The first thing to know about facial rejuvenation is to avoid the “perfection” trap. And this isn’t just feel good advice—Campbell notes that in the search for perfection, we can end up with distorted self-perception.
“Our brains are wired to always see the imperfection, because it’s what keeps us safe. Your brain is going to try and control what it can—for a lot of people, that’s having perfect skin. But that’s not attainable, so folks are left feeling empty because they can never get there,” she says.
Of course, this will impact your emotional health (which can influence your skin via the brain-skin axis), but it also can induce a phenomenon called “perception drift.” Perception drift occurs in dermatology and aesthetics when folks have a hard time seeing the ways in which their face changes over time.
“People can’t see themselves clearly,” she says, noting that when this happens people often start asking for more and more dramatic interventions, some of which may not be to their aesthetic advantage. “I need to say no because, I’m still a physician first and foremost, and so I live by ‘Do no harm.’ And In my opinion, I would be doing harm if I were to give them the treatment that they’re asking for.”
