The Skinny on TikTok Face and Other Social Media Beauty Hacks

Published on the 15th of July, 2022.

Getting beauty advice from TikTok for body and facial aesthetics can be harmful, says Beauty Counter MD's Dr. Jeanine B. Downie.

“TikTok Face” is the media-given name for all sorts of poses (think shielding your face like you're evading the paparazzi) and hacks such as taping to reduce wrinkles or contouring with sunscreen so you look better in your photos and in person.

And it’s causing a rise in requests for facial plastic surgery and other cosmetic procedures. The 2021 AAFPRS survey found that 79 percent of facial plastic surgeons said patients were seeking procedures for an improved appearance on video conferencing, compared to only 16 percent the previous year. 

“Unlike its predecessors, TikTok makes those static filters fluid, further blurring the lines between fantasy and reality,” says facial plastic surgeon Dr. Corey Maas, President of the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (AAFPRS), in a news release. “With a single click, jaws and noses can be slimmed, eyes enlarged and reshaped, lips volumized, and so on. TikTok technology has become so advanced, that a makeup filter can smooth pores and add lashes while remaining nearly undetectable to the untrained eye, especially when in movement.”

Getting beauty advice from TikTok for body and facial aesthetics can be harmful, says Jeanine B. Downie, MD, FAAD, Director of Image Dermatology PC in Montclair, NJ. Her popular video series and column Beauty Counter MD unpacks the risks and benefits of TikTok skin care and beauty trends.

“One of my patients came in right before the 4th of July holiday and told me that she had not been here for over three years because she had silicone placed in her butt and found her doctor on TikTok,” Downie recalls. “The person was not an actual doctor but was some type of a technician. She wound up in the hospital in a coma for over 30 days. She was septic and nearly died."

The technician stole more than $20,000 dollars from her bank account too, Dr. Downie says. 

“Patients should find their board-certified dermatologists and plastic surgeons from the American Academy of Dermatology, the American Association of Plastic Surgeons (AAPS) or the AAFPRS,” she says. “Patients may have unrealistic expectations and need to educate themselves by going to the real experts.“

Original article: https://modernaesthetics.com/news/tiktok-face-and-other-social-media-beauty-hacks?c4src=news:featured