Revealed: Cosmetic procedure guidance for young adults, parents & mature adults

New advice about how to feel good in our own skin and how to make informed decisions about cosmetic treatments is being launched by the Mental Health Foundation (MHF), supported by the British Beauty Council and the Joint Council for Cosmetic Practitioners (JCCP).

This advice has been created with three different life stages in mind, all of which can come with concerns about body image: young adults, parenting and mature adults. It includes recognising unrealistic body images on social media, taking regular breaks from social media, checking the facts first before deciding on treatments, and building a positive feedback loop between you and your family and friends.

For young adults there is a selection of strategies and personal stories about how to maintain a healthy body image despite social and commercial pressures, and making informed decisions about cosmetic treatments.

Young people especially have said that lockdown has intensified their body image concerns, spiking a rise in non-surgical cosmetic treatments, plus marketing of products and services such as dermal fillers and Botox injections is increasingly targeting younger audiences through social media.

For parents the advice includes raising awareness of how parenting and other influences can impact children and young people’s developing body image.

For mature adults the guidance highlights the most common influences on body image in adulthood, sharing tips for maintaining a healthy body image, and addressing safety and informed choices if someone is seeking cosmetic treatments.

Katrina Jenkins, targeted programmes manager at MHF comments, “Body image is so closely linked to our mental health. Social media, peers and family can all impact how we feel about ourselves, and the image we have of our own bodies.

“Making informed choices is central to our wellbeing, and this is also true for decisions about our bodies, which are unique to us and our individual needs. Asking the right questions and being informed means we can be protected against predatory marketing and make decisions that support our safety and mental health in the long run.”

The MHF and the JCCP believe that everyone who seeks cosmetic procedures should be provided with accurate information which gives the person a choice, and increases awareness of how these procedures interact with their mental health.

Professor David Sines CBE, Chair of the JCCP adds, “The JCCP is committed to enhancing and strengthening public protection, but acknowledges that at the present time what has been lacking are clear, transparent and easily understood guides to assist younger people, parents and adults to make informed, risk-assessed choices about the aesthetics treatments that best meet their personal needs and expectations.”

“The Council considers that further informed understanding of the benefits and risks associated with the administration of such procedures is required if we are to better protect members of the public.”