Whilst Britain complains of an economic downturn, there is one industry that is defying the odds and raking in the cash and customers. The beauty industry has seen a huge growth spurt over the last few years, with brands seeing a 27% rise in sales and customers flashing the cash for the best products. With reports suggesting that the average Londoner spends around £60 per trip to their salon, are we taking beauty too far? And what are the costs of being flawless?
Invasive treatments
While applying makeup might seem like a minor effort to achieve beauty, many of us are opting for more dramatic results, seeking out nips, tucks, injections and fillers to get that instagrammable look. In an age of perfectionism, people are taking beauty a step further and undergoing more invasive procedures, including dermal fillers, fat transfers and tanning injections. Although this might have you looking picture perfect, these procedures don’t always go to plan and you could be left with an uneven face, a bad reaction to fillers and even a botched job. Not only can this be painful, but it can leave you feeling emotionally drained and filled with regret, so it is important to consider your procedure options wisely before embarking on a ‘new you’.
Fuzz-free
With more permanent methods now available to aid with the removal of facial and body hair, laser treatments are rising in popularity. With this treatment, pulses of light are directed at the hair follicles, causing them to die. This not only lengthens the period of time before the hairs regrow, but can reduce the amount of regrowth too. For some people, it can stop the growth all together. However, despite sounding like the ideal treatment, there are potential risks from improper use of the laser, faulty equipment or a skin reaction to the treatment.
Brand uncertainty
In an age of beauty crazed social media accounts and high end beauty products, more and more beauty brands are entering this crowded arena, trying to get their slice of this lucrative cake. But with so many brands about, how do you know exactly which ones to trust? In particular, people are now drawn to large clothing retailers that have started their own makeup lines. They have jumped on the bandwagon, presenting entire beauty ranges to loyal customers overnight. For example, Boohoo, ASOS and Topshop are all offering beauty products, bringing a new offering to their fashion mix and enticing customers to spend more.
However, just because a clothing brand is reputable does not necessarily mean they automatically provide high quality makeup choices and it important to be aware of the ingredients and formulas. Whilst long-standing brands may have invested heavily in R&D for their products, popular clothing retailers are not focussed solely on makeup products, posing the risk of lower quality products. They may have followed basic health and safety guidelines, but it is important to be wary of the effects this makeup has on your skin, being cautious when applying items bought from large retailers. If you have an allergic reaction or experience redness, it may be time to ditch these brands and stick to tried and tested formulas.
Far away treatments
Beauty treatments are renowned for being a little pricey with one session of Botox costing around £350 and bum lifts costing up to £6,600. Whilst your face might be wrinkle free and your bottom perky, your wallet will certainly be slimmer and this is why many people opt to go abroad, with overseas treatments costing a fraction of the price. The temptation of low-cost flights, lower treatment prices and a warmer climate can sway eager customers to venture elsewhere. Whilst surgery and treatments carry risks wherever you choose, overseas procedures can bring additional complications. One of the key pieces of advice given by experts is to get to know the surgeon and their work before going ahead and this can be difficult when you’re dealing with a practitioner a four hour flight away. You can end up getting work done with someone you feel uncomfortable around, making the process more daunting. In addition, be wary of surgeons who operate through sales people as experts warn they may be offering less than satisfactory services.
Additionally, opting to go overseas can leave you with minimal aftercare, with follow-up appointments posing difficulties when you are thousands of miles away. Moreover, hotel costs can soon rack up if you need to stay for longer in the event of complications.
Price wars
With more and more beauty treatments hitting the high street salons, it can often be difficult to determine how skilled and experienced a beautician is in a particular treatment. Seeking reviews and recommendations is one of the safest ways to ensure that you are putting your trust in the hands of a suitably experienced and qualified beautician. Unfortunately it isn’t uncommon for under qualified beauty therapists or backstreet beauty salons to be careless in their work and it may be harder to claim compensation from them if you were to suffer an injury according to LegalExpert.co.uk.
In addition to the salon or clinic providing the treatment, it is also crucial to carefully research the procedure itself before getting anything done, making sure you are aware of any risks involved. Try not to rely simply on the marketing collateral provided by the brand, as this is likely to be biased. Seeking out independent reviews and information regarding the product, brands, ingredients used etc can help to you to make a fully educated decision before taking the plunge.
Additionally, it is not always a good idea to go for the cheapest option, however tempting it may seem. Many of the latest treatments are relatively expensive and this is often a reflection of the quality products used, relative insurances and training that the beautician has undertaken. If you see an offer than seems to be well below the average price offered by other salons or beauticians, be wary of the reasons why this may be the case. As the saying goes, there is no such thing as a free lunch.
