Experts spoke about the impact of AI filters on the perception of one's own appearance

The use of AI filters on social media increasingly affects the perception of one's own appearance and can increase anxiety about appearance. Cosmetologists and psychotherapists note that virtual images create an unattainable standard of beauty, with which people begin to compare themselves in real life. All the details are in the Izvestia article.

The illusion of perfect skin

According to Lyudmila Elisavetskaya, cosmetologist, osteotherapist, myofunctional specialist, Founder of the Mito-Balance Center for Osteoplasty and Rejuvenation, the idea of beautiful skin has changed markedly in recent years. Previously, well-groomed skin with natural features was considered the ideal, but now social networks form the image of a face without pores, wrinkles and any imperfections.

However, most of these images are processed using filters, retouching, and special lighting. As a result, users begin to perceive the digital version of appearance as the norm, although it is impossible to achieve such an effect in real life.

According to the expert, this also affects visits to cosmetologists. Increasingly, patients come not with a specific skin problem, but with a desire to look like in an edited photo. Popular requests include to completely remove pores, make the skin as smooth as possible, change the shape of the face, strengthen cheekbones, remove any facial wrinkles or lighten the skin by several tones. At the same time, Elisavetskaya noted, many people do not take into account individual features of appearance — color type, facial structure and natural skin texture.

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How filters change requests to cosmetologists

According to the expert, digital retouching directly affects the demand for cosmetic procedures. People want to get the result they see on a smartphone screen, but they often don't realize that genetics, makeup, lighting, and image processing can work on a photo at the same time.

According to her, slight facial asymmetry, nasolabial folds or wrinkles that appear when smiling are natural features of a living person, and not defects that necessarily need to be corrected.

Why does the face look "wrong" after filters

Irina Krashkina, PhD, psychotherapist at JSC "Medicine" (Academician Roitberg Clinic), explained that regular use of filters can change the perception of one's own appearance. According to the expert, the brain is gradually getting used to the improved digital version of the face, in which the skin looks perfectly smooth and the features become more symmetrical.

According to the therapist, social approval plays an additional role: retouched photos are more likely to receive a positive reaction from the audience, and the brain begins to perceive just such an image as more attractive. As a result, there is a discrepancy between the real and ideal self-image. A person begins to compare his reflection not with other people, but with his own processed photo.

According to Krashkina, teenagers and young adults aged 18-30 are particularly vulnerable to the effects of filters. During this period, a digital image can initially increase confidence, but over time increase anxiety and self-dissatisfaction.

The specialist noted that the boundary between ordinary insecurity and a serious psychological problem runs where worries begin to interfere with daily life. Signs of excessive fixation on appearance can be constant thoughts about an imaginary flaw, regular checks of reflection in the mirror, avoidance of photos and video calls, as well as the desire to constantly hide the features of appearance. In such cases, we may be talking about dysmorphophobia, a condition in which a person is overly focused on a minor or imaginary defect.

According to the doctor, in this condition, experiences can take up a significant part of the day and be accompanied by anxiety or depressive symptoms.

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How to maintain a healthy attitude towards appearance

Experts advise to perceive filters as a tool for entertainment, not as a standard of beauty. It is important to limit time on social media, periodically arrange a digital detox and maintain the habit of seeing yourself without constant image processing.

According to experts, modern cosmetology should help maintain healthy skin and harmonious appearance, rather than create a face that exists only on the screen. A person's natural features, personality, and well-groomed appearance remain more important than any digital ideal.