Dr. Harris Clinic
- A plastic surgeon is speaking out against excessive Botox and facial filler that he says makes people look alien-like.
- Dr. Steve Harris created a graph to point out how filler and Botox can distort facial proportions.
- An alienized face has large and flat lips with a crisp border, a winged brow bone, sharp "Maleficent cheeks," and a very chiseled jawline, he said.
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A plastic surgeon is warning against what he calls an "epidemic" of facial "alienization" caused by bad filler.
Dr. Steve Harris, plastic surgeon and founder of the Harris Clinic in London, says the distorted look comes from doctors enabling clients to get procedures based on filtered images they see on social media.
To illustrate what an "alienized" face might look like, Harris said he took images of someone with a natural look and altered their proportions to show how excessive Botox and filler can change the face.
"In many cases the distortions are so severe that they cannot be associated with our species," Harris told Insider.
According to Harris, an alienized face is characterized by large and flat lips with a crisp border, a winged brow bone, sharp "Maleficent cheeks," and a very chiseled jawline.
"Some people present naturally with certain features in the presented simulation, but the problem is creating these in others and making everyone look the same," Harris wrote in his Instagram caption.
Harris' graph uses arrows to point out where the cheeks have been made more angular, the jaw has been sharped, and the shape of the lips has been completely altered.
Filters and photoshopped images of celebrities are to blame for 'alienization,' he said
Harris says filters on Snapchat, Instagram, and TikTok can distort how people see themselves, which can cause them to ask for procedures that give them an unrealistic look. He says celebrities getting plastic surgery to match the exaggerated features of filters has a direct influence on their fans.
"Influencers and celebrities who have been alienized, will no doubt affect the perception of their followers," Harris said.
According to Harris, another reason facial alienization has become so common is the willingness of plastic surgeons to comply with this "new normal."
"Alienization also takes place when the practitioner is highly qualified and this may be attributed to greed or a gross lack of artistic acumen," Harris said. "Image disorders may explain why some practitioners and patients simply do not see the distortions."
His goal is to use his graph to bring awareness to the trend and fight against it.
"I think that a doctor who is conforming to alienization is not fulfilling his or her duty of care to first, do no harm," Harris said.