‘Plastic surgery is like having your hair done’
..WHAT LOVE ISLAND STARS TELL US ABOUT THE YOUNG WOMEN OF TODAY
infection or the implant moving. It has a lot of consequences for the future.
“Even having something that seems as simple as lip fillers can be risky. If the lip is injected in the wrong place, there can be blood vessels damaged and part of the lip actually dies, so you are left with a deformity...”
But the risks don’t seem to be putting too many people off – demand for dermal fillers rose 16% in 2016, while non-surgical nose jobs were most popular, with an increase of 29% among 18 to 24-year-olds.
The non-surgical options come with their own dangers, as mum-of-two Bethany McPherson found out.
Bethany, 20, from Livingston, West Lothian, was told she was lucky not to lose her lips after being left with a huge blood clot following an injectable filler treatment at a beauty salon. Bethany says: “I would never, ever have filler ever again. I went to have it because I thought my top lip and bottom lip were different sizes, so I wanted them evened out. I ended up in hospital in agony and I couldn’t eat, drink or speak properly.
“Now my lips are bumpy and I don’t know if they will go back to normal. I don’t like posting pictures of myself any more.
“The filler is supposed to last between nine and 12 months, so I will have to wait and see. You can have the filler dissolved but I am so scared to have it done.”
But now it seems that having a bit of Botox or filler is, as Megan says, becoming as normal as having their hair done for 18 to 24-year-olds.
And despite an overall decline in the total amount of cosmetic surgery Brits had last year, boob jobs are still on the up, with a 7% increase.
Bethany explains: “Two of my best friends have had their boobs and lips done, and I know loads of others who have had it done. I think you see people on social media and reality TV, and it sets a standard.” For surgeon Mr Grover, Bethany and her friends are a prime example of how reality TV shows like Love Island and TOWIE, as well as the rise of social media, have created a “perfect storm” which trivialises the decision to undergo surgery. “You have got peer pressure – everyone thinks it is important to look good,” he says. “You are not judged by sporting prowess or qualifications, it is looks.
“When the programmes with the biggest viewing figures are based on looks, you know people will be feeling looks are really important in today’s society.
“The people in them become role models and if they are having surgery on such a free-and-easy basis it becomes normal. Then you have the power of social media. On social media people can add filters and change their appearance, so it isn’t reality.
“Love Island epitomises this. People are judged by their looks, they have had surgery and they all have a massive following on social media.”
Psychiatrist Dr Natasha Bijlani says people should remember they’ll still be the same person, no matter what changes they make to their bodies.
She says: “The danger with this is if your core issue is about insecurity and low self-esteem, no amount of superficial adjustments to external appearance by surgery is going to help and is likely to increase the desire for further surgery in the quest for perfection.”