Young people falling into the "medical beauty trap"
Every time, as long as someone in the WeChat group shares the medical beauty discount program, Xinxin will stop and sign up immediately no matter what she is doing.
"Except for the group at home, this is the only group I haven't blocked. You can watch news and grab items if you have them." Xinxin secretly breathes a sigh of relief every time she "grabs" a cheap item.
If she missed the news and did not "find" the discounted item, she would unconsciously feel empty in her heart.
When she was in her early 20s, she tried almost all facial beauty programs, and her eyes, nose, chin, and jaw angle had all been "sniffed".
Because I can get in touch with some plastic surgery institutions and doctors at work, Xinxin Jinshui Building has joined a lot of medical aesthetics marketing groups.
There will be some promotional activities from time to time in the group. If you are lucky, you can also run into free medical beauty projects.
This is also the reason why Xinxin's salary is not high but she has never wanted to change jobs.
Until she sat in the office of Shi Lei, deputy chief physician of plastic surgery at the Plastic Surgery Hospital of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences.
"The whole face is in a mess." Shi Lei said bluntly. The first time I saw Xinxin, she was frightened.
"She failed every project."
"Is it expensive to repair?" Xinxin asked Shi Lei tentatively.
"How much money did you spend on the project at the beginning, it may take at least 2 to 3 times the cost to repair." Shi Lei said, whether it is the common double eyelid surgery or other more complex medical and aesthetic surgery, the repair cost is far higher. The cost of the initial surgery.
The money I was secretly happy to save when I was grabbing the discount was obviously a drop in the bucket in the face of medical aesthetics and repair operations.
Xinxin calculated her monthly salary of several thousand yuan, "Let's talk about it when I save up."
"Medical beauty is a consumer behavior, but in the medical beauty consumer group, more than 60% are people aged 25 to 35, and the cost that can really be spent on medical beauty is very limited." Shi Lei said.
But she found that young girls without money have become the target users of street beauty salons, studios in residential buildings, and even small workshops that provide door-to-door services.
"One dollar for medical beauty" and "group buying of medical beauty" are always robbed by young people.
"Xiaohongshu, Weibo, Moments, and even the short video platform'Planting Grass', all dare to try." Shi Lei didn't understand how these beauty-loving young people trust the Internet celebrity bloggers so much.
"Has anyone checked it? Have these glamorously dressed Internet celebrity bloggers really learned basic medical beauty knowledge systematically?"
"Online content varies from good to bad. If medical and aesthetic consumers obtain information from these channels without professional doctors, when you finally muster the courage to try, you may turn your head and fall into the pit." Shi Lei said frankly, passionate about medicine. Midea young people often wait until something goes wrong and needs repair, before they remember to go to the hospital to see a doctor.
A failure needs years of continuous repairs to make up
"I may be doing repairs for half of my surgery." As a plastic surgeon, Shi Lei's office receives no fewer medical and aesthetic consumers in need of repair than those who come to her for medical and aesthetic projects.
Moreover, she can clearly feel that with the increase in the number of consumers of medical aesthetics, the number of people for medical aesthetics repairs is also increasing.
Some people may only take the initiative to consume medical beauty once, but in the next few years or even more than ten years, they rushed to make remedies.
Eight years ago, Yaoyao, who was only 17 years old, was a serious medical beauty enthusiast.
She will do whatever is popular on the Internet, and she will immediately arrange which project is "planting grass" on social platforms and which is popular on the Internet: A4 waist is hot for liposuction, and when the ears of the elves are hot, then you must have... Smaller, the bridge of the nose is getting higher and higher, but she has not achieved the more and more confident look in her ideals. Instead, she has become a "monster" in the eyes of the people around her-a 25-year-old face looks like a 45-year-old.
Yaoyao couldn't accept this kind of self, she found Shi Lei and said, "Doctor, you can't refuse me, you can do something for me."
Something has to be done, like a golden hoop, buckled on the heads of those young people who love beauty, and it also gives an opportunity for non-compliant "science posts" on the Internet.
Many so-called medical beauty institutions and Internet celebrities operate their own accounts and publish "personal assessments" that have not been professionally reviewed and can be displayed on the platform at will, attracting impulsive consumers.
The advertisements of "Light medical beauty remove stitches in seven days, no need to ask for leave", "Make up immediately, Meimei go out", and "168 yuan group purchase photon rejuvenation" advertisements are like ticking clocks, beating the hearts of beauty lovers.
These young people's casual attitude towards medical beauty surprised Shi Lei.
"How can I easily move the knife? How can repair be so easy?" Shi Lei said.
The beauty seeker is trapped in a whirlpool of facial anxiety
In the narratives of beauty seekers, Shi Lei restores the cause of their addiction to medical beauty—appearance anxiety.
Xinxin wants to get better job opportunities through medical aesthetics, Yaoyao is eager to get rid of "Mediocrity"... After all, who doesn't want to have a perfect face?
"Elf ears are really fragrant! I didn't expect the ears to have such a big impact on the value of the face. After seeing the sisters around me, the effect was very good. I was really surprised. When the ears came out, my face was a little smaller... It really hurts to put hyaluronic acid on the ears, but for the sake of beauty, what is this pain?" Looking at the before and after comparison pictures above the copy, Yaoyao was tempted again.
In Shi Lei's view, the so-called pursuit of "elf ears" is not only a weird idea, it even runs counter to traditional aesthetics.
"In the 1960s, there was a kind of surgery called the ear correction surgery, which used surgery to turn the ears back, which is the opposite of the'elf ears'. Everyone said that the'elf ears' would appear small on the lens, but in fact there is a premise. It means that your face must be small. If your face is very big, your ears may need to be as big as Mickey Mouse to show your face is small."
Shi Lei believes that minor facial anxiety may be common to everyone, especially women, who always pay attention to whether they are fat and face is not good. Distorted aesthetics like "elf ears" are incredible.
Shi Lei would also be slightly anxious. When he wanted to give a speech, he suddenly found that his eyebrows hadn't been drawn, so he would look for eyebrow pencils everywhere. When doing interviews, he often wondered whether his clothes and makeup were decent enough.
"In fact, think about it from another angle. Who pays attention to these? Anxious looks may be a result of excessive demands on yourself."
"Now everyone can post selfies on the Internet, and they may get negative comments from others. In this case, more and more people are anxious. However, there needs to be a degree of facial anxiety. If you pay too much attention to yourself, you think that your job search has failed. It is because others think you are too ugly, and the pursuer does not love you because you are too ugly. This kind of thinking must be reflected on whether your appearance anxiety is too serious and requires the intervention of a psychologist." Shi Lei said .
Shi Lei said that being anxious about "planting grass" is equivalent to entrusting her own aesthetics to fashion.
But the fashion is always changing, how many toss can a face stand up to?
In particular, there are some "science popularization" disguised on social platforms, which may be a trap for waiting for medical treatment.
Medical beauty traps on social platforms
Wenwen's WeChat friend Xiao Yang is a medical expert.
From “Dr. Wang’s successful case sharing” and “Dr. Li’s group purchase benefits” to her own “doing countless medical beauty projects, experiencing failures and successes, so she has more say than plastic surgeons”, Xiao Yang’s every All circles of friends are exquisite copywriting and pictures.
For a long time, Wenwen will look at Xiao Yang's circle of friends very seriously.
Especially after a friend's face was fine-tuned, Wenwen also put double eyelid on his schedule.
The first time, Wenwen consulted with Xiao Yang.
Pre- and post-operative comparison photos, famous doctors, popular styles, specific discounts... Xiao Yang sent more than 20 WeChat messages in one go, covering everything.
But on the day of the operation, Wenwen did not see the "double eyelid doctor" in WeChat, but was persuaded by Xiao Yang to lie down on the operating table.
After the operation, expectant Wen Wen waited for a pair of eyes that were swollen like light bulbs. Two "meat strips" were added to the eyelids that were supposed to be natural.
Wenwen is not an exception. Some netizens shared their experience of being "shackled" by WeChat friends: "Unilateral Ear Cartilage Nose Synthesis" and "Bulky Nasal Base" introduced by WeChat friends who have known each other for nearly 5 years.
This friend sells cosmetic contact lenses and other groceries in her circle of friends, and also takes care of beauty promotion.
Through her, you can enjoy a 30% discount, and even 12 installments.
After finishing, Wenwen found that his nose was getting crooked.
"With the'grass planting' on social media, more and more young people regard the marketing of caring people as a standard, and finally fall into the trap of marketers." Shi Lei believes that popular science and the Internet have only played a big "universal" role. , Did not do "subject".
"Just like the Internet has popularized that brushing acid (referring to the application of chemical agents on the surface of the skin to promote new skin regeneration after controllable skin damage-reporter's note) can exfoliate cuticles, but there are any contraindications and few adverse reactions. Someone knows."
On August 11, the official website of the State Food and Drug Administration issued an article to remind the public to scientifically understand the beauty of brushing acid.
The article stated that “acid treatment” needs to be performed by trained professionals in a hospital or clinic with medical qualifications, and the “acid” used is not cosmetics.
However, on Xiaohongshu and Weibo, it is still possible to retrieve marketing articles that "can be done at home" and "teach you how to do so".
In Shi Lei's view, one should not criticize a person's medical beauty needs, nor should he underestimate the behavior of medical beauty.
However, professionalism is needed to guide demand.
"The current medical aesthetics market is still very young, and everyone must stay sensible in the complex information." Shi Lei reminded that those who seek beauty should be cautious, find regular medical institutions, and consult professional doctors.
"In the entire medical process, the doctor's skills, aesthetics, and professionalism will ensure that you can become beautiful with peace of mind on the basis of safety."
(In the text, Xinxin, Yaoyao, Wenwen, and Xiao Yang are all pseudonyms)
China Youth Daily · China Youth Daily reporter Zhang Manyu Source: China Youth Daily
August 31, 2021 08 Edition