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We're all under constant pressure to look our best. We are bombarded by advertisements and on social media with images of bodies that are utterly unrealistic for us to have any hope of matching.
No wonder a recent poll showed that 80 per cent of girls and young women have considered using surgical procedures to change their appearance, with the primary reason to improve their self-confidence.
I found this a deeply depressing statistic. What's more, the problem is not limited to women – young men also face pressure from social media to look a certain way.
There has been a boom in inquiries from people wanting a so-called 'Instagram Face' – seeking cosmetic procedures such as Botox and fillers to give them the high cheekbones, cat-like eyes and full lips seen in the heavily airbrushed photos that celebrities post on social media.
Botox treatments are to be banned for under-18s. Catrina Banks (pictured) had filler injected into her lips at the age of 16 but her second procedure left her with swelling on her face
Ms Banks, now 19 and a pensions consultant from Edinburgh, was eventually given a refund by the beautician who begged her not to tell anyone about the botched procedure (pictured)
