Okay folks- how many of you know someone who refuses to FaceTime with you because they hate the way they look on screen? Maybe you yourself refuse to indulge in the taking of selfies – hating to be reminded of the imperfection that always seems to catch your eye in the mirror…
As we have continued to advance along the social media journey, our original guides, (Facebook and Twitter) have become more and more visual, and new additions to the pages and pages of apps on our phones, like Vine, Instagram, Pinterest and Tinder are exclusively based on our ability to present ourselves and our lives in a positive way. No wonder that recent experience shows these applications and the portraits we feed them have produced a measurable increase in patients seeking improvement in their appearance.
Love yourself first… Because if you don’t, even the most youthful and firm, beautiful appearance may not bring you the fulfillment you seek.
As a responsible and ethical surgeon, I always advocate for healthy perspective and appropriate motivations on behalf of all of my patients, spending lots of energy explaining healthy and achievable, natural goals for any given patient’s anatomy.
I think it’s also important to match the magnitude of the intervention to the severity of the problem- and thankfully we now have at our disposal many new and less (or non-) invasive options for improvement or maintenance of our appearance.
If you’re thinking that looking tighter and more firm in your profile photo might improve the quality of the personal opportunities you are being offered- please first consider the possibility that the physical problem is not as unattractive as you might think. Love yourself first… Because if you don’t, even the most youthful and firm, beautiful appearance may not bring you the fulfillment you seek.
If, on the other hand, you feel good about yourself but find that the amazingly frequent need to put photos of your face online in order to participate in today’s social environment means presenting an appearance inconsistent with the way you feel- and which misrepresents who you believe you are, you should know that you have excellent options.
Importantly, the earlier you start to pay attention to your appearance, the easier and less expensive the overall strategy will be for you over time.
In other words, if the average woman starts conscientiously wearing good sunscreen and using good quality, medical grade skin care products in her late twenties or early thirties, with the occasional chemical peel, and advances slowly and deliberately to Ultherapy treatments or laser options as her skin and facial shape change, it is quite likely that she may never need or want anything more involved (like a facelift).
This has been repeatedly found in the experiences of quality beauty professionals and by the appearances of many beautifully maintained women who are often in the public eye (have you seen Christie Brinkley lately?).
Curious about where to start? Visit a reputable Board Certified Plastic Surgeon or Dermatologist in your area. Not sure how to find one? Send me an email and I’ll help you understand the strategy for finding the best professionals to work with.
My Personal Favorite Five (as of this writing), because they are relatively inexpensive, easy, and because they work, are:
- Ultherapy
- Neuromodulators- Xeomin is my current favorite because it is just as effective as Botox but costs 1/2 as much
- SkinMedica Skin Care (and especially their Essential Serum)
- Intellishade sunscreens
- Neocutis Biocream
So here’s today’s message- Love yourself! But if maximizing your presentation is on your mind, know that easy and safe improvement for your FaceTime freckles or that Instagram imperfection is available.
