Cosmetologists are reporting a 20 to 30 per cent increase in business since February

Mumbai : Ayesha wants to look her best for her Valentine this year. “We have been in a relationship since three years now. But I want to look different for him this year. So, I have come here,’’ said the 17-year-old, who was visiting cosmetologist Sadhna Deshmukh’s `Forever Young’ clinic.
“I think I need a bit of skin glow, eyebrow arch and pouty lips,” said the excited teenager, who is even gifting a medicare package for her boyfriend.
Ayesha is among the growing number of youngsters who want to improve their face value on V-Day. Cosmetologists are reporting a 20 to 30 per cent increase in business since February.
“Teenagers as well as grown-ups have been visiting us since the last two weeks. Even women in their late 40’s are coming,” said Dr Satish Bhatia, dermatologist from Lady Ratan Tata Medical Centre, Nariman Point.
A 45-year-old woman who visited Dr Bhatia’s clinic was looking for eyebrow arching. “She was very keen to impress her Valentine this year. She wanted to look just perfect and did not even require a suggestion from us. She already knew what would suit her the best,” said the doctor.
Dr Bhatia also said that apart from eyebrow lift, girls are going for pouty lips this year. “This is a new trend that is showing up. Pouty lips are much more in demand and a lot of girls are coming up for it,” he added.
Dermatologists and cosmetologists are also getting patients who are looking for speedy botox surgeries for this Valentine. “One of the popular demands amongst the youth is of getting the slim jawline as we Asians have square jawlines. So they want to go for thread and botox to attain that this Valentine and get actress-like looks,” said Dr Bhatia.
Dr Sadaaf Rangooni from Nu cosmetic clinics said that a lot of young girls and guys are going for skin glow treatment and medi-facials. “We do it through meso-threapy in which skin rejuvenation is implanted through micro-injections given on face that provides volume and hydration to face,” said Dr Rangooni.
Dr Rangooni also said that people want speedy rejuvenation techniques before Valentine’s Day. “A 24-year-old fashion designer wanted glowing skin in just one week while her skin was very pigmented as she travels a lot. We had to apply chemical peelings along with Vitamin C inputs,” said Dr Rangooni.
Doctors also assured that the surgeries and techniques are not harmful unless undertaken under a doctor. Besides, if you have a budget varying from Rs 3,000 to Rs 6,000, you can improve your looks in one week.
Psychiatrist Harish Shetty sees this as an indicator of insecurity. “People who go for these surgeries do it out of insecurity. We can see that the trend is in more demand either within the teenagers or amongst the older lot. Sense of insecurity is the most amongst them,” he said.
Swati Jha