‘We don’t see enough normal skin’

This is my ‘first thing in the morning’ skin – no filter, no makeup (perhaps a bit of Vaseline ‘night cream’ still present), and that is it. I’m 39.5 years old. And I think my skin is normal and healthy.

Virtually all the images of skin we see in the media are photoshopped and filtered and of course we all have access to lots of filters on our phones (and even on Zoom!!).

The Advertising Standards Agency is now investigating if the use of filters in IG ads is ‘misleadingly exaggerating the effectiveness of cosmetic products.’

You think??!? Really??!

The media has always created an unrealistic image of what ‘beautiful’ is – and skin is no exception. Virtually every patient that comes and sees me says their ultimate skin goal is to be comfortable not wearing makeup. Granted if you have acne or melasma or any other facial skin pathology, that can be effectively treated and your pathology-free skin can be maintained. But I think we do need to think about what ‘normal’ skin really looks like – and it’s not going to be as perfect as the airbrushed, filtered, made-up images we see on social media.

If you haven’t already, why not join the #filterdrop campaign and help us show the world what ‘normal’ skin really looks like. @sashalouisepallari