Show your face.
Beauty.
Sought after. Revered. Respected. Earned. Desired. Natural. Enhanced.
Cosmetic procedures.
Sought after. Revered. Respected. Earned. Desired. Natural. Enhanced.
The same adjectives can be used to describe both themes, yet conversations among those who receive cosmetic treatments are still a whisper.
Why is that? An unfortunate trend exists today that to receive a cosmetic treatment is synonymous with vanity, self indulgence and even shame. Men and women feel it necessary to keep whatever treatments they receive to themselves for fear of judgement by others who see cosmetic enhancement procedures as unnecessary, wasteful and self indulgent. This is so contrary to the joy and happiness I am privileged to witness every day when a patient gets the opportunity to enhance their appearance, relax a frown line, plump their lips, get rid of a double chin, reduce the amount of underarm sweating, correct a crooked nose…..the list goes on and on. These patients invest their hard earned money in a safe and effective treatment that improves their self confidence, elevates their self esteem and leaves them feeling satisfied that they’ve made an investment in themselves without harming anyone else.
Now, some may call that vanity or self indulgence, but I wonder if any of those who hold that view colour their hair? Manicure their nails? Use tooth whitening toothpaste? Own a designer handbag? Dab their wrists with a bit of perfume? Where do we draw the line between doing something that makes us feel good or happy and self indulgence? And, more importantly, if something makes us happy why does there have to be a line at all?
I feel a change needs to take place. We need to start embracing our self image and talk freely about the treatments we receive, however minimal or invasive. Fear of judgement should not be an issue. A normal conversation should be had about what we do to maintain our natural beauty or enhance it, what treatments leave us feeling refreshed and there should be no associated guilt, shame or judgement. Being unkind, unsupportive and judgmental toward someone who chooses to undergo cosmetic procedures is something to feel guilty about.
I encourage my patients to talk about their treatments and own their ability to take charge of their own individual beauty regimens. In this era of social media overload I would like to see more people posting photos of themselves before, during or after cosmetic treatments. If we can hashtag our location, our designer labels, the meal we’re consuming, the shoes on our feet, our current mood or the theme of the day then why can’t we hashtag the #botox that relaxed our frown lines, or the little bit of #Juvederm we used to create a slight pout in our lips, or the #microneedling that gave our skin a lovely glow? Or a shout out to #drpavlou for listening to your needs and giving you the natural results you were looking for?
Come on, you can do it. You deserve it. You were beautiful before your treatment and you are beautiful after. In fact, for the month of August I will be giving $50 gift cards to any patient who embraces their treatments and posts a picture to Instagram with the hashtag #showyourfaceYVR and tags @drpavlou.
Show your face, you’re gorgeous .
Book a complimentary consultation with Dr. Pavlou today.