Getting lip filler is becoming as common as swiping red lipstick, as more women and men splurge on appearance-enhancing cosmetic procedures in the Covid era, doctors say
Wellington-based GP Leanne Ashley said the past 18 months had been the busiest in her 15 years of practising cosmetic medicine.
“When I first started, cosmetic medicine was very ‘hush hush’ but I think social media has been a major driver in normalising it,” Ashley said.
Since moving out of Level 3 about a month ago, she has been seeing at least three new clients a week, with bookings from men increasing too.
“Women are the majority of my clients but definitely a bigger increase in males. People are just wanting to invest a little bit in themselves. Even if it’s basic skincare stuff like sunscreen, more people are thinking about their appearance and their health."
“I think a part of it is also the lipstick phenomenon - when women wore red lipstick to make themselves feel better in bad economic times.”
Last year, lockdowns and mask wearing somewhat threw off the “lipstick index”, a term coined by cosmetic conglomerate Estée Lauder chairman Leonard Lauder to describe the inverse correlation of cosmetics sales, lipsticks in particular, to economic health.
It was speculated that lipstick sales were soaring amid the early 2000s dot-com bubble recession because women used the makeup product as a substitute for expensive purchases to feel better.
Estée Lauder’s global sales fell slightly last year from US$14.86 billion to US$14.29b, as people stayed indoors and wore face masks. But this year, sales shot back up to US$16.2b as restrictions eased and people returned to work.
Auckland cosmetic doctor Dr Sarah Hart said forced savings from cancelled travel plans also gave people more disposable income to spend on themselves.
“When people are unable to spend their money on their overseas holidays, they’ve been spending it on things like renovating their house because they’re spending so much time there. And if they can’t do their kitchen or bathroom, they might do up their face,” Hart said.
“Zoom is a perfect storm for exaggerating things. The lighting is usually harsh, the camera is angled directly above, which exaggerates our jowls." – Dr Sarah Hart, cosmetic doctor
Before the August lockdown she was fully booked out until Christmas. Treatments like botox and dermal fillers were popular and could cost between $300 to $930 per syringe, lasting for several months to a couple of years depending on the treatment.
Hart said another reason behind the growing popularity of cosmetic procedures during the pandemic was the “Zoom boom”.
“It's the older people who've not worked online before, they’re not so into the selfie culture, don’t post on social media but are now seeing themselves a lot more online. They've just not been exposed to seeing their own face in the same way.
“Zoom is a perfect storm for exaggerating things. The lighting is usually harsh, the camera is angled directly above, which exaggerates our jowls."
Hart, who is also NZ Society of Cosmetic Medicine censor, said the industry body was meeting with the Covid Response Committee to formulate protocols that would enable cosmetic doctors to operate under the current Level 3 staged conditions.
“There is scant information about what’s going to be allowed at those two steps down. We know the last step down allows hairdressers to operate with just the mask.
“But a double vaccinated medical practitioner, in an n95 respirator mask, potentially with access to rapid antigen testing, may well be able to treat much more safely than a hairdresser with a basic mask.”
Caci Clinic franchising and operations general manager Penny Chapman said since we locked down in August, 34 of the 64 nationwide clinics were closed due to ongoing restrictions.
Some customers had cancelled or suspended their memberships as the lockdown extended in Auckland, but none of the clinics had closed permanently due to the financial impact, Chapman said.
“The longer lockdown goes on, you know, there is that element of worry and people feel weary, because it's a little bit unknown. The phasing in Level 3 hasn't been entirely clear for what that looks like for us,” Chapman said.
Chapman said before the most recent lockdown, a number of Caci Clinics across the country had their best years in the history of the company.
Auckland clinics were still receiving a “large amount” of inquiries from new customers. In Level 3, Auckland clinics were offering virtual consultations and operating through click and collect services to buy at-home treatments and skincare products. But selling products did not make up for the loss in revenue from the various services being unavailable.
Caci Clinic expects to be able to trade in phase three of Level 3 as this was similar to Level 2 restrictions.
None of the clinics had permanently closed due to financial reasons, Chapman said.
Outside of Auckland, clinics had done better than last year, and Chapman expected the same from the clinics in the biggest city once restriction eased.
She said customers were very much still interested in anti-wrinkle treatments, particularly botox and dermal fillers as well as lip injections.
“If there’s a little bit of swelling or bruising while customers recover they can hide it behind their masks.”
She said skincare and texture-improving treatments were also popular.
With the period leading up to Christmas typically being a busy time for cosmetic procedures, Chapman said this trend was likely to continue for some time.
"The early signs for us are not showing any slowing down of what's happening in this market and we're hearing the same from our overseas suppliers into the markets that we track overseas. We're not seeing this growth or this pattern of our business starting to change; at this point we remain very optimistic around what people like to do for themselves and how they do like to take care of themselves. And there's often a real genuine deep reason that people are wanting to have these types of treatments.
"I think it's always been around, it's just that we make this actually more accessible and more affordable for people these days."
