Celebrity plastic surgeon reveals frightening new trend

We all love to play around with a cute cat filter, or a puppy face or two on social media, but would you consider making it a permanent look?

The idea may sound bizarre, but celebrity plastic surgeon Dr Paul Nassif says filters on social media have changed plastic surgery procedures and not necessarily for the better.

In Sydney to promote his new skincare range as|if by Nassif sold on TVSN, the iconic surgeon best known for his role in hit series Botched, told Yahoo Lifestyle there’s a worrying new trend on the scene.

Dr Nassif says that plastic surgery has never before been as widely accepted as today thanks to social media, but that the online platforms come with a darker side that has certain professionals concerned.

“Plastic surgery has become more of a social media craze,” he tells Yahoo Lifestyle. “People like showing off what they’ve had done, so it’s become more visible and more accepted.”

‘Selfie-dysmorphia’ is driving a spike in surgery

He says the flip side to this is people now base their desired looks off what they put out on social platforms, filters and all.

“Everyone now is doing what we call ‘selfie-dysmorphia’,” he says.

“Everyone takes selfies these days and filters or FaceTunes them too much, and sometimes they take that selfie-dysmorphia into the doctor’s office and say ‘I want this’.”

‘This’ being essentially a photoshopped version of themselves, or of people in general.

“I haven’t had anyone ask me for a celebrity nose maybe in two or three years. Nobody does that anymore,” he says.

Instead people are after the impossible waists, rounded buttocks, bursting lips and taut eyebrows that only really come from the wave of the Photoshop wand.

“Whether the nose is turned up too much or too small, or the eyebrows lifted up too much, or the lips too big that’s one of the negatives (of the craze),” he says.

“It’s oftentimes not appropriate or too much.”

On the other hand, the doc admits that as with most thing, in moderation it’s not all bad compared to the desire for celebrity body parts he’s seen come and go in his 20-year career.

“From a positive standpoint, people are filtering themselves, and instead of bringing in a celebrity nose, they’re bringing in their nose which is slightly filtered which looks better,” he says.

Hollywood trends for Aussies

As for what we’re getting done Down Under, Dr Nassif has some surprising news for those who thought Australia was far removed from the plump lips and immobile faces of Hollywood.

“Australia reminds me of California,” he says.

“I have a lot of patients who will Skype me from Australia and they act just like California with regards to surgical procedure, injectables and botox.”

California is, of course, famously the land of Hollywood’s rich and famous, so it looks like from Bondi to Broome Aussies are getting ready for their closeups.

Serious warnings for serious risks

He does issue a stark warning however, getting plump is all fun and games until someone gets hurt - and people have.

He says everything from rhinoplasty (nose jobs) to the new craze for Brazilian Butt Lifts (BBL) have to be done in moderation to avoid dire repercussions.

“An overdone pinched nose can lose function,” he warns. “Or a facelift pulled in the wrong direction or having too much liposuction on your body.”

He points out that BBL has had documented cases that have resulted in deaths, and that overdoing breast implants can spark a host of negative medical issues.

He says to ensure you use a trusted doctor and err on the side of caution.

The bottom line is that it’s all about taking it slow, if taking it at all.

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