In aesthetic medicine, let's not rely too much on deflation

Comparisons of “before and after” photos, sensational headlines claiming deflation and rejuvenation, speculation on the latest aesthetic medicine trends, procedures, and transformations—all revolving around celebrity faces. Recently, this buzz on social media has focused on stars like Lindsay Lohan (who some users and magazines claim “has found her old face again”), Adriana Lima, who just returned to the Victoria’s Secret runway, and Christina Aguilera, who recently underwent significant weight loss and what some call a “general rejuvenation.” Is this a new trend that looks to the past, removing the excesses of Botox from past years? As always, it’s not that simple. We asked Dr. Giulio Borbon to help clarify these points for us.

No “deflation” here, according to Dr. Borbon

“The term ‘deflation’ is clickbait. It sends the wrong message, suggesting you can simply undo a procedure. That’s not how it works,” he begins categorically. To clarify: “Typically, ‘deflation’ refers to dissolving fillers, which is never a simple procedure and involves many risks. Things don’t always revert as they were. While fillers can be dissolved, anatomical structural changes are not always reversible. For instance, with lips, the muscle contracts, and the area experiences stress. It’s not as straightforward as simple subtraction.”

A new trend seeks normalization and harmony

“Aesthetic medicine has gone through various phases. In the past, injection techniques often led to over-injections, especially with hyaluronic acid. The celebrities we’re discussing didn’t just dissolve filler. They likely followed it with multiple surgical procedures, like facelifts and lipofilling.” When asked if he thinks this return to a “faux natural” look is a trend, he answers clearly: “I hope the new trend is doing things harmoniously from the start. There’s a lot more awareness now. Aesthetic medicine has been significant for years now, and both patients and doctors are more conscious about it. Linked to this is the trend of ‘correcting’ all the past excesses. This correction has itself become a trend, a market segment, but it’s one that must be approached cautiously, as it’s essentially about managing the consequences and complications. There is a trend toward re-normalizing, restoring harmony that had previously been disrupted.”

But watch the message being sent

“I’d like to prevent the message that deflation or reversal is something you can just do and it’ll all be back to normal. It’s not. It’s like tattoos. If you get a tattoo on your face, removing it won’t mean everything goes always back to how it was. The same applies to the term ‘rejuvenation,’ especially with celebrities. These people age like everyone else, we just don’t see it except in photos, so we’re not aware of it. No one has truly been rejuvenated; they’ve at best been harmonized through aesthetic medicine. That’s why these concepts are dangerous to promote.” So let’s heed Dr. Giulio Borbon’s words and put on our critical lenses when approaching these topics.