Filters on phone apps linked to rise in body dysmorphia

There is concern that facial filters on phone apps are leading to a rise in body dysmorphia in young people.

A recent survey claims that half of 18-35 year olds seeking cosmetic surgery want to look more like their digital selves and there are calls for social media influencers to be more honest about when they use them. 

Jessica Stagg, owner of Essential Beauty and Aesthetics in Weston-super-Mare, is growing wary that some customers are wanting to try and replicate a digital image of perfection in reality.

She said: "We do get clients that come in that show us pictures or show us themselves in different lighting with different filters.

"It's our job as beauty specialists to educate them on realistic expectations. A lot of these filters are completely altering someone's face.

"People are also comparing themselves to other people's filtered pictures and we want to encourage them to enhance their natural selves rather than trying to be someone that they're not."

Chad Texeiria told ITV News he spent thousands of pounds on weight loss surgery to pursue his filtered idea of perfection: "I feel there's so much pressure both on young people or people who use social media constantly.

"And there's so much influence on social media of what is the perfect body and what is the right way to look.

"It was mostly influenced by social media, by the fact that people are doing all that to try look and feel a certain way and they literally drove me to risking my life for the perfect body."

Cosmetic doctor Tijon Esho thinks filters have drastically shifted expectations and standards of beauty.

He told ITV News: "The shift came when I saw people bringing in filtered versions of themselves and saying, 'can I look like this photo exactly like this photo', wanting these enlarged eyes and over chiseled jaw lines.

"That showed me that maybe these filters, which are seen as fun, are actually causing a form of body dysmorphia, and therefore setting a standard of beauty that isn't achievable."

A spokesperson for Instagram, an app where many of these filters are used, said: "We ban any effects which directly promote cosmetic surgery procedures and are constantly adapting policies to better ensure the safety of users."