Having low self-esteem can have a big impact on your quality of life. Not feeling good about yourself, lacking in confidence, and reacting negatively to situations will leave you feeling low and could see you miss out on life opportunities that you should be enjoying.
The question is how do you recognise low self-esteem and what can you do about it? And can aesthetic treatment play a part in boosting your self-esteem?
Really it should be easy to spot your own low self-esteem but as it can ebb and flow with changes in your life and different situations you might not always recognise low self-esteem for what it is.
It is not unusual for people who seek to make changes to their appearance to arrive at an aesthetics clinic with self-esteem issues. This shouldn’t be a surprise as research has found that 42 per cent of people are unhappy with the way they look.
Self-esteem and aesthetic treatments
It is important that your decision to choose aesthetic treatment comes from the right place – and that is to strengthen your individual identity.
To please yourself, not others.
A classic example is when a marriage or relationship has broken up and a client is concerned they will never find someone new and be alone forever. This is a real jump from a relationship ending to deciding you are not enough for someone new and will not find love again. In the moment, the reaction hits your emotions and self-esteem hard. You may feel like you’re destined to be alone but that feeling will change over time as you move on and meet new people and follow new paths in your life.
If, when getting over a relationship break-up, you decide you want to change something about your appearance that is fine – as long as you are doing it for yourself, not for someone else. You can never control how someone else feels about you, you can only change how you feel about yourself.
How aesthetic treatments can improve self-esteem
Making a change to your appearance can help to boost your self-esteem. If you feel good about the way you look, it will affect your confidence, the way you hold yourself and the way you interact with the world.
Confidence will allow you to face the world with positivity, which will be reflected back at you as you are more open, amenable, and ready to embrace challenges.
Liking the way that you look will boost your self-esteem, there is no doubt about that, and even a small change could give you the lift that you need to feel better about yourself.
Done for the right reasons aesthetic treatment can help to improve body image, self-esteem and confidence. The right reason? That is always to do it because you want to. To enhance your natural beauty and to allow you to be best version of yourself. The wrong reason is always to change yourself for someone else.
Cosmetic treatments to lift self-esteem
Your reasons for wanting to make a change to your appearance through cosmetic treatments will always be personal to you but a common issue is anxiety about ageing. This is a good example of where aesthetic treatment can be used to boost self-esteem by making subtle enhancements.
Anti-wrinkle therapy to tackle wrinkles on the face, such as frown lines, crows’ feet or marionette lines will not change the way you look but will allow you to look more youthful. Changes that are only skin deep and temporary allow you to retain your identity and control over the way you look.
Other issues can include the appearance of your skin – do you want it to be smoother? Are you troubled by acne scars? Have you always wanted fuller lips?
If there is an aspect of your appearance that you would like to change or enhance to improve your self-esteem seek the advice of a medically qualified aesthetic clinician to find out how you can make the changes that you want to see.
Work on your wellbeing
If you are suffering from low self-esteem and have chosen to have an aesthetic treatment to enhance your appearance, it is also important to work on the underlying issues that are fuelling low self-esteem. Try to:
- Concentrate on your good points – you have plenty of them, just think about all the things you love about yourself and your life.
- Be your own best friend – how would you talk to your best friend in your situation? With kindness. That is the friend you need to be to yourself.
- Reach out to a friend – getting out and chatting with other people turns your attention outwards, which can be a blessing when you are being harsh on yourself.
- Practise good self-care – exercise, sleep, good hydration and diet support your mental wellbeing as well as helping to keep your skin looking great.
Cosmetic treatments can give you the power to make the changes you want to enhance your natural beauty, but always make sure you are making changes because you want to, not to keep up with a fake ideal of beauty or as an emotional rebound reaction. You are worth it. Make sure you know that.
To discuss making subtle changes to your appearance to enhance your natural beauty, or if you are unsure of what treatments you want, get in touch with Dr Camilla Hill for a friendly, confidential chat.
