Social media is full of cosmetic clinics showing off their work. This is great. People absolutely need to see the hundreds of thousands of ordinary women (and men!) who are embracing antiaging treatments. The more we share, the more we normalise these treatments and remove the stigma so often attached and the judgement so often made. But, can we trust what we see?
Be weary of the images you see on social media. Even clinics with thousands of followers and celebrity clients may alter their images to give a skewed reflection of the real results. To find genuine before and after photos, search on Glowday.
You're thinking about having something done. Whether it's PDO threads, cheek fillers, Profhilo, tear trough treatment or wrinkle relaxing, it's likely that, before you go ahead, you'll be inclined to pour over photos on Instagram to see examples of other women who have had work done. We know you do and that before and after photos are really important for you when you're choosing the clinic for your treatment. But can you be sure that what you're seeing is true? The answer is sometimes, but not all of the time.
The truth is, even some of the most well-established big-name clinics will unfortunately subtly change the 'after' shot to present an exaggerated result. There are a few tricks that can help including the distance the person is away from the camera, the lighting used and a different hair style and / or make-up selection.
There is absolutely no denying that Judy Murray has had some tremendous results from an intensive skin care plan and Morpheus8 treatment. However, the before and after photo used in the media aren't like for like. Notice the different hair colour and softer cut, the different lighting, the change in eyebrows and even her eyes are different colours. This can all trick us into believing that the results are more dramatic than they actually are in real life.
Why would they do this?
Obviously clinics want you to be able to see impressive results. They want you to be wowed. They want you to BUY THIS TREATMENT. So they may slightly tweak the 'after' photo to enhance the overall 'look'. It's actually quite difficult to see overly-dramatic results from non-surgical aesthetics (as it should be!) so clinics will use all sorts of tricks to embellish the result. However, there is an argument that if they didn't do this, you wouldn't be so inclined to visit them...
But I want to see real photos!
Now here's the rub. Do you? Because this is what tends to happen (and I know, because I have done it!). You'll look at the before photo, then the after photo and you'll say 'well they don't look any different, that's pointless'. The truth - at least for medical aesthetic treatments - is that often the treatments are so subtle and natural they're hard to detect on a genuine photo! The client will be able to see it, notice the difference and see a change - but often, to a stranger's eye, they look exactly the same!
Is this true for all treatments?
No, there are obviously some treatments, such as wrinkle relaxing where you can very clearly see a line or wrinkle before and none after. And the same goes for lip fillers, usually you'll see a bigger lip at least. Non-surgical rhinoplasty can also have very noticeable results in before and after photos.
You can trust that these are mostly genuine and do show some improvement! But with treatments such as Profhilo, chemical peels and even some tear-trough fillers, you might not really see much of a difference yourself. Or you'll think the difference isn't dramatic enough and you'll discount the treatment, but you shouldn't. These are the clinics and practitioners who are presenting the truth and who also specialise in natural, subtle enhancements. Of course, if you want to look fake and over-filled and see a huge change in appearance, non-surgical medical aesthetics might not be for you. But if you want to look like you, on a good day, every day, then the squint-and-you-can-see-it-photos might just be the calling card you need to book that appointment!
Where can I see genuine photos?
Glowday doesn't put any filters on its before and after photos and our practitioners are very committed to ensuring they present the truth. They'll try as hard as they can to take them from the same position on the bed, at the same angle and using the same light. They can't help it if the client has also changed their hair, or wearing different make-up that day, but they will ensure the photos they present on their profile and a fair and accurate reflection of the results from that treatment.
Here's some of Glowday's favourite before and after photos!
Here are just a few photos from practitioners who we know like to show the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth!
Now you see them, now you don't, there's definitely a noticeable decrease in this lovely client's lines around her eyes. By Dr Jessica Halliley at Your Beauty Doctor.
Check out the Glowday practitioners near you offering cosmetic treatments such as antiageing injections, fillers, lip fillers, tear trough treatments and chemical peels. Just click here and pop in your postcode!
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