Hart explains how trends have changed over time. Photo / 123rf
Hart explains how trends have changed over time. Photo / 123rf
Lip flips, buccal fat removal, and baby botox are all in a minute’s scrolling on social media these days.
Whether it’s on your favourite celebrity, colleague, or even your own mother, the latest cosmetic procedures have become the topic du jour for many Sunday brunches.
Sarah Hart, an Auckland-based cosmetic medicine doctor has seen beauty trends come and go for decades.
A veteran behind a botox needle, Hart knows all too well just how fast fads can change, leaving many stuck with last season’s face.
Speaking to the Herald’s In the Loop podcast, she said both the types of procedures she offers and who is after them have changed over time.
“The amount of options that you have, have exploded. When I first was doing it in those early days we had two different fillers and that was it. Now we would have probably 60 to choose from.”
Cosmetic medicine expert Dr Sarah Hart warns that too much Botox at a young age can have an ageing effect. Photo / Supplied
In those days, she said the filler was “a stiff one”, whereas now the products are a “lot better” for the looks people want to achieve.
While there have been advancements, Hart was surprised by the move to more “unnatural” looks again.
“I didn’t kind of imagine this is where we would be in 20 years, I thought we would be really, really super good at making it look really natural.”
She explains her theory on what is driving people to want a more unnatural look, how she navigates helping patients with body dysmorphia and those who want work done that may not be the best look.
“I try to explain to people when they’re coming in and asking for stuff that’s not going to look good when they move, it’s a little bit like make-up on stage versus make-up face to face. So when you’re using stage make-up it’s very, very obvious and it can look fine on stage or in a photo, but you go up close to someone and you’d want to scratch your nails through it. And I say to them it’s the same with very obvious filler.
Hart also discusses her journey from psychiatry into cosmetic medicine, the impact of social media, and what she really recommends to her clients.
