Lip injections, rhinoplasty, labiaplasty… plastic surgery is increasingly popular in Canada, especially among social media influencers. According to experts, a worrisome phenomenon begs for better monitoring of not only the influencers but also the practice itself.
For more than 30% of the requests I have, I will not plan an intervention, but rather an education
Dr. Genevieve F., a plastic surgeon at Clinic Evolution in Montreal. Caron immediately confirmed.
Social media definitely has an impact on customers as we can see drastic changes. This is what attracts people: they think they can change their entire physique to look like their favorite influencer with surgery.
She explains.
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On social networks, especially Tiktok and Instagram, it is not uncommon to see influencers openly talking about their plastic surgeries to their tens of thousands of subscribers. Sometimes they are even asked to give their doctor’s name and answer questions from the audience.
According to psychologist Geneviève Beaulieu-Pelletier, these videos have great potential to influence because they are created in a secretive tone. This, he says, is promotion in disguise that is proving dangerous for youth development.
Influencers will propose new standards. This is good for well-being and happiness, and this is the body image I want to see. Then, I look at myself, I compare myself, I see that I am different, so it influences the changes that I want.
The solution, according to her, involves better supervision.
If we don’t have this support, if a lot of young people end up making these decisions, maybe they’ll regret it later or that it won’t bring them anything. [le bienfait espéré]Or one surgery after another… this is what should be avoided
Ms. Beaulieu-Pelletier is also an associate professor at the University of Quebec in Montreal.
Cosmetic surgery in Quebec is becoming increasingly popular with social media influencers.
Photo: Radio-Canada
Should we legislate?
France was one of the first countries in the world to legislate to hold influencers accountable. Since last summer, a law has banned them from promoting actions with aesthetic intent – including surgery – under penalty of two years in prison or a hefty fine.
In Canada, competition law does not prevent this observation from being promoted, but influencers must declare their affiliation with a company. According to the College of Physicians, it prohibits surgeons from offering free services to influencers in exchange for views.
For Pierre Trudel, a lawyer and professor emeritus at the University of Montreal, the law needs to be tightened, as it is in France.
For decades, some promotional activities and some advertising have been implicated as harmful. That’s why for a long time, we’ve been restricting the advertising of certain products, such as medicines.
He explains.
In Quebec, public health says it is concerned about the effects of social networks on self-esteem.
Photo: Radio-Canada
However, for Dr. Caron, the solution must come through education, not legislation.
[Il faut] Be open about long-term consequences [de la chirurgie plastique]. To do this, it is better to move forward in small steps, better education for people. Let’s go further like this rather than impose strict restrictions
she says.
For its part, the Quebec Ministry of Health is concerned about the effects of social networks on self-esteem. So she implemented the Quebec strategy on the use of screens, promising to promote positive body image in schools and better inform parents about the effects of social networks.
Ms. Beaulieu-Pelletier believes that this awareness-raising exercise among young people is becoming essential today. This is an important event because access is very easy and the message is repeated on a daily basis. [sur les réseaux sociaux]. There is a lot of energy, investment and promotion aimed at young people.
Young people remember this psychologist In the process of identity construction
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With information from Charlotte Dumoulin
