What’s Up With Millennials and Plastic Surgery?

In my professional life, I write a lot — and I mean a lot — about plastic surgery. It’s just part of the job. But lately I came across an article that made me stop for a minute: the rise in popularity of plastic surgery among Millennials. Now, I’m a Millennial (I’m just barely young enough), but even though I’m on the upper edge of Millennials, I never really considered getting plastic surgery. Sure, I’ve got some wrinkles, but I never felt, well, old enough for plastic surgery.

Of course, I’m not exactly giving Millennials their due. These days, you can’t pick up a newspaper without reading about how Millennials are destroying the earth. But I’ve actually found that isn’t so true. Millennials are typically smart, savvy, and they value their time immensely. So why would they spend their time going to get Botox when they already look young? It’s not like you can ever, really, look younger than 21, right? But that hasn’t stopped thousands of teens from seeking out cosmetic procedures.

Being Smart With Time and Money

I did a little digging into this. Remember the part where I told you Millennials were smart? Well, that’s still true. In order to really make this point, we need to establish a few things. First and foremost, Millennials seem to recognize that youth is an asset. Because our society is somewhat (a lot?) shallow, youth is something of a commodity; it can help you get a job or get a raise or function better in public. In other words, it’s something that’s worth investing in.

And, as with anything else, how you invest seems to be important. Because here’s the thing about cosmetic procedures: they generally fall into two different categories. There are those designed to stave off aging (your Botox injections, your dermal fillers, and so on) and then there are those designed to change your overall appearance (nose jobs, breast augmentation, liposuction and the like). It’s important to note that Millennials who are going in for the latter — the appearance altering procedures — are largely choosing non surgical alternatives such as CoolSculpting or Non Surgical Nose Job procedures.

The Wisdom of Savoring Youth

This is really smart on the part of Millennials. Generally, when you’re young, you don’t need a ton of work done — you need a little bit here and there to feel comfortable in your own body. (Or more comfortable, whichever the case may be.) So rather than spending tens of thousands of dollars on each procedure, Millennials are able to get excellent results at a far more affordable price.

Now, when it comes to procedures designed to mitigate the appearance of aging, Millennials are also pretty smart. There’s some evidence out there that suggests injections of Botox or dermal fillers before wrinkles appear can actually prevent those wrinkles in the first place. And this is a really smart thing to do. Botox is significantly less expensive (and time consuming) than a surgical facelift; and if you can prevent the need for a facelift by getting Botox a bit early, it’s a good idea.

We All Age… Eventually

That said, we all end up aging. We will all end up with wrinkles. But it’s hard to blame Millennials for protecting one of those things that society at large seems to covet: youth. For sure, plastic surgery and cosmetic procedures are not for everyone. But for those with an interest in changing their appearance, following the path of Millennials can be a way to ensure that you get great results in a smart and efficient way.

So when people now talk about Millennials getting plastic surgery (or cosmetic procedures), I’m a little less taken aback by the idea. As I said, it’s definitely hard to blame them for that.