For as long as humans have been around, we’ve chased beauty, sometimes at shocking costs.
Centuries ago in Europe, people smeared lead on their faces to achieve that pale “aristocratic” look, so common it became known as the Venetian curse. In Ancient Egypt, toxic minerals were brushed across eyelids in the name of allure, and by the early 1900s, women were literally dusting their faces with radium-infused powders just to sparkle a little brighter.
Today, beauty treatments have evolved and are generally much safer thanks to medical research. But our obsession hasn’t gone anywhere. Recently, one woman revealed online that she had a facelift at just 28, sparking fierce backlash over harmful beauty standards and the physical risks involved.
Scroll down to see how the internet reacted and weigh in with your thoughts.
One woman recently opened up about her beauty treatments, revealing she’d already had a facelift at just 28
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The news spread quickly, sparking heated debates online
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Among the backlash were fears over the kind of example this could set
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Beauty treatments and surgical enhancements are becoming more and more popular among younger generations
Image credits: nensuria / freepik (not the actual photo)
When I was a teen in the 2010s—which really doesn’t feel that long ago—the beauty world felt completely different. Aging skin wasn’t even on our radar. The only “anti-aging” products we knew were creams we saw in ads, and even those seemed like something for much older people.
We weren’t exactly skincare-savvy either. We’d buy whatever cheap products promised quick fixes: harsh scrubs that left our faces raw, toners that stung with alcohol but claimed to banish acne. Looking back now, it makes me cringe.
SPF? That was for beach holidays. Glycolic acid and retinoids? Never heard of them. To me, any obvious cosmetic tweak meant Botox, and filler was only for plumping lips.
Then came the first beauty YouTubers. My classmates devoured their tips, and Instagram slowly started shaping how we thought about skincare and makeup. Information became easier to access, but so did endless new trends telling us what we “should” be doing to look good.
Since then, the pressure has only intensified.
Today’s younger generation is diving into beauty routines far earlier than we ever did. Gen Alpha, for instance, begins experimenting with skincare, makeup, and fragrance at just eight years old, half the age their millennial and Gen X counterparts started, according to a 2024 Ulta Beauty report titled Generation Joy.
And it’s not stopping at serums and face masks. Aesthetic and surgical procedures are following the same pattern.
The American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) reports that Botox and other neuromodulator use jumped 73% between 2019 and 2022. Even teens are getting on board: injections for those under 20 rose by 9% from 2022 to 2023. The American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery says 75% of surgeons have noticed a spike in clients under 30.
Facelifts, once considered strictly for middle-aged patients, are also becoming more common. Traditionally, nearly 60% of facelift patients in 2023 were between 55 and 69, according to ASPS. But younger groups are catching up fast: patients aged 20–29 and 30–39 each saw a 7% increase last year, while the 40–54 group grew by just 3%.
So what’s happening? Did people in their 20s suddenly start aging overnight? Not exactly.
Experts say many younger clients aren’t chasing youth, they’re chasing different features. Dr. Jonathan Zelken, a board-certified plastic surgeon in Newport Beach, California, told CNN that some of his patients in their 20s and 30s “want sharper jaw lines, sharper cheeks, sharper brows.”
He explained: “It’s not a rejuvenation strategy. It’s a beautification strategy.”
Emily Cipryk, the woman who recently caused an uproar online, is a perfect example. Speaking to CNN, she explained she underwent a plane mid-facelift, a procedure that lifts tissue and skin around the corners of the eyes and cheeks.
“I really wanted to enhance myself, just to feel good about myself again,” she said.
During her time working in financial technology during the pandemic, Cipryk spent hours on Zoom calls, constantly staring at her own face. “I partied a lot, from university until my late 20s, and it caught up with me… I just didn’t look good,” she added.
Her transformation involved six surgeries in one go, including a blepharoplasty, lip lift, rhinoplasty, and partial buccal fat removal. Cipryk says she’s “very happy” with the results.
But the trend raises big questions: Is this a sign of progress in personal empowerment, or a worrying step toward making extreme beauty procedures the norm? Are we learning to feel good about ourselves, or just finding new ways not to accept what we see in the mirror?
It’s a conversation that’s hard to ignore, and one that makes me uneasy about what might be next.
Commenters urged society to normalize women getting older without shame
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Having a facelift at that age not only creates harmful expectations but can also pose serious physical risks
Image credits: freepik (not the actual photo)
Image credits: freepik (not the actual photo)
Image credits: elysiaberman
Commenters agreed there are plenty of ways to keep skin looking good without resorting to such harsh surgery
