The Botox generation: How having fillers for a few hundred quid has become the new 'normal'

When you look in the mirror, there's always something you want to change.

"I wish my teeth were whiter, I wish my lips were bigger, I wish my cheeks were fuller."

It's said perfection doesn't exist - but in 2019 there are lots of young people desperate to find it. And they're happy to pay.

Over the past few years, more and more young people have been spending their hard-earned cash on having non-surgical treatments, such as Botox and dermal fillers, to enhance their image.

They have lots of reasons.

Often, it's insecurity about a certain body part.

Or wanting to change certain aspects of the face, too.  

There is no doubt that treatments have become much more accessible within the last few years.

Only last year, high street retailer, Superdrug, announced it was making Botox and dermal fillers available to customers over the age of 25.

The Skin Renew Service later opened at the retailer's London Strand store.

At the time, the retailer claimed the service was being launched after nearly 10,000 customers said they wished they could access anti-wrinkle and skin rejuvenation treatments on the high street.

And the demand for these forms of aesthetic enhancements have also become more popular in Wales.

For Sam Taylor, who's 24, it was working as a hairdresser that inspired him to get work done.

He was only 19 when he had his first facial Botox procedure.

Since then, the hair stylist, from Merthyr Tydfil, says he's had Botox in pretty much every area of his face.

"Then a few months after my first Botox, I had my first set of veneers."

Working in the beauty industry made him think about his image a lot more, he said.

"You're more aware of it and you think about it more because you're in the industry," he added.

"There are lots of mirrors and you're always looking at yourself and thinking of things you want to change."

Sam has now been running his shop, Sam's, for about six years. The salon offers a menu of different beauty treatments.

Over the years, he's had fillers in his cheeks, jaw and lips.

He has to keep them maintained.

He has his eyebrows microbladed - that's a semi-permenant treatment that sculpts the brows.

And he gets his hair cut and coloured twice a week to keep up the look.

He loves the results.

"It definitely becomes addictive," he believes. "Fillers last for about six or seven months and that's when I have to have top-ups.

"My teeth were completely fine. I used to whiten them all the time but I had this gap at the front.

"This is when I decided to take the plunge and get them done. I wanted them perfect."

Sam says his veneers were "quite expensive". But he was more than happy with the end result.

He admits it can be costly to keep having things done but he saves up.

"The last time I had something done was the week before last," he added.

"I spent about a grand on my face that day."

He believes Instagram is a big influence these days.

"People are seeing these models and so more people are doing it."

Sam admits he's a big follower of Instagram but that's not what pushed him into having procedures done - it was working in an industry that's so focused on image.

He said people who intently follow models and well-known personalities on Instagram need to realise "there's fake in it."

"Most of the people don't look like that, " Sam realises. "They are not 100% real. There's lots of Photoshop behind it and there are lots of filters."

Sam sees nothing wrong with having fillers and Botox- "Nobody really needs it done, it's not a necessity" - as long as it makes you happy, he says.

And be sure to research it first.

He added: "If you feel insecure about something, if it makes you feel a bit better, just go for it."

Some people decide to have treatments when they get a little older.

Lora Mua, now 32, started having treatments when she was 30.

Since then, she has had a boob job, lip and cheek fillers and Botox.

The model, from Mumbles, opted for the treatments to help her keep looking young for her modelling profession.

Lora, who is the face of Wales International Film Festival and a former Ms Swansea Galaxy, said: "I would carry on getting fillers as after around six months they start to dissolve. So they do need maintenance.

"I would like a Brazilian butt lift. But then I read about the deaths of other women having the procedure and it put me off. So I cancelled my plans to have that done."

Lora also looks to social media for inspiration.

"Instagram does influence my decisions as I follow a lot of beautiful women and I do try to emulate their styles.

"I believe more and more younger women are having these procedures because they want to look like their celebrity idols. People like Kendall Jenner and the cast of The Only Way Is Essex, who have nearly all had work done.

"They also realise that Botox can be a preventative answer to wrinkles."

Lora reckons it's an addictive world.

"Just like getting tattoos can be addictive, which is why it's so important to go to a fully qualified medical practitioner who has a duty of care to their clients. It's so important to do this for yourself."

Lora has strong view on other things, too.

"I'm a self-proclaimed feminist who has also been campaigning for a change in the Miss Wales and Miss England beauty pageants, which currently ban mums from entering.

"I believe we must work on the inside before changing the outside - but if you're truly unhappy about your body and want to change then, why not?

"Life is too short to be unhappy."

Another young woman, who asked not to be named, said non-surgical treatments have become more normal.

She's only had lip fillers, and because she wanted them to look so natural, hardly anyone notices that she's had them done. This is why she chose to remain anonymous.

"I had been thinking about it for a few years," she said.

"I just wanted to have more symmetrical lips as the top lip was a lot thinner than my bottom lip.

"I definitely feel better in myself after having it done and more confident without make-up on. I used to over line my top lip with lipstick when I went out.

"It's not cheap, and is difficult to save for depending on your financial situation, but once you've achieved your goal you only need a top-up every six months."

"I think social media has a huge influence on young people now - every celebrity and model you see has had it all done and always look so glamorous all the time. It makes young girls feel like it's ok to have all this work done to their face because everybody is doing it - it's become normal."

When it comes to surgical procedures, the number of people having these types of treatments is actually down.

Last year, the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS) published a report revealing that over 28,000 operations that took place in 2017. That's slightly below the 2016 figure.

Figures show that, during this time, treatments such as Liposuction were down 28%.

And neck and face lifts were down by 42% in men and women.

Meanwhile, treatments like breast augmentations and breast reductions were up by 6%.

But even though the amount of people opting to go under the knife has declined a little recently, the number of people having non-surgical treatments is growing.

Former President of BAAPS, Douglas McGeorge, who works as a surgeon in Chester, believes young people are up for non-surgical treatments because their lives are surrounded by  it.

He said: “They either want to improve their appearance, or change it. 

“Regarding non-surgical procedures, there is an increase in people having these now, as they are more freely available and acceptable. Some of the non-surgical treatments are relatively new still so, inevitably, you will see a rise in these treatments.

“It’s much more open. People discuss it openly. But ultimately they do not replace surgery.

“There is a place in the industry for both (surgical and non-surgical) - they complement each other.”

Rebecca Cromwell-Jones, 35, has been running RCJ Aesthetics in Swansea for nearly three years.

She says she has seen a rise in the number of young people wanting the non-surgical treatments she offers.

But Rebecca says you don't see many 18 year olds walking through the doors - most customers tend to be 25 and over.

"Over the last two years there have been a lot more clients," she said.

"It's all about lip fillers and face contouring. Everyone seems to want to have fuller lips."

And, yes, Rebecca thinks a lot of it is down to social media, too. 

"People look to people like the Kardashians. Instagram is covered with these people."

And she thinks many deals are within many people's price ranges.

"A lip filler would probably be around £200 per ml," she said.

"Some are less, some are more - but around £200 for most.

"You can get a package for £600 or £700."

While offers may make some treatments more affordable, Rebecca encourages people to do their research before having anything done.

She is a fully insured registered nurse and aesthetics practitioner who specialises in dermal fillers and wrinkle relaxation, so she knows what she's talking about. Basically, make sure you're dealing with trained professionals.

So, Instagram is clearly one of the key influencers when it comes to treatment.

But who are the flawless people in the Insta pictures who young people aspire to so much?

Chloe Sims, one of the well-known stars of The Only Way Is Essex, has admitted to having various procedures over the years - both surgical and non-surgical.

The reality star has over 1m followers on Instagram and women love her for her no-nonsense attitude and caring personality that comes across on the show.

Instagram

Instagram

One of the most followed people in the world on Instagram, Kylie Jenner, has also admitted to using fillers in the past - although she has denied having other treatments.

People, in their millions, love the way she looks.

The point is, the more people post pictures online and openly talk about the kind of treatments they've had, the more normal concepts like Botox become.

The world is changing and people's perceptions of beauty are changing.

The age old saying is that beauty fades but, for now at least, it's pretty clear that treatments like Botox and fillers are here to stay.