As social media influencers promote products such as Botox and dermal fillers to young people, experts warn of long-term risks for those who use injectables too early in life.
Dermal fillers are gel-like substances that plump lips, smooth wrinkles or add shape to the face when injected under the skin. Results typically last from six months to a couple years. While most fillers are made from hyaluronic acid, a compound that attracts moisture which is naturally found in skin, other injectables such as Botox use a toxin that lasts a few months.
The American Society of Plastic Surgeons says patients 19 and under received these “cosmetic minimally invasive procedures” nine per cent more often in 2023 compared to 2022.
Dermal fillers are considered mostly safe, though some side-effects such as bruising, swelling or infection have been noted by studies. But Jenny Iskandar, a registered nurse and owner of JNY Cosmetics, says starting injectables early or over-using them can have other negative effects.
“If you start younger and do too much, as you get older it starts to distort your natural features,” she says.
Iskandar says beauty trends on social media seems to have caused a surge in use in younger patients. She says a handful of her younger clients requesting a “plumped, contoured look” after it was popularized by social media influencers such as Kylie Jenner.
“When I first started injecting [in 2017], there were a lot more young clients,” she says. “People would come in and show me a TikTok video and say, ‘I want that.’ … It was a huge trend of the lips during the Kylie Jenner era.”
Iskandar says a common issue among younger clients is “filler blindness,” where they overestimate how much filler they need for their ideal look. She’s had to turn down many patients because of filler blindness over her nine years in the industry.
“People come in thinking they need more filler when they absolutely don’t,” she says. “They’ve lost sight of what’s natural.”
Influencers are having an impact. One recent study found time spent on social media and the use of photo-editing applications correlates with a person’s desire to undergo cosmetic procedures. At the same time, “social media’s emphasis on visual aesthetics fosters body dissatisfaction and social appearance anxiety, especially through selfies. Cultural norms and celebrity influence further shape beauty perceptions.”
The procedures can get expensive. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons says the average cost of a “hyaluronic acid filler” is around $1,000 CAD.
Faye Al Ghosen received her first syringe of Juvéderm filler when she was 19. What started as just lip augmentation, soon became her chin, her nose and her under-eyes.
Data Source: American Society of Plastic Surgeons
“I save up for it now,” she says. “Every time I get paid, I think about investing more into my face or even just the maintenance.”
Al Ghosen says most people who get injectables are informed of potential consequences when they visit a licensed practitioner.
Fatima Pirez-Mohamed, who started getting lip filler when she was 19, says she did a lot of research before committing. She said this helped her learn about maintenance costs and potential long-term implications for her health and image.
“I was curious about it and thought this is something I’m interested in doing,” she says. “I know it’s not for everyone and I understand the implications it has on people, the younger generation mainly, but I wouldn’t say I regret my decision.”
“I remember thinking, ‘This girl looks like a model.’ She looked just like Kim Kardashian.’ … “Nineteen-year-old me was willing to take all her beauty advice.”
Fatima Pirez-Mohamed, frequent filler client
Pirez-Mohamed worked as a call-centre representative for an aesthetics academy that owned clinics in Edmonton when she first started researching injectables. She says the exposure to the industry and its beauty standards are a large part of what encouraged her. The appearance of her nurse only solidified her desire to use injectables.
“I remember thinking, ‘This girl looks like a model.’ She looked just like Kim Kardashian,'” she said. “Nineteen year old me was willing to take all her beauty advice.”
Al Ghosen and Pirez-Mohamed are both pleased with their routine services early in their filler journeys, but they may face challenges if they change their minds down the line. An article in Allure found that people who choose to stop using filler or to dissolve the remains of injectables may become unable to recognize their own face or recover its original appearance.
While some celebrities, including singer-songwriter Stevie Nicks and Titanic star Kate Winslet, have said they would never use surgical or other methods of beauty enhancement, others, like such as Courteney Cox, the actress for Monica Geller from Friends, has said she now regrets having fillers.
“I’ve had all my fillers dissolved,” she told New Beauty in 2017. “I’m as natural as I can be. I feel better because I look like myself. I think that I now look more like the person that I was.”
Actor Nicole Kidman has made a similar move.
“I didn’t like how my face looked afterwards,” she said. “Now I don’t use it anymore — I can move my forehead again!”
Pirez-Mohamed says it was around 2020 that her beauty preferences started to change
as a result of social media beauty trends.
“I feel like social media has conditioned us to believe that there is only one beauty standard and if you don’t look exactly like that, then you’re not beautiful,” she said.
“It was not as hyped up or as commonly seen before as it is now. But I see it affecting the younger generations now more than ever.”
