Sarah began to experiment with Botox and cosmetic loads at the end of the twenty. “I started to notice changes in my skin, like more prominent lines on my forehead and crow’s feet,” she said. “I also wanted a little more complete lips but nothing unnatural.”
Sarah, who asked not to use her surname, watched Tiktok videos to find out more about how injectable works and read the criticism of Med SPAS and cosmetic clinics in her region, a suburbs outside New York. It made him feel better informed and capable of defending herself and what she wanted (and did not want).
“Overall, I was really happy with my experience,” said Sarah. “It seemed subtle but quite noticeable and really strengthened my confidence.” Now 33 years old, Sarah obtains Botox once or twice a year and the filling of the lips every 12 to 15 months (“Regarding invasive procedures, I would never say,” she adds).
It also seems to be there in the long term. “There is so much pressure on women to stay young and beautiful, not to mention the fact that social media makes it difficult not to compare yourself to others,” said Sarah. “I am a confident person, but if I can allow myself to stay as young as I feel him in the forties and the fifties, I would not rule this.”
But it is the women who are Currently In the forties and the fifties, which are less inclined to obtain an injectable or to pass under the knife. Sarah represents a part of a generational change in the way women of different ages see beauty and cosmetic procedures. Today, young women are documenting their nose work on social networks while influencers of generation Z and generation Y become transparent on the work they have done. And according to a survey of 1,677 American adults led by Yahoo News and Yougov at the end of March, 34% of women aged 18 to 39 would plan to obtain a cosmetic procedure, against 20% of women over 40.
This raises the question: For what?
“Two decades ago, aesthetic procedures were often associated with vanity, secrecy or wealth – something to hide or refuse,” said Dr. Samuel Lin, plastic surgeon and aggregate professor at the Harvard Medical School, told Yahoo Life. “Today, this stigmatization has been eroded due to the increased opening, the representation of the media and an evolutionary definition of beauty which emphasizes empowerment and choice.”
In other words, there is a lot of play here. Women have not become more accepting and open to aesthetic treatments overnight. Like most ideological changes, it occurred slowly over time in response to changes in society, technology, accessibility and increased education and transparency around a subject that was once considered taboo to speak. Here’s how we got here – and what experts and young women think about it.
The role of social media
If it was not for the rise of applications like Instagram, Tiktok and Snapchat, we may not have this discussion. Aside from the filters perfected by the skin, we also attended more and more creators to be candid on their experiences with cosmetic treatments, which, over time, worked to normalize the conversation.
“Platforms like Instagram and Tiktok have not only standardized aesthetic but glamorous improvements,” confirms Lin. “Influencers and celebrities openly sharing their experiences with Botox, filling and even surgical procedures have created transparency that did not exist before.”
Brooke Morton, nurse practitioner and family cosmetics supplier in Ject in New York, believes that this transparency led the young generations to break the model of being so competitive with each other. “It is an anti-gate mentality that makes things like injectables and lasers more socially acceptable,” she says. “We are less judged now, and people feel more free to do what they want.”
This new opening has also contributed to increased education on these procedures. Patients as well as dermal influencers share the details of the slightest grid of the various treatments, from stopping time, allowing consumers to make more calculated decisions concerning the procedures they would consider trying.
“Due to the connectivity of the world via the online and social media, it is so much easier to see what is possible with cosmetic procedures,” said New York plastic surgeon, Dr. Bianca Molina. “This allows people to acquire a real vision of what to expect during and after the cosmetic procedures, and it made things more predictable, less frightening and more accepted.”
Accessibility and progress of technology
Abigal Coleman, a 28-year-old strategist on social media and content based in Bellingham, Washington, has herself undergone any cosmetic procedure but understands why there is curiosity among her peers. On the one hand, doing work no longer feels out of reach. It is not only for the rich and the famous, but also for the girl next door.
“You no longer have to go to New York or Los Angeles to do the work; now, even in small towns, you can probably find someone to fill in lips,” notes Coleman, pointing to the rise of suburban suburban spas offering injectables. The prices also seem “more accessible”, says Coleman.
Linen agrees. “The mini-invasive procedures with short time are now widely available and more affordable than in the past,” he says.
The cosmetic dermatologist, Dr. Terrence Keaney, founder of Skindc, adds that the industry has produced considerable gains during the more than two decades since Botox was approved by the FDA for cosmetic use in 2002, opening the way to more aesthetic treatments. “This slowly standardized these procedures, opening the cosmetic market beyond the traditional patient, which was women aged 35 to 55,” he told Yahoo Life.
Then there is progress in technology and technique, which made the treatments more attractive and less alarming for consumers. “Our knowledge and techniques continue to improve, safer,” explains Molina. “Time and experience (are) on our side now. This has led to more natural and favorable results and better non -surgical treatments that are safer and more effective. »»
How social media, the Boom of the SPA Med and other factors aroused increased interest in injectables and more invasive procedures. (Illustration: Annelise Capossela for Yahoo News)
The self -esteem and longevity effect
We are in the era of personal care – a concept that originally meant being pissed off by putting a facial mask, taking a long and quiet bath or by putting time aside to meditate. Now, personal care has become something bigger when people focus more on longevity and maintenance of their youth as long as possible.
“Millennials and generation Z see cosmetic work as independent care or routine maintenance, similar to obtaining facial or fitness training.” Said Lin.
According to Dr. Usha Rajagopal, plastic surgeon and medical director of San Francisco Plastic Surgery and Laser Center, young adults are more inclined to consider these treatments not as superficial but in the context of a broader commitment to self-abityness and well-being.
“The young generation prioritizes life experiences and personal care on traditional success measures such as big houses or luxury cars,” Rajaopal told Yahoo Life. “They are looking for ways to improve their well-being and personal happiness, and as this state of mind evolves, their perception of cosmetic procedures too.”
This change, she adds, “reflects a new cultural approach to beauty, where cosmetic improvements are considered to be tools of empowerment, confidence and self-expression.”
But the neuropsychologist Sanam Hafez, director of the understanding of the mind, does not believe that he is so cut and dried. “Although aesthetic treatments can represent empowerment and personal care for younger women, we must recognize societal pressures influencing their choices,” warns Hafez.
This includes selfies, social networks and zoom meetings. “The request to maintain a polite and young appearance for the interactions based on the camera has become particularly intense because the screens mediate both their social commitments and their professional responsibilities,” explains Hafez.
Is this change good or bad?
It is not so easy to answer; It is a nuanced problem with the advantages and disadvantages, from your point of view. Many see the transparency that surrounds it as a positive. Hafez underlines, however, that this growing acceptance of cosmetic surgery, and the culture of comparison that underlies it, can convince certain women – not only young people – that they are not sufficient as they are.
“The current environment is complicated because it involves a personal choice alongside societal expectations,” explains Hafez. “The choice to undergo cosmetic procedures does not occur in isolation, because cultural influences and peer pressure, combined with modern beauty ideals, lead the decision.”
Lin should that, although the normalization of conversation and the reduction of stigma is a positive step towards bodily autonomy, the increased pressure to comply is definitely a drawback. “Cosmetic procedures can strengthen confidence, improve quality of life and help individuals align their external appearance on how they feel inside,” he said. “But when filters and improvements become the standard, young people can internalize unrealistic expectations, leading to body image problems.”
But for Jenna Berube, a 31 -year -old editor in New Hampshire, see women her age kiss treatments like Botox and charges is not shameful … East.
“I think that for younger women, cosmetic procedures are more part of the conversation now because we are talking about it so much more openly, especially on social networks, so that does not seem taboo or as something to be ashamed,” Berube told Yahoo Life. “It’s really about doing what will make you feel good about your own skin – no judgment anyway.”
