Many influencers such as Molly Mae Hague have recently begun reversing the effects of their cosmetic surgery, and dissolving fillers for a more natural look has become increasingly popular over the past few months.

While women are constantly under pressure to keep up with trends and certain beauty ideals, we wanted to discuss this with those that have personally experienced the pressures surrounding cosmetic procedures.

We have interviewed three influencers to discuss topics such as body image, self-love and how they felt about their own journeys, as well as touching on things such as why they felt they have now decided to dissolve their fillers or reverse their work, and what advice they would give to a younger audience.

Meg Feather

INSTAGRAM

YOUTUBE

[Link to video about experience - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgV_M5esqis]

Instagram and YouTube influencer Meg Feather has over a quarter of a million followers and has had her own personal struggles when it comes to self-love. However, thanks to support from family and friends, as well as other inspirational influencers, she has grown to love her body and image just the way it is. Here, she shares the insight into her journey, and how she wishes she had researched more into cosmetic procedures and waited until she was older to commit to having them.

Have you ever struggled with self-image? Tell us a little bit about your journey with this.

Yes! I have struggled with self-image just like everyone has, especially growing up as a teenager around the ages of 12/13/14 my social anxiety was awful. I didn’t ever take my hand away from my face, everywhere I went I covered my face and backcombed my hair really big just to hide under.

I used to edit my pictures so badly because of how insecure I was, growing a platform as well when I was still not confident at all really didn’t help, but I soon grew a much thicker skin from it. I’ve come a very long way and I’m very proud of myself, with a lot of help from my friends, family and all of my followers I was able to start loving myself again.

Who do you find inspiring in terms of body confidence and self-love?

I absolutely love @_nelly_london on Instagram, she is so amazing, whenever she pops up on my feed she makes me smile! @imnotbunny on TikTok also makes me feel so confident and really makes me want to inspire everyone else to feel the way she makes me feel!

Anyone really who embraces who they are and ignores society’s stupid rules on how our bodies should look inspires me.

What do you feel encouraged you to want your first cosmetic procedure?

I have wanted to get lip filler since before I can remember. I saw everyone who always had these beautiful plump smooth lips and I think that’s just where it came from and how I was feeling in myself at the time I thought it would solve all my confidence issues, and I really just wanted to do it for myself. I think that’s a good enough reason for anyone to get anything done, if you think it will help you feel better then doing it for yourself isn’t ever a bad reason to get a procedure done.

How old were you when you first considered having a cosmetic procedure?

I remember being around 12 wanting to get lip filler, I don’t think I wanted anything else at that time, just my lips, but I think that’s probably the age I started thinking about it.

Do you feel that you regret any of your procedures, or wish you had waited?

I don’t regret anything as such, because I did it for myself, and at the time it made me feel a lot better about myself. I think anyone has a right to do whatever they think is good for them regardless if they will regret it in the future, what I do regret is going to the first person I saw because my lips were messed up! I wish I waited just a bit longer to go to someone who could’ve done them well from the start!

Now that you have had some of your procedures reversed, what drove you to make this decision?

The main reason I got my lip filler removed was because I didn’t like the style and the way they looked anymore, and also there were lumps and things wrong with the filler as I went to a bad practitioner.

I felt like they didn’t fit my face, they were way too big and way too ‘fake’ looking. There is nothing wrong with that style at all. I just grew out of it, wanted them to be more natural and get rid of the issues I personally had with the filler.

What advice would you give to your younger self pre-cosmetic procedure? Or what would you suggest to a younger audience who may be wanting to follow certain cosmetic trends?

The advice I would give my younger self before the filler is, wait and find someone good! If you’re going to do it, do it right! Don’t go for the cheaper option, the closer option, find someone who you really trust and whose work you love!

I’d also tell her that she’s beautiful, no one can tell her what to do with her own body and if she wants to get something done, then do it, just be more careful! And that she doesn’t need to hide behind anything, and she can just be herself and everyone will love her the same regardless.

To a younger audience I would say, do what YOU want to do, don’t do it because everyone else is doing it because trends change all the time, so it’s easier to just be you, and anyone who doesn’t like it doesn’t deserve to be in your life anyway!

Are there any things you wish you’d have considered before having a procedure? What is the main thing you have learnt?

The main thing I have learnt from all this is, have no regrets, be yourself whatever that may mean, do what YOU want to do, get filler, don’t get filler, get surgery, don’t get surgery, just make sure you are careful and go to someone who is properly trained and whose work you actually like!

Do whatever is going to make you feel like the most confident, happiest version of yourself, and don’t let ANYONE comment on it, because it’s your life!

Kelsey Alfred

YOUTUBE

[Link to video about experience - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1vj3uPbbEM]

Kelsey is a makeup and fashion YouTuber that regularly shares insightful makeup tips and outfit inspiration to her thousands of followers.

Kelsey has previously had cosmetic procedures such as lip fillers and in this interview, she shares with us how she suffered from migrated filler and what she personally learnt from her experience. She also believes that if you feel strongly enough about changing something to do with your appearance then you should do it, however, she highlights the importance of researching the procedure beforehand and choosing a reputable practitioner.

What would you advise someone considering a cosmetic procedure at a young age?

If you are seeking a cosmetic procedure, and you are above the age of consent, I think you have every right to seek information, and consultation about the procedure. You first need to ask yourself why you want this, make sure that you are not making the choice based on what someone else wants.

Be sure this is something you truly want, and feel will make your quality of life better, or easier, or happier. If so, then proceed with caution, do lots of research, attend many consultations, and find the right doctor/procedure for your desired result.

Do you wish you had perhaps done things differently or researched more into your procedure?

Any procedure I regretted was wholly due to doctor error or lack of matching my expectations (my expectations were reasonable). What I wish is that I waited until I could afford a more reputable doctor rather than going with a local doctor because this reduced travel costs. It is worth spending more money for a doctor who has tons of experience in your procedure, with pictures to prove it.

What led you to want to dissolve your filler?

I dissolved lip filler once because it migrated outside the lip lines, this can be due to injector technique, or lip shape. This is a slightly common potential complication that can be easily dissolved and re-done, but can be costly. There are certain types of filler that cannot be dissolved and this is something that should be heavily considered, I recommend always using dissolvable filler until you get a routine down and like the way your filler looks. (non-dissolvable filler can only be used in certain areas).

How do you feel your body-confidence has changed over the years?

I have always had great confidence. For me, the procedures I have chosen to have were to "fix" or "improve" features that I really disliked about myself, and I felt 10,000% better, happier, after those procedures.

My confidence has always been high, but resolving things that I strongly disliked made me feel much more at ease, and happier with the way I look and feel.

Caitlyn Howitt

INSTAGRAM

YOUTUBE

[Link to video about experience - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDz_fqJDn9M]

Caitlyn is a fashion and skincare lover who also creates lifestyle content for her YouTube and Instagram accounts. We caught up with Caitlyn to discuss all things body-positivity, and asked her thoughts on changing your appearance with cosmetic procedures. Here she opens up about why she personally chose to make the decisions she did, and what advice she has for others considering getting fillers.

Have you ever struggled with self-image? Tell us a little bit about your journey with this.

The first time I got my lips filled was in 2015 when I was 19 years old. I had hated my lips since the age of 14. I smiled and my top lip would vanish, which wasn't ideal for a young girl who loved makeup. I had no lips to put lipstick on! I knew from then I wanted lip fillers, but not because social media told me to, because I wanted them. I don't even think fillers were a big thing back when I was 14.

Who do you find inspiring in terms of body confidence and self-love?

I adore Molly Mae and Amber Scholl. I also love Olivia Bowen. I think they’re my all-time fave influencers for that reason. They all seem so genuine.

What do you feel encouraged you to want your first cosmetic procedure?

The lack of lip when I smiled. I hated it. People always pointed out that I smile all the time so I got the nickname the smiler. Throughout high school, I was always conscious about my lips but didn’t really tell anybody about it. I used to make subtle jokes about my lips but I suppose that’s how I dealt with it.

How old were you when you first considered having a cosmetic procedure?

I was 14 years old! Instagram and social media wasn’t even a big thing back then, or it wasn’t as intense as it is now. Geordie Shore first introduced me to fillers (yikes). It wasn't a case of seeing them and feeling like I wanted to look like them, it was a case of ‘thank you for telling me about this to fix my own insecurities’.

Do you feel that you regret any of your procedures, or wish you had waited?

I do not regret a single thing. It was probably the best decision I have ever made.

Now that you have had some of your procedures reversed, what drove you to make this decision?

The filler migrated and I had what they call a ‘homer mouth’. The filler had just moved up my face and wasn’t within the pink bit of my lips. It looked really odd but it was my own fault that it happened as I had them overfilled over the years.

What advice would you give to your younger self pre-cosmetic procedure? Or what would you suggest to a younger audience who may be wanting to follow certain cosmetic trends?

Do not get lip filler (or any filler) solely because of the images you see on social media. There are a lot of complications that can arise when getting filler and it is not something that should be rushed in to. Without the correct practitioner and knowledge/research of the whole procedure, you’re setting yourself up to fail and could potentially have horrendous complications. It’s not worth it. If you are going to get filler of any kind, please research your practitioner and make sure you are 100% happy and ready before going under the needle.

Are there any things you wish you’d have considered before having a procedure? What is the main thing you have learnt?

There actually isn't anything I can say to this, I would get my lips filled 10x over because the confidence it gives me is unmatched. All my lip filling experiences have been incredible because I did my research! I would say that the main thing I've learnt is to listen to your friends, if they tell you your lips are too big, they probably are. It’s hard to see for yourself because you can become ‘addicted’ to filler. Less is more and research before any cosmetic procedure is so important.