the top and say how dangerous cosmetic surgery is, and it can go badly wrong, but that isn’t likely with a reputable surgeon [check for these on Saveface.co.uk]. One of the biggest risks is that you simply won’t like the result and some things aren’t reversible, so you would have to be emotionally strong enough to cope with that.

Another problem, which I give lectures on to people who administer things like Botox and fillers, is that when it’s somebody’s job to perform cosmetic surgery, all they see is altered faces. So people who work in this sector can lose a grip on what’s ‘normal’ and keep doing more and more procedures and take them too far. It’s not intentional, but they may err on the side of exaggerating features, and people can be disappointed with the results.

Cosmetic surgery companies have reported that more people are seeking weight-loss surgery too, because being overweight can increase your risks of complications from coronavirus. But having fat sucked out of your tummy is very unlikely to reduce those risks, because your body would

still be in a metabolic rate of obesity, even after lipo. Studies have found either no change or minimal ones in healthrisk factors when body fat is surgically removed, and, many put it back on within months.

Do your research and understand that your expectations of the work you are having done aren’t always met. Simply eating healthier and being more active can change the way you look and feel.

It’s fair to say that if surgery or injectables have only popped into your mind during lockdown, it’s probably lockdown that’s making you feel awful. Please don’t rush to make a big decision you may regret.