Should you Consider Having A Non-Surgical Procedure For Your Wedding?
While studying my face, a boyfriend once pointed out to me a ‘cute little scar’ across the bridge of my nose. That ‘cute scar’ creeping across my skin was a wrinkle that became more noticeable as the birthdays raced by. It’s part of my life lines and I’m happy to keep slapping on the skin creams to, hopefully, slow down wear and tear. For many women this isn’t enough as they go to greater lengths to keep looking younger.
Procedures are readily available
Weddings are often why women undergo non-surgical procedures. The goal is to be a blushing bride, not a frowning one, and look picture-perfect on the big day.
Having a non-surgical procedure is so easily available that women can slip out during their lunch break and have it done. Many see it as no more serious than getting their hair coloured or nails gelled. Non-surgical facial procedures include muscle-relaxant injections, dermal fillers, chemical peels, laser rejuvenating treatments, thermage and various medical facials.
The area that raises most concern is dermal facial fillers. While muscle-relaxant injections such as Botox can only be given by a licensed health professional since it’s a prescription-only medicine, dermal facial fillers, on the other hand, can be administered by anyone and, at the moment, are unregulated in the UK.
A more youthful effect
Botox and dermal facial fillers are different ways of treating facial wrinkles. For examples, Botox is often used on forehead lines, crows’ feet and frown lines. Botox blocks signals from the nerves to the muscles: the injected muscle is temporarily paralysed and can no longer contract, which causes the wrinkles to relax and soften. Fillers add volume to ageing skin, giving a plumper, more youthful effect. They are used to plump thin lips, fill out hollows under the eyes, and add volume and smooth out creases running from the nose to the mouth.
Experts are becoming increasingly concerned that people can set themselves up to do facial aesthetics with little or no training. If anything goes wrong those carrying out the treatment don’t have to answer to anyone.
As well as having salon treatments, women are buying DIY filler on the internet, having it done at home or going to ‘filler parties’. The internet is awash with cut-price offers and voucher schemes, and there was even a recent posting by someone asking to share a filler injection for a discount price, despite the hygiene issue!
Concerns over unregulated practitioners
The main concerns are that unregulated practitioners don’t ask for a patient’s medical history or warn of the risks involved. It’s also questionable whether people give proper consent if the procedure is carried out at a ‘filler party’ especially if alcohol is served. Qualified aesthetic practitioners are now seeing an increase in medical problems – and having to put them right – as a result of the DIY dermal filler treatments and procedures carried out by untrained and unregulated individuals.
The advice is that before having a non-surgical procedure such as dermal facial filler, women should find out how long someone has been doing it and check their registration, training and background.
Safety guidelines
The British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons’ consumer safety guidelines are to:
- get unbiased information;
- find out the associated risks and benefits;
- don’t be talked into anything;
- know that no procedure – whether surgical or non-surgical – is 100% risk-free;
- make sure that you’re comfortable with the person/organisation you have chosen to do the work.
If you are still set on ironing out those wrinkles and not walking down the aisle with warts and all, find an accredited practitioner and – depending on the procedure – build in enough time before the wedding to allow any bruising, redness and swelling to disappear.