A growing corner of the internet has decided that sunscreen — not the sun — is the real villain. As a doctor who spends a fair amount of her week looking at sun-damaged skin, I'd like to take that idea apart.

Here's what the actual science says about chemical filters, "hormone disruption," coral reefs, benzene and the rest — and the one thing the skeptics are genuinely, annoyingly, a little bit right about.

Picture this scene: You are sitting in a treatment room. Someone you like and trust is about to inject a prescription-only medicine into your face. The vial appears, the needle is drawn up, and at no point does anyone mention the person whose signature made that treatment legal — the prescriber.

In a great many cases, you will never meet them. In some, they will never have laid eyes on you at all.

The concept of “Instagram face” is not a new one, but has received more recent attention as Meta has banned filters that encourage plastic surgery. Awareness of the role that social media and photo editing plays in aesthetic medicine is incredibly important for both clinicians and patients. The influence of social media can be incredibly negative, and it means it’s more important than ever to navigate between good, ethical medical practice versus “selling” cosmetic procedures.

There are a few very basic things you should expect from your injectables appointment.

This is why I am often surprised and even baffled when I hear that patients who have seen other practitioners have not been consented properly, have not been offered reviews, or have had their faces dissected and told they “need” XYZ treatment at quite a cost.

Don’t get me wrong. A clinician needs to be honest about what is achievable within your budget for a result that you have said you have wanted to achieve. That’s different from unsolicited critiques of any small asymmetry.

To that end, there is the Aesthetics Guide to the basics of what you should expect from your medical aesthetics injectable appointment.

Are feminism and cosmetic medicine mutually exclusive concepts? Does having an interest in aesthetics involve tangling ourselves into knots to try reconcile two fundamentally opposed ideas? Are we shrinking ourselves to match society’s concepts of beauty and youth because (somehow) we don’t know any better?

I’m going to say the answer is, “No.”

Now let’s look at why.

Modern practices of cosmetic medicine can be traced back to the turn of the 20th century, but these stories and the people they are made up of are often relegated to being curious footnotes in medical history.

I want to take you on a little trip back in time, 100 years ago, to see the birth of modern cosmetic medicine in the States and the UK. You’ll read about non-medical charlatans, and some of the pioneers of this medical specialty. Of greater interest, you will see the parallels between the unregulated practice of a century ago, and the field of medical aesthetics in the UK today.

It comes as no surprise to hear that cosmetic medicine and psychology are interconnected, and that medical aesthetic treatments have the ability to have a dramatic effect - both positive and negative - on our mental health.

While a lot of the focus in this area is around serious issues like body dysmorphia, which highlights the importance of always going to an ethical medical professional who has the competence of diagnose and manage complex health issues - it is also worthwhile looking at the positive mental health effects this treatment can have.

One of the areas that I find the most fascinating is the role that Botox treatments have in depression. Early research is strongly indicating that Botox improves the symptoms of depression! So what do the studies show, and how does this work?

The desire to improve our appearance and to pursue a certain ideal of beauty has existed for as long as human history has been recorded. As I’ve written before, the history of aesthetic medicine is firmly ensconced in the history of plastic surgery, so you will find traces of that throughout this article.

Join us for a wonderful, whirlwind tour through the history of aesthetic medicine - from the ancient world to the modern day.

It is definitely SPF season - and in this article for the Aesthetics Edit we compile some of the biggest myths and misconceptions around sunscreen. Cosmetic doctors and dermatologists love to bang on about sunscreen, but you would be surprised to know how many things we (use healthcare professionals included) get wrong!

The bottom line is, of course, wear sunscreen and wear enough of it. But there are some myths that are so ingrained in public consciousness I felt like we just had to set the record straight once and for all.

It’s no secret at this point that I am incredibly passionate about medical aesthetics. But what began as an off-shoot of my interest in plastic surgery has grown into the favourite and most treasured aspect of my medical practice. But when I think about what parts of it I’ve fallen in love with, the answers surprised me.

Let’s talk about dermal fillers!

What pops into your head? Sculpted jawlines? High, full cheekbones? Luscious, juicy lips?

These treatments are getting more and more popular as celebrities and others in the public eye are being more honest about getting the stunning little tweaks. But while we might be more and more aware of the fact that fillers exist, there’s a lot more under the surface that we should know.

Yes, we should know the basics of what fillers are made of, what they can do, and how most appointments play out - but the number one thing that we need to know about when it comes to fillers is safety.

This is an article that I have been so excited to write, because it resonates with me. My heritage is half-English, half-Chinese, so I have always been aware that there are slightly different approaches in Eastern versus Western beauty and skin. I’ve become more interested in Asian skincare. This is not just because of my own heritage, but also because it is something that I know has a major presence in the beauty world, but that is not as commonly seen in many medical aesthetic clinics in London. The most popular medical-grade skincare lines used by aesthetic practitioners here are from North America or Europe.

So what are the broad differences - if any - between skincare lines from Asia and the West. And are we missing a trick here by not using them more?

Botlinum toxin is one of the cornerstones of aesthetic medicine. It is a treatment that has been made famous by celebrities, and has been portrayed in various ways by the media - not always kindly or accurately. Most people know vaguely what toxin is, and probably have some sort of preconception of it. But we’re going to cover the basics of this wonderful treatment.

What is medical-grade skincare? And is it really better?

The answer is a lot more complicated than you think!

Get the facts and some myth-busting from an aesthetic doctor.

Broadly speaking, medical aesthetics includes all medical treatments that are focused on improving the cosmetic appearance of patients. Medical aesthetics sits in a beautiful little niche in between the beauty industry and plastic surgery. Qualified doctors, nurses, or dentists can provide a multitude of stunning tweak-ments to improve your appearance.