36%
other treatments at the clinic, like
their facials and chemical peels.
After I got the anti-wrinkle
injections, my lines were gone.
It took me a while to get used to
not being able to really frown, but
my selfies looked great. Did I feel
bad about spruiking a brightening
facial and keeping mum about my
Botox? A little. I did have a facial,
but it wasn’t responsible for my
smooth face. My followers don’t
judge me for having a facial, but
there are many who’d judge me
for having Botox – especially as
my “thing” online is clean living.
As an inf luencer, I have so
many businesses and brands
approach me to promote what
they’re selling and it is hard to
say no. I am fully aware that I
may not get these opportunities
in the future, so I want to make
the most of it now. If I’ve been
paid to promote something, I’ll
always use the hashtag #spon
(meaning sponsored), so that my
followers know. But I’ll never tell
them about my Botox use. I guess
that’s the way it goes in order to
keep up with the Joneses – and
these Joneses always look perfect.’‘I’m an open book'
Not all inf luencers hide their
anti-wrinkle secret. Rachel De
Oliveira (@insta.beauty.mummy)
always discloses the injectables
she receives. ‘I want my followers
to know that I have Botox to look
a certain way,’ she says. ‘I believe
you have to be honest.’
Inf luencer couple Poppy
Frances (@poppyfrances) and
Adam Taylor (@adamluketaylor)
have an agreement with Victorian
Cosmetic Institute. ‘I get LED
light phototherapy treatment,’
says Frances. ‘My skin can often
break out from heavy makeup and
can be dull. It’s a requirement
of my job [as a model] to have
glowing skin and I certainly do
not have that naturally.’products or cosmetic surgery’.
‘There’s been an increase in
people getting injectables and
I’m seeing young patients asking
for them,’ says Dr Hunt. ‘Botox
is approved by the Therapeutic
Goods Administration (Australia’s
drug regulatory agency) as a
treatment for wrinkles; it’s not a
treatment to prevent them.’ The
long-term consequences of getting
injections before the age of 30 are
hard to predict.Double-edged sword
It’s a damned if you do, damned
if you don’t situation, really. If
an inf luencer admits to having
Botox, their followers may follow
suit when they don’t need it. If
they keep it hidden? Followers
may think that brightening facial
is responsible for the perfect selfie
skin. Body confidence expert Dr
Katherine Iscoe says that we’re
striving for perfection, which
doesn’t exist. ‘If I portray myself
as someone that I’m not, that gives
my followers false hope that they
can be like me; that’s where it
becomes wrong,’ she says. ‘There’s
a deficit between the reality and
what is portrayed and it’s making
people feel bad about themselves.’
The takeaway? ‘Only you
know what’s right for you,’ says
Dr Iscoe. ‘If Botox is something
that is important for you, go for
it, but don’t do it just because
others are. Take what you see on
social media with a pinch of salt- give yourself a reality check and
a dose of kindness.’ #
of 20-30-year-olds would
consider anti-wrinkle
injectables to look younger**‘I receive Botox every three
months,’ admits Taylor. ‘I’m open
about my Botox use and have no
issues or concerns talking about
it or posting about it on my social
media accounts.’
While the pair are open about
their treatments, they understand
why others are getting injectables
on the sly. ‘They aren’t accepted
by everyone, especially when you
are getting them at a young age,’
says Frances. ‘People can be very
judgemental and vocal about
their opinions. But in our opinion,
you shouldn’t feel the need to
hide it because it is becoming
more acceptable in our society.
If you can get rid of a wrinkle,
then why wouldn’t you?’
The problem is many young
people injecting their face with
the toxin (Botox is a neurotoxin
that’s produced by the bacterium
clostridium botulinum, which
paralyses the muscles) don’t have
wrinkles yet. Plastic surgeon Dr
Jeremy Hunt says that people
are buying what inf luencers are
posting, ‘whether that’s shoes,WORDS BY SHARI NEMENTZIK. *NAME HAS BEEN CHANGED. **COSMETIC PHYSICIANS COLLEGE OF AUSTRALASIA. ISTOCK
COSMOPOLITAN June 2017 109
cosmo report