In recent years, the trend of dissolving fillers and reversing cosmetic procedures has risen among celebs and influencers and has had a knock on effect on the general public. Surgeons say that plastic surgery reversals are on the rise, with procedures to reverse BBLs, breast implants, and rhinoplasty most popular.
But what does this mean for the everyday person? Should we praise celebs for looking more natural and sending a message of self-love, or is it simply another trend that is only accessible to the rich and famous?
Cosmetic surgery has had a huge surge in popularity for the general public and has been largely normalised in society. According to Save Face, 59% of respondents said that they viewed cosmetic procedures like fillers as comparable to getting a haircut or manicure, and 68% said that one or more people from their friendship group already had procedures done.
Recently, celebrities such as Molly-Mae Haugue, Gemma Collins, and even Kylie Jenner have admitted to getting facial and lip fillers dissolved and returning to a more ‘natural’ look. On the Diary of a CEO podcast, Molly-Mae said that she decided to get her jaw filler dissolved as she felt like she “no longer looked like the same person”. She spoke of her desire to get filler when she was younger to be a ‘successful influencer’ like other women she followed on Instagram and noticed all had a similar look.
Perhaps celebrities speaking candidly about their procedures and removal of such is a step in the right direction to encourage those who look up to them to embrace their natural faces, and not seek out cosmetic procedures that may just be trending at the time. This is not to say that getting plastic surgery and fillers is inherently bad, but when done for the wrong reasons it can cause a damaging relationship with self-image and a strive to look like an ever-changing ‘ideal’.
On the other hand, celebs getting cosmetic procedures reversed could send a message that these surgeries are just passing trends, and might remove people’s perceptions of how permanent these changes can be. Dissolving filler can cost hundreds of pounds, and removals of more altering plastic surgeries can be thousands. While this may be sustainable for famous people, not everyone has the luxury of being wealthy enough to pay for this, and the price of removal is not something that celebrities often discuss.
Also, some celebs removing surgeries under the guise of ‘self-love’ are actually still conforming to newer trends and promoting a certain desired figure, or features. For example, the Kardashians have recently been a topic of discussion for getting their BBLs removed and appearing slimmer and more athletic, rather than the curvy look they are known for. This could be due to the apparent rise in the style of a skinnier figure that was popular in the early 2000s. This is still massively damaging as it perpetuates the idea that a certain body shape is ‘in’ or ‘out’.
Overall, celebrities speaking honestly about their procedure removals is largely positive as their fans are more knowledgeable about procedures and the risks that can come with them. However, there is still a need to be vigilant when viewing celebs’ transformations and keeping in mind that a certain body or face shouldn’t be a ‘trend’ and that plastic surgery should be for your own happiness only.
Edited by Imogen Bowlt