ITV2’s Love Island recently kickstarted its 9^th series, the 2023 winter edition of the sunny dating show, set in South Africa with brand-new host Maya Jama. Whether you love it or loathe it, Love Island has people all over the globe hooked. Since its revival in 2015, the dating show has seen 22 spin-off shows worldwide, including the USA, Australia, South Africa, and multiple variations in European countries.

Despite its controversies, Love Island has taken the world by storm and has had a serious impact on the world of reality TV, fashion, and cosmetic treatments. The latter is what we will be focusing on in today’s article.

The British TV show has received tons of press coverage for several years due to its line-up of beautiful young adults. However, some critics suggest that it sets an impossibly high standard for the younger generation, particularly women. The backlash claims that the cast of stunning singletons does not accurately represent women, suggesting they mask their true appearances with cosmetic treatments and surgeries. Today, we will explore Love Island’s impact on the cosmetic treatment industry and discuss why the TV show positively reflects such sectors.

Love Island Over The Years

When Love Island first began, most contestants didn’t arrive at the doors of the glamorous villa having had previous treatments or surgeries. Celebrity plastic surgeon and star of E4’s Body Fixers, Dr Tijion Esho, claims that “if you look at the start of reality TV, people didn’t have treatments, they went in plain, normal, fresh-faced” with regards to the entire genre, not just Love Island. Nowadays, it’s unusual to find a female contestant on the show who hasn’t had any work done, whether breast augmentation, lip fillers, anti-wrinkle injections, or just about anything in between.

We want to know why there’s been such a dramatic increase in reality TV stars opting for cosmetic treatments now, unlike when Love Island first aired in 2015. Could it be due to the inaccessibility of cosmetic surgery at the time?

The Increased Accessibility and Normalisation of Cosmetic Treatments

In the beginning, Love Island contestants applied for the show to find love, unaware of the publicity they would receive when they landed back in the UK. It’s hard to believe that anyone could have imagined the popularity of the TV show at the time. In its first revival season in 2015 (after two unsuccessful celebrity seasons in 2005 and 2006), the average viewing ratings were 570,000. Not too shabby, but certainly not close to what was to follow. In season two, the average ratings were up by a shocking 900,000 compared to the previous season and rose to an average of 1,470,000. From then on, Love Island climbed further up the rating charts until it became ITV2’s most-watched television series ever in 2018.

It didn’t take long for advertisers to latch onto this. Cosmetic clinics were among the companies offering free products and services in exchange for ex-islanders posting about them on their social media accounts. Because of this, many previous contestants began to go through with enhancements. Cosmetic surgeries then noticed a rise in popularity of their services, particularly dermal fillers, for people applying to go on Love Island, amongst other reality TV shows.

It completely changed the cosmetics industry; as it boomed, more people were opting for enhancements, even those with no direct link to the ITV2 show. The popularity of Love Island truly changed the game and was a huge factor in the normalisation and accessibility of cosmetic treatments and surgeries.

Positive Discussions Surrounding Cosmetic Treatments And Surgeries

In series seven, a conversation surrounding the cosmetic surgeries that the women had had done was sparked. Contestant Hugo Hammond was vocal about his preferred woman, claiming he wasn’t interested in anyone who was “fake”. The word fake upset contestants Faye Winter and Shannon Singh, who aired their opinions about cosmetic enhancements being a personal choice, not for other people’s approval. At the time, this conversation sparked controversies online due to the way that both sides dealt with their disagreement. However, even though it may not have been a polite chat, the conversation surrounding body positivity definitely needed to happen.

Love Island’s average audience is between 16-30 years old, meaning young and impressionable eyes watch every move the islanders make. The important message that the girls involved in the conversation discussed was that it doesn’t matter who has an opinion on your looks; if you feel you would benefit from cosmetic surgery, you should do it for yourself. You shouldn’t do it to please anyone else, and at no point should you be pressured into anything – from your peers, reality TV stars, romantic partners, or cosmetic practitioners.

This is the approach that we take here at Aesthetic Skin Clinic. Our professional, knowledgeable, experienced team are here to help you achieve the appearance that makes you happy. Under our care, there’s no pressure, and you’ll never be talked into something you’re uncomfortable with.

Reversing Procedures and Natural Looks

Due to recent trends such as skinimalism and embracing bodies with little to no cosmetic enhancements, many celebrities are opting for the natural look, and islanders are no different. Despite many contestants entering the villa with tweaks, tucks, and filler, some of the biggest Love Island stars have taken to their social media platforms to document their journeys to a more natural self.

Season five contestant Molly-Mae Hauge is one of the most influential faces to come from the show. Molly-Mae is one of the most watched ex-islanders, known as an “Instagram It Girl” and famous for her influencer lifestyle, beauty and fashion business links, and relationship with fellow runner-up Tommy Fury. At just 23 years old, her impact on others in her age bracket is outstanding, so it’s no surprise that when she revealed her new, natural look, others began to follow.

Molly-Mae didn’t keep her cosmetic enhancements a secret, sharing with her followers that she had had several dermal filler injections as well as lip filler and composite bonding veneers from the age of 17 to 21. However, whether it was due to a change in beauty trends or other personal reasons, the ex-Love Island star began to get her treatments dissolved and made more natural-looking in 2021.

Her impact was astronomical, and many other ex-Islanders followed her lead, such as Shaughna Phillips, who opted to dissolve her lip filler. From then on, many surgeries across the country claimed that they had seen a rise in patients interested in more natural procedures, such as lip fillers to improve asymmetry instead of solely increasing the size of their pout.

Whether it’s encouraging body positivity conversation or influencing the rise and fall of certain procedures, it’s evident that Love Island has had a significant impact on the cosmetic treatment industry over the years and has always been at the forefront of the huge changes in the field.

Here at Aesthetic Skin Clinic, we understand and listen to influences such as Love Island to ensure we are ahead of the game in offering treatments and procedures in line with the latest trends. We also understand that trends come and go, and clients should not choose many of our procedures, such as our surgical treatments, based on trends as they are permanent body alterations. No matter which type of treatment you choose, we would always recommend choosing it for you and never based on what’s popular. Make sure you’re undergoing treatment because you want it, not because outside influences have made you feel as though you need it.

We offer a wide range of services in our clinics in Jersey, Guernsey, and Northern Ireland. If you’re looking for dermal fillers in Guernsey, breast implants in Jersey, or just about anything else, Aesthetic Skin Clinic is the place for you. Contact our team to find out what we can do to improve your confidence and create a happier version of yourself.