We work long and hard at Costhetics to earn (and maintain) our reputation as Australia’s leading information resource for news on cosmetic surgery and aesthetic enhancement.
We strive to present balanced views on what’s happening in the world of beauty and provide readers like you with facts, tips, and tidbits from respected sources in the industry. Not necessarily so with Redddit…and the rest of the Internet.
Whatever your aesthetic enhancement question…
- Is it safe to have your face tattooed with freckles?
- What is the best skin cream to stop ageing?
- What is a vampire facelift and how does it work?
- Can laser lights really erase sun damage?
…you’ll find answers on sites like Reddit, YouTube, Pinterest, and in message boards based around the world. Unfortunately, these answers are often anecdotal, unsubstantiated, and outright lies published by scammers to boost their product sales. Some seem like they’re from outer space.
Take with Caution: Crazy Online Beauty Advice
You won’t have to search long to find nutty ideas being offered up as solutions to every kind of aesthetic challenge. Here are some of our favourites.
- Fish pedicure – Toothless guppies can successfully slough away dead skin on the feet. Unfortunately, the little swimmers are likely to carry a terrifying array of bacteria that can lead to infections and cholera.
- Bee Venom Face Cream – This safe-sounding cream triggers an anti-immune response as though the skin had been bitten by an insect, allegedly improving blood flow and collagen production. It is being offered as a safer, less invasive solution to reducing wrinkles than cosmetic injectables. Less invasive, yes, but safer? People who are unaware that they have a bee allergy can easily fall victim to anaphylactic shock.
- Palm Line Lasering – Particularly popular in Japan, this procedure is used to change a person’s palm lines, ensuring long life and happiness. Experts agree that the procedure is more likely to give you a lifetime of pain from damage to tendons, arteries, and nerves.
- Cinderella Surgery – The dream of sliding a sleek foot into a glass slipper has led a number of women to ask podiatrists to reduce their foot size. It also reduces their chance of being able to walk due to restricted joint movement and pain.
- Iris Implant – Perhaps inspired by celebrities and their wardrobe of coloured contacts, some people are seeking out doctors willing to perform an iris implant. The dangers of this surgery are massive. You risk glaucoma, cataracts, reduced vision, and even blindness.
- Designer Dimples – A dimpleplasty is a surgery where the skin around the mouth is cut and manipulated to create a dimple-like depression. Experts say it is impossible to predict how the surgical scar will react over time. “Designer dimples could become designer disasters within a matter of years,” a spokesman for Surgicare told Fox News.
- Fire Facial – An alcohol-soaked towel is placed on the patient’s face then lit on fire before being quickly removed by an aesthetician before damage is done. Really?
- Litter Face Mask – No, this mask isn’t made with garbage. When a video popped up of a woman making a facemask out of kitty litter, the Internet went wild. Then doctors went wild warning litter is made with aluminium silicate, which is also an ingredient in housing installation. It can cause skin tears, breakouts, and ageing lines.
3 Tip-Top Types of Info the Internet Offers
Don’t blame the Internet. It’s still a good friend when it comes to doing basic research. In fact, the Internet makes it relatively painless to get the foundational information any potential patient might need about cosmetic surgery, or non-invasive aesthetic rejuvenation in terms of:
- Descriptions of procedures
- Available treatments
- Doctor reviews
The tricky thing about online research is not what you’re looking for. It’s about where you’ve chosen to research your answer. We don’t mean to imply that the entire Internet is a swirling cesspool of misinformation with black hat marketers circling like sharks. Quite the contrary. There are many, many websites that are maintained by health institutions, advocacy groups, industry watchdog groups, and companies like Costhetics that have a proven history of providing the facts. However…
The #1 Place to Get Good Cosmetic Surgery Advice
The advice you get online is definitely one-size-fits-all. A recommendation for reducing belly fat with a freezing technique instead of surgery isn’t at all appropriate for someone who needs to reduce fat by more than 25%. Can you guess the answer? It’s really quite obvious. The best place to go for aesthetic procedures is the office of an experienced, respected surgeon or physician. During a consultation, your doctor will get to know you. S/he’ll ask about your lifestyle and rejuvenation goals, but also explore your unique physiology. Then, and only then, will s/he recommend a treatment plan.
As for those “new” products and treatments that take the Internet by storm, beware. Experts agree that these products aren’t innovations at all. They are merely old snake-oil products repackaged and remarketed.