’Instagramification’ driving the trend of girls wanting cosmetic procedures to ‘look perfect’
Schoolgirls as young as 16 are begging their parents to get lip fillers ahead of their formal in hopes of impressing their peers. Experts said the worrying trend is on the rise because of social media and Instagram influencers such as Kylie Jenner.
EXCLUSIVE: Sydney schoolgirls desperate to look like a Kardashian at their formals are getting drastic cosmetic procedures done to their face in an alarming bid to impress their peers.
Lip fillers are among the most popular procedures with teens, with one 17-year-old who receives injections admitting she wanted to look like Kylie Jenner, the 21-year-old member of the Kardashian clan.
Experts have warned the pressure teenagers feel to look perfect has risen because of social media, with youngsters even telling practitioners they want their lips to look like some that have been doctored on Snapchat.
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Leading child psychologist Michael Carr-Gregg said the “Instagramification” of teens was driving the worrying trend and also pointed the finger of blame at obliging mums and dads. “Any parent who allows their kid to have this sort of procedure — that is weapons-grade stupidity,” he said.
The 17-year-old girl, from southwest Sydney, gets lip fillers with the permission of her parents after she convinced them she was not happy with the way she looked.
“I felt like my lips were too small and my older sister got a lip injection and then I saw Kylie Jenner,” she told The Daily Telegraph.
But the girl had to beg her mum to let her go through with it.
“At first she said I was too young, and I spoke to her and said it was acceptable to do it at my age and after a few months she agreed,” she said. “She thinks it is nice.”
The owner of Bankstown’s About Face Cosmetics Rebecca Ziegler confirmed she had seen many teenagers begging their parents to sign release forms so they can get their lips injected.
“It is all about the Kylie Jenner, the Kardashian look,” Ms Ziegler said.
“The young girls they save their money for this.”
But she said she had to manage the girls’ expectations because their perception of what looked normal had been warped by social media.
“They will show me a pair of lips that have been filtered in Snapchat and they say: ‘I want these lips’, but you have make sure these young women know it is not realistic,” Ms Ziegler said.
Teen educator Dannielle Miller visits hundreds of Australian schools a year to speak to girls about body image. She said the pressure to look good for Instagram was driving teenage girls to cosmetic procedures as well as extreme dieting.
“The filler in the lips is very normalised for young people, it is considered part of taking care of your appearance now,” Ms Miller said.
And she said the pressure to look good could have repercussions beyond school: “Formals really are the perfect storm for an eating disorder to be triggered.”
RECOMMENDATIONS MADE FOLLOWING BOTCHED SURGERY DEATH
Patients who undergo cosmetic surgery with an unregistered health practitioner could have to wait days before they go under the knife under proposed cooling-off period changes being considered by the NSW government.
Medical Board of Australia guidelines, which only apply to doctors, stipulate the current cooling-off period for adult patients is seven days for “major” cosmetic procedures such as breast augmentation, liposuction and face lifts.
There are currently no cooling-off period regulations that protect consumers who choose to have cosmetic surgery with someone who is not a registered health practitioner.
The joint committee on the Health Care Complaints Commission flagged in a parliamentary report last November that the double-standards “may be a gap in regulation which could put the public at risk”.
The NSW government has now accepted 15 of 16 recommendations made by the committee, which launched an inquiry in February to tighten the law following the death of beauty clinic manager Jean Huang, 35, who died after a botched breast enlargement operation.
This included holding non-registered health practitioners to the same standard as doctors regarding some cosmetic procedures.
Ms Huang went into cardiac arrest during surgery at Medi Beauty Clinic in Chippendale in August 2017.
“The Ministry of Health and NSW Fair Trading will consider whether cosmetic health services provided by non-registered health practitioners should be subject to a cooling-off period,” the government’s response noted.
It also supported “in principle” a recommendation urging Health Minister Brad Hazzard and Better Regulation Minister Kevin Anderson to review whether the current cooling-off periods sufficiently protect NSW consumers.
There is also no cooling-off period required for adult patients seeking minor (non-surgical) cosmetic procedures which include “injectables” like Botox and dermal fillers.
However, the government knocked back a recommendations for a “one-stop shop” website and advice service relating to cosmetic health.
“The Ministry of Health and NSW Fair Trading will continue to work together to consider how best to ensure that consumers can be properly informed of the risks of cosmetic and beauty services,” it said.
— Danielle Le Messurier
VAMPIRE FACIALS MAKE YOU LOOK ‘YOUNGER’
The famous claim it’s better than a facelift and can shave ten years off one’s life.
And newly-single Real Housewives of Sydney star Matty Samaei has jumped on board the Vampire facial trend and injected her own blood into her face to erase crow’s-feet she claimed she gained from the sorrow of a breakup with her fiance.
The evergreen Beaty expert, 44, has applied the Vampire Facial, or Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP), beloved by everyone, including Bachelor star, Keira Maguire, to herself and injected recycled blood plasma harvested from her body under her eyes to repair damaged skin.
“I’m back on the singles market and I need to make sure I look my best so I got my own blood, put it though a centrifuge and then injected it under my eyes using small superficial injections,” said the former nurse who now runs The Medispa by Matty in Double Bay.
“Break ups are ageing having been through them twice.
“It’s important to look after your skin and your body; they’re the only ones you’ve got after all.
“You do not ever let yourself go. I’m enjoying single life now and seeing what’s out there.”
The proud mother of two girls quietly called off her engagement to a successful Greek-born stationery importer she thought was her “soulmate” in February.
She built her business after the collapse of her first marriage and now she is on the singles’ market she says she wants to be an inspiration to other women, adding: “By the way ladies, never give up on beauty — there are so many products and tricks out there to stay young.”
The vampire facial works by taking a vial of blood from your body and then getting it reinjected into your face.
This speeds up collagen production and gets the blood flowing. It is often used treat wrinkles, dull skin, dark under-eye circles and even stretch marks.
“I promise you it looks a lot more painful than it really is,” she said.
“Once you’ve had the facial, your skin will need about two days to recover — maybe forget the dates then.
“Your complexion will look its best after six weeks, once the cells have had a chance to turn over.”
— Danielle Gusmaroli
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