27 yo David Kosir has made the news recently, who began with medical aesthetics in 2019, going for an exaggerated Ken doll look, only to discover recently he didn’t like it and ended up dissolving it.

In 3 years, between 2019 and 2022 he had a plethora of procedures including multiple rounds of plastic surgery, hair transplant & ~30 mls of filler (similar to what @alicehartdavis had in about 20 yrs from her 40s until age 59, for reference)

He spent $22500 on ~ 30mls filler alone in 3 yrs to a total bill of $10000 including plastic surgery.

For reference for my most worn/older patients who need volume, crucial for restoration of the ageing face, I might suggest 10-12mls over several months in the first year then we maintain with 1-2mls as and when needed every year or two.

In a younger person, 3-4mls will get you a plenty by way of results that are entirely natural and invisible, which should always be the aim of aesthetics done well.

Questionable ethics of his clinicians aside, this is what can happen when patients design their own aesthetics whether out of boredom & wanting change, or fear, insecurity around what we see in the mirror- you end up spending far more to look worse, only to then spend more to dissolve it, with potential risks and side effects.

So why not begin by paying someone, whose face and approach you like, to guide you, devise a plan for you to execute with clear milestones - yes it’s expensive initially but so is having to dissolve it because you had no plan and YOLOed it. In many of the cases we see and hear about in the media, patients ordered treatments as and when they felt like it, off a menu, only to then end up with unexpected side effects, undesirable results or worse, medical complications. It's a false economy that ends up costing you far more than if you'd simply picked a doctor you trusted, worked out a plan, and committed - much like orthodontics; or a fitness program. We don't get beautiful teeth or fitter by going as and when we feel like it, without a structured program, patience and commitment to the process.

In large part, this is also why I screen for patients who don’t want a plan &/or aren’t prepared to follow it. We all have a blindspot when it comes to our problems & need guidance by someone with experience for good results and to know what is required of us. It must begin with that, we cannot both be in charge.

In 2023, I'd like us to get realistic about the fact that medical aesthetics is medical & you need a professional to guide you including telling you when to stop.

At Skin Essentials, that means one clinic, everything on file, a personalised plan customised to you and accountability for best chance of results - errors are often far more expensive to undo than good work built upon a solid foundation.