When you make the decision to get a non-invasive or minimally invasive treatment – whether fillers, anti-wrinkle treatment, Profhilo, or chemical peels – it’s tempting to search the term “aesthetics before and afters” to get a good idea of what results you can expect. But there are several problems that come with that. Read on to find out more…
Perhaps you’ve been considering an aesthetic treatment for a while. You’ve done your research on what happens during said treatment. You’ve been looking around for the right practitioner for you. And now you’re thinking about what results that treatment might give you.
So, you head to Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and Google to find aesthetics before and afters. But here are several reasons why that’s not the best idea…
Often, when I see aesthetics before and afters by other clinics, I’m shocked at the difference between the lighting in the before image and the after image. In so many instances, the lighting is brighter and more flattering in the second image, giving the impression that the result is much better than it actually is.
The same can be said for camera angles. In the before image, the angle of the patient’s face is so often different to the after picture, meaning it’s impossible to get a true indication of how exactly the patient now looks.
As well as camera angles and lighting, another issue I often see when looking at online aesthetics before and afters is that very often, in the before image, the patient has absolutely no make-up on at all (we generally need patients to be make-up free for their treatment). But then, in the after photo, they’re wearing a lot of make-up, which, of course, emphasises their beauty further, making it difficult for the untrained eye to see what’s down to the treatment and what’s the result of the make-up.
Not only this, but some aesthetics before and afters also appear to be airbrushed, which completely goes against what we should be doing in the aesthetics industry and which leads to disappointment and mistrust.
While the issues above are concerning, the most concerning problem for me, when it comes to aesthetics before and afters, is unrealistic expectations. We are all different. Some with dry skin, some with oily skin, some with youthful skin, some with more mature skin, some with deep set wrinkles, some with fine lines, some with deeper eye troughs, some with less collagen.
So, it’s really difficult – based solely on a photo – to gauge whether a treatment is right for you and whether it will give you those same results that you see online. I’ve spoken to many people who had previously seen aesthetics before and after images and expected to have exactly the same results as the person in the photo. But that’s just not possible. From skin to bone structure, we’re all unique, so we can’t be compared so simply to someone else without taking a whole lot of factors into consideration.
For instance, if you’re a fifty-year-old woman, and you see a photo of a twenty-year-old woman who’s had a chemical peel, and you like those results, things to consider are: my skin is no longer as plump as hers, I have more lines and wrinkles than her, I might have a different skin type (i.e. oily, dry…).
I completely understand that people want to look at aesthetics before and afters. Of course! But the most important thing for me is that you manage your expectations when looking at aesthetics before and afters, as by thinking that you’ll get exactly the same results will often lead to disappointment and sometimes regret.
It may be the case that the treatment in the before and after is not actually the treatment that would give you the best results, and that there’s another one that would give you exactly the results you’re looking for.
Coming from a medical background, I’ve always been a believer that the patients that come to my clinic deserve their privacy. For that reason, I don’t post images of them on my social media or anywhere else. Many people come to me not wanting others to know that they get treatments, and that’s their prerogative, so the last thing I’m going to do is take before and after images of them to publish online. Their time at Craig Hobson Aesthetics is about them feeling good, not about me marketing my services.
However, if someone comes in specifically for a modelling session, where they have received the treatment for free, and the session is for marketing purposes, I do use those aesthetics before and after images online. But I always make it very clear that this was a modelling session. I do also have a portfolio of before and afters that I share in clinic. This allows me to explain what treatments have been done, and what you can expect if you try it for yourself.
So, by all means, take a look around at online aesthetics before and afters, but always keep in mind that they A) may have been tampered with, B) might not be accurate due to lighting, camera angles and make-up, C) the person in the images has different skin and features to you, meaning the results won’t be exactly the same on you.
The best possible thing you can do is to book a consultation, where you can discuss your skin concerns. I can then advise you on which treatment is right for you, and what types of results you can expect.
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