The normalisation of cosmetic work and the algorithmic face

The year 2025 was officially one of facelifts, reflecting the growing normalisation of cosmetic work. From Kris Jenner’s makeover to candid celebrity disclosures including those from Shruti Hassan, Rajkummar Rao, and Janhvi Kapoor, conversations around facelifts are increasingly moving into the mainstream. 

India now records over a million cosmetic surgical procedures each year, ranking seventh globally, with demand continuing to rise. While cosmetic work has broken free from its long-standing stigma and secrecy, the scale of its visibility has produced a counterproductive effect, an unchecked normalisation of cosmetic work that often resists scrutiny. 

A viral facelift trend dubbed the “Guadalajara facelift” amassed over 125 million views on TikTok this year, driven by before-and-after images of a 50-year-old woman appearing decades younger. More than three million posts feature the hashtag #facelift on Instagram. Cosmetic work, once confined to dermatology clinics and whispered conversations, now circulates as content, shaped by platforms that favour visibility and scale. 

Transparency around cosmetic work—progress or pressure? 

Historically, magazine covers, billboards, and pop culture sold perfectionism and idealism in the name of beauty, while the public was kept in the dark about the filters, Photoshop, professional make-up, and in-office cosmetic procedures used to manufacture the illusion. Over time, distorted and unrealistic beauty standards became more and more normalised.

“Bollywood has had a very toxic culture of secrecy, where actresses feel the need to get [cosmetic] work done in order to be superlative, and create an unrealistic beauty standard,” says actor, creator, doctor, and trans activist Trintera Haldar. Recently, however, a shift is underway. Few celebrities and influencers are increasingly candid about the treatments they opt for. “When the opacity goes away, when the idea that an actress is absolutely perfect disappears—that dissolving of exclusivity is a very good thing,” adds Haldar.

“THERE ARE PROS AND CONS TO MOST THINGS IN THE WORLD. THE SAME APPLIES TO CRASH DIETS OR CRAZY FITNESS ROUTINES TO ACHIEVE A CERTAIN PHYSICAL APPEARANCE” –– Aanam Chashmawala

Content creator and founder of make-up brand Wearified, Aanam Chashmawala, documented her experience with under-eye and lip fillers in 2021. “The idea is to share my experiences without orchestrating them to look relatable,” she says, positioning disclosure as information rather than aspiration.

For Haldar, cosmetic work exists within a vastly different framework. “Transition procedures can be the difference between someone being safe and unsafe in a public restroom,” she says, highlighting how invasive cosmetic procedures cannot be flattened into a single narrative. “When there’s opacity about the cosmetic work people get done, it generates a feeling of ‘oh, she was born like that’, setting unrealistic standards,” she adds. Transparency, in this context, becomes a tool for survival rather than aspiration. 

Celebrities speaking openly about cosmetic work mark a meaningful shift, says celebrity dermatologist Dr Jaishree Sharad. “Transparency helps people gain a better perspective, enabling them to make informed, safe choices, and look for a qualified dermatologist or cosmetologist rather than falling prey to marketing hype.” 

“WHEN THE OPACITY GOES AWAY, WHEN THE IDEA THAT AN ACTRESS IS ABSOLUTELY PERFECT DISAPPEARS—THAT DISSOLVING OF EXCLUSIVITY IS A VERY GOOD THING” ––Trintera Haldar

New Delhi-based dermatologist Dr Kiran Sethi adds that audiences are increasingly sceptical of beauty myths. “People don’t believe in the ‘olive oil and lemon’ stories anymore, and celebrities know it; transparency wins positive reactions, which is very telling.”

The normalisation of cosmetic work: Do the cons outweigh the pros?

The casualisation of cosmetic procedures presents a double-edged reality. While this shift has been widely celebrated, it also complicates how Botox and fillers are perceived by younger, impressionable audiences.

According to the Indian Journal of Paediatric Dermatology, there has been a 30 per cent increase in cosmetic surgery among those under the age of 18 years in the past decade in India.

“Cosmetic surgery is now underplayed, and it seems more and more accessible to younger people,” says Sethi. She notes a visible shift in who is seeking treatment and when. Sharad echoes this trend. “Younger individuals are coming in much earlier than before. In their 20s and early 30s, many are requesting subtle enhancements, preventive treatments, or non-surgical options to stay ahead of ageing,” says Sharad. From her conversations with patients, Sharad identifies familiar triggers: social media exposure, constant comparison with filtered or surgically enhanced faces, influencer and celebrity transparency, aggressive marketing, and peer influence. 

Chashmawala recalls mistaking cosmetic results for make-up effects online, only later realising that fillers, not products, were behind the look. “There are pros and cons to most things in the world. The same applies to crash diets or crazy fitness routines to achieve a certain physical appearance,” she adds.  

Today, physical appearance functions as social currency and cosmetic work increasingly sits less as a personal choice than a quiet expectation. Many struggle to distinguish transparency from encouragement. “Being transparent is saying, ‘hey, this is what I have done’ whereas normalising is saying, ‘hey, you could do this too, in order to become beautiful’,” explains Haldar. 

“THE MORE NORMALISED SURGERY BECOMES, THE MORE ‘PERFECTION’ GETS REDEFINED FOR THE COMING GENERATIONS” –– Carla Ruth-Dennis Kanungo

The distinction is crucial as cases of Body Dysmorphic Disorder continue to rise globally, with nearly 1 million cases diagnosed each year in India, underscoring the risks of cosmetic work becoming informalised. The danger lies in procedures being reframed as routine self-care, warns Lucknow-based dermatologist Dr Naznin Holia, founder of Amber Cosmetology. “They are still medical interventions with potential risks,” she adds.

How the normalisation of cosmetic work threatens the future of beauty standards 

As cosmetic work becomes increasingly undetectable, the pressure to conform grows too. Full lips, lifted brows, and sculpted jawlines repeat across Instagram feeds, only further narrowing rather than expanding the ideas of beauty. 

Beauty was never meant to be one-dimensional. Multidisciplinary artist Sushant Digvikar, also known as Rani Ko-HE-nur, reflects on  how uniformity can flatten expression. “When you saw someone like Farida Khanum or Asha Bhosle singing, there was this chaska on their face, expressions that brought their art to life. Sometimes, instead of enhancing one’s features, certain surgical procedures can actually inhibit an artist’s full expressive potential. I, for one, did consider Botox at some point, but dropped the idea after realising that it might just take away my skin’s elasticity, and I’ll look the same when I’m happy, sad, angry, or excited. I don’t want that for myself, as an artist and a person.” 

Chasing trends or overcorrecting through procedures can disrupt facial balance and cause long-term harm, adds Sharad. “A minimal, well-planned approach almost always gives the most beautiful, lasting results—but this mustn’t be inspired by a celebrity’s transformation online, instead a consultation with a board-certified dermatologist.”

The right way to approach cosmetic work 

“If you think that opting for treatment will make you like yourself—don’t do it,” says Sethi. “The decision must stem from self-worth and not social media trends.” 

Haldar concurs, “Anyone considering a permanent change to their body—especially if it stems from body-image concerns—should first seek therapy and access mental health resources. In my opinion, this should be a process you sit with for at least six months to a year before making any irreversible decisions. It’s essential to ensure that the decision isn’t coming from body dysmorphia, insecurity, or an unhealthy, toxic space, but from a grounded, sustainable, and healthy place.”

Digvikar highlights how clinics nowadays deploy Artificial Intelligence and Augmented Reality to help you understand what your face will look like after a ‘tweakment’, before you sign up for it. “Doing the homework is crucial. Study about treatments, the pros and cons, and then make a well-informed decision. Never go to a medical expert not qualified enough to perform cosmetic work—that can be life-threatening.”

It’s crucial to disconnect from constant online influence, too, points out Haldar. “Get off your phone, step away from social media, talk to real people, and prioritise real relationships over parasocial ones. Living in the real world gives you perspective on what’s right for you, what’s right for your body, and what actually makes sense for your life.”

While autonomy is empowering, normalisation risks turning freedom of choice into pressure of conformity, notes model and content creator Carla Ruth-Dennis Kanungo. “The more normalised surgery becomes, the more ‘perfection’ gets redefined for the coming generations,” she concludes.