Dr Jack Zoumaras

About the author:

Dr Jack Zoumaras is a Specialist Plastic Surgeon, Founder of Artiste Plastic Surgery and current Hon. Secretary of the Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons. Dr Jack Zoumaras is a world-trained face surgeon, a Face Lift Plastic Surgeon based in Sydney, Australia

Background:

The cosmetic industry in Australia is growing every year and injectables such as Anti Wrinkle Injections and Fillers are so common that most people know someone who has had Anti Wrinkle Injections or has had it themselves, the author of this included!

In the last 5 years Instagram and Snapchat have placed enormous pressure on all age demographics but in particular millennials and Generation Y to look a certain way. This explosion in the ubiquity of the social media digital age has no doubt fuelled the cosmetic industry.

Now people have always wanted to look better since ancient times. Cleopatra use to bathe in milk for her skin and the ancient Greeks and Romans used bees wax to rid of unwanted hair. You can scroll through advertisements in the early 20th century about push up bras and skin care. So the preoccupation with looking great and younger has always been there. However, the explosion of social media led by Facebook has glamorised the cosmetic industry and made it front of mind and no longer taboo….at least for injectables.

Society Today

With the growing cosmetic market more and more doctors are lining up to be certified injectors and a local trip to your retail precinct will reveal many walk in walk out injectable clinics with doctors consulting via Skype and nurses injecting.

The combination of doctors from all backgrounds(plastic surgery, surgery, obstetrics and gynaecology, general practitioners and more) and accessibility to injectables has trivialised the market when it comes to injection. People see injections as simple services such as hair styling, getting a wax or manicure. This view amongst society is flawed because it has placed unrealistic and unnecessary pressure on individuals to get anti-wrinkle injections from sources that may not have there best interest at heart or don’t have the necessary experience. Anti Wrinkle Injections or Filler requires an understanding of facial anatomy, the anatomy of the ageing process and an “aesthetic eye” of what can be achieved. This assessment is unlikely to be possible with a 15 minute consult and injection from an unskilled injector, yet it is normal for individuals to walk into a clinic and obtain injections with no appointment. Even getting a hair cut at a reputable stylist requires an appointment today.

There are risks with injections also, albeit small ones that is important to understand. Injections can cause bruising, bleeding and rarely an embolus to arteries around the nose and eye that has been documented to cause blindness although extremely rare.

It is therefore important that the injector knows there anatomy and are an experienced aesthetician.

Why You Don’t Need Anti Wrinkle Injections in Your 20’s

As a Plastic Surgeon my advice to those in their 20’s is that you don’t need Anti Wrinkle Injections. The reasons for this are simple. The ageing process does not occur till you are in your early to mid 30’s and the only reason why you are compelled to consider injections are due to social pressures that have made injectables a trivial decision and part of a normal beauty routine.

The ageing process involves changes to the skin that lead to wrinkling and changes to the underlying fat and ligaments and bone of the face. None of these processes occur till you are at least 35. Some people do have wrinkles in their 20’s but that is part of their normal anatomy and not an ageing phenomenon. By injecting filler and anti-wrinkle injections in this age group we are creating a persona that looks similar and a little odd with the age of their skin texture and structure of bone.

Some argue that Anti Wrinkle Injections is preventative and therefore starting early is wise, I say to this that there is absolutely no evidence for this at all. Whether you begin Anti Wrinkle Injections treatment early at the first signs of ageing or later on does not determine or deter the ageing process of the face.

As a Facelift Plastic Surgeon, I can tell someones age by looking at photo’s and most people that have had Anti Wrinkle Injections and Fillers in their 20’s look older than they really are, surely this does not appeal to you! That’s right not only is it a waste of money to get Anti Wrinkle Injections and Fillers in your 20’s but it will makes you look older. Just scroll through Instagram and see many influencers and followers who have obviously had injections. They all look a similar age, and that age is 5-10 years older than they really are.

I have estimated that the average 20 year old would save $13,000 by not getting injectables in their 20’s.

Avoid the social pressure, stay looking younger with your natural normal wrinkles and stand out amongst the crowd.

Disclaimer: At Artiste Plastic Surgery, our Plastic Surgeons led by Dr Jack Zoumaras have been trained to the highest possible degree. All surgery has risks and it is always advised to get a second opinion. Risks are very real and we cannot guarantee any result. Results are illustrated as a guide only. All risks are managed and any need for revision surgery or complications (1-5%) can be managed by our specialist plastic surgeons.

Any statements on how you will feel is based on Level V Evidence:

Level V:  How you will feel after plastic surgery varies between individuals, depending on psychological and physical factors. Our internal research is based on how patients in our practice feel after surgery.

The blogs are not a substitute for a medical consultation and do not form as part of the doctor to patient relationship.