Liverpool Life February 7:6, 6 2019

Page 10

10 LL BEAUTY

Pic © Ian Dooley on Unsplash

Getting Lippy By ELLIE WATKINSON

T

he phrase ‘lip filler’ has likely crossed your mind before. It’s unavoidable when your Instagram explore feed is saturated with selfies from the Kardashian clan and the Instagram model Hall of Fame. And according to Google Trends, this cosmetic procedure has appeared in the search engines of people from Liverpool more than in any other region of England. The city may be the capital of dermal fillers - but why are Liverpudlians infatuated with the perfect pout? After all, it isn’t exactly a risk-free procedure. Liverpool Life spoke to two young women regarding their experiences with lip injections. They have “completely changed” Lucy Owen’s face. The 18-year-old from Aigburth said: “I didn’t have small lips originally. However, I would say social media and Kylie Jenner’s lips led me to want them to be fuller. “I don’t go to appointments knowing exactly how much to get in my lips, when I’m there I just look in the mirror and tell the woman when to stop.” Emma Holmes, 18, agreed that social media was the reason she opted to get lip fillers. She said: “I didn’t do any research, it was just a snap decision and I went to a woman my friend recommended.” However, the fashion marketing student from Rainhill is consider-

Customer Mimi following her treatment ing getting the lip filler removed. She added: “If I don’t get them removed then I am definitely getting them dissolved and re-done due to lumps from the current filler.” Save Face is a national register of accredited practitioners who perform non-surgical cosmetics treatments. In their annual report of consumer complaints, dermal fillers received the highest volume of dissatisfaction. Treatment outcomes included bruising and even infection in rarer cases. Liverpool Life talked to facial aesthetic practitioner and member of Save Face Dr MJ Rowland-Warmann who said: “We are seeing a significant rise in reports

“social media led me to want MY LIPS to be fuller”

of botched work and patients having serious issues after treatment due to the rise in unlicenced practitioners. “Media is great to advertise a treatment, but we are seeing it is being used to raise awareness too. “It’s important that patients understand that fillers are a medical procedure after all, and the increase in media attention in dermal filler treatment can help patients understand what to look out for in a practitioner.” SmileWorks is one of the leading facial aesthetic companies in Liverpool and employs 30 members of staff specialising in dentistry and facial aesthetics. Co-owner and digital marketing specialist Ed Challinor told Liverpool Life: “The volume of searches in Liverpool for our clinic is about 720 a month. But, the amount of volume on Google only represents around 30pc of the demand in Liverpool.”

© Ellie Watkinson

According to Ed, the number of facial aesthetic businesses or beauticians in Liverpool is very high, compared to anywhere else in England. There is also an increasing number of teenagers getting the procedure in the city. He said: “You find lip fillers fall under the youngest age-category, it is all 18-year-olds want right now; it’s a very effective way of making them feel sexy. “But because of our prices many of the youngsters are going to small salons and they’re looking on Instagram or Facebook to find them.” The average cost of 1ml of lip dermal filler is £250. However, it can range from £150 to £1000 depending on the business. In addition, figures suggest the cosmetic surgery industry in the UK is worth up to £3.6bn, with botox and fillers worth an eye-watering £2.7bn.


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Liverpool Life February 7:6, 6 2019 by Steve Harrison - Issuu