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Everything You Need To Know About Celebrity-Endorsed Beauty Treatments
Bollywood’s go-to doctors Harshna Bijlani and Jaishree Sharad reveal that A-listers have ditched duck lips and vampire facials for non-invasive treatments that leave one feeling youthful, fabulous, and most importantly, like themselves.
After a viral video claimed that actress Alia Bhatt had undergone a botched botox procedure, the actress recently took to Instagram to set the record straight. “These are serious claims being casually thrown out there with zero proof, no confirmation and absolutely nothing to back it up,” she said.
It’s easy to understand why the narratives surrounding a celebrity’s looks, however, are still so compelling. At the heart of it all is a deep-rooted desire to look like one’s favourite star onscreen; the curiosity to find out what they eat, where they shop, which gym they visit and above all, who their doctor is.
The Hollywood Reporter India asked cosmetic dermatologist Dr Jaishree Sharad of Skinfinitii Aesthetic & Laser Clinic, and aesthetic physician and celebrity skin expert Dr Harshna Bijlani of The Ageless Clinic — Bollywood’s go-to doctors for all things beauty — what treatments are currently in vogue and what caution one should exercise before opting for any procedures:
Fact Versus Fiction
“I’m not going to name her, but a famous celebrity came to me, close to tears, because ‘doctors’ on Instagram were talking about her having done XYZ treatments,” reveals Dr Bijlani. “She wanted to tell everybody that she hadn’t. Instead, she let them know what she actually had gotten done. When these pseudo-doctors dissect what celebrities are opting for, they get the attention of the public, who believe them, thinking they could get the same result.”
Dr Sharad adds that the epidemic of misformation is something that the American society, the European society and The Indian Association of Dermatologists, Venereologists and Leprologists are all trying to battle. “These clinics may look very plush but they employ doctors without a degree, some of whom are not even trained injectors.” She emphasises the need to exercise caution — “Go by the doctor’s experience, check if they have spoken at valid national and international conferences.”
Blind faith in unqualified practitioners, combined with India’s celebrity worship culture, is why Dr Sharad ends up fixing a lot of botched jobs these days. “A patient came in a week ago and her fillers just weren’t dissolving. She had to coax the company to tell her what they used and it turned out to be something completely random,” she said. Such cases have to be dealt with surgically, scarring the face in the process.
Treatments They Swear By
According to Dr. Sharad, beauty has become a topic of conversation only in the last 15 years in India. “I started my practice in 2000 and treated psoriasis and eczemas; no one came in to say they wanted their skin to glow.”
Dr Bijlani also believes that people are more informed now. While she pioneered painless laser hair removal from a small garage she worked out of at the time, Dr Sharad she introduced Radio Frequency [RF] Skin Tightening (a process that uses heat to stimulate the production of collagen, elastin and new skin cells) in India — hauling her equipment to a fellow doctor’s clinic to practise, back in the day. Despite their unassuming set-ups, their impressive results soon caught the attention of celebrities.
“People are now into non-invasive procedures,” says Dr Bijlani. “Look at Jennifer Lopez and Malaika Arora Khan — they look amazing. I remember when my mother was 47. There's no comparison to what is available now. We're also willing to explore and experiment as long as it's safe.”
Everyone wants to look more youthful, oval and lifted today, with ‘micro-ageing’ having become an Instagram buzzword. Essentially, it talks about the process of collagen depletion, which starts at 25. Prevention and regeneration include starting non-invasive cosmetic treatments at a younger age to slow down the ageing process naturally.
“For celebrities, it’s all about having an even tone and radiant skin,” says Dr Sharad. “They want something more natural.” Besides RF Skin Tightening, they also opt for a High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound [HIFU], which uses high-energy sound waves to stimulate collagen production and firm up the skin, while also lifting and rejuvenating it. A-listers also love their PDRN [Polydeoxyribonucleotide] treatments, which use DNA obtained from salmon sperm, along with Exosome Therapy, which stimulates one’s own cells to produce new collagen and reduce pigmentation. “These are all very natural treatments, with no injections and minimal down time,” she explains.
Such treatments are an obvious draw for celebrities, who have hectic schedules and are constantly photographed. Along those lines, Dr. Bijlani came up with all-in-one ‘super medi-facials’ [medical grade facials]. For example, in an Ultherapy super-medi facial, one can get a clean-up, microdermabrasion, mild peel, Q-switch laser, mask and Ultherapy. “A de-tan, glow, dead skin removal and lift — you get it all in one.” There’s also the Morpheus 8, which she calls the Hollywood Lunchtime. “Celebrities want to have a smaller face because they look great in person but different on camera.” There are five types of anti-ageing tech, including ultrasound-like Ultherapy, which is US FDA approved, and electromagnetic procedures for muscle stimulation,” says Dr Bijlani.
Similarly, Dr Sharad is known for her signature, customised Skinfinitii facials. Younger patients get an oxygen hydrafacial or a carbon photo facial with something to make their skin glow, whereas slightly more mature patients opt for procedures to tighten the skin and even out their tone. This is what helps them get ‘red carpet ready’, she says.
Injectables are yet another celebrity-favourite. “They come in for what I like to call ‘tweak-ments’ since they need to be able to emote to connect with their audience,” says Dr Bijlani.
But if there’s one beauty trend every actor and influencer swears by in 2024, it’s IV drips. Both doctors attest to its growing popularity. “A male A-lister patient who was drained after doing high-combat action scenes called to say that he needed an energy boost — and a drip gives you exactly that. Also, everyone wants to shine, so of course we have glow drips too,” says Dr Bijlani.
This all sounds exhausting, but she likens the benefits of skin treatments to what walking does for your cardiovascular system, or what yoga does for your flexibility. The need for constant upkeep, however, is also linked to being part of an unforgiving society, in which celebrities are expected to look their best at all times. “If you and I have just gotten off a flight, we look haggard, but they aren’t allowed to,” she says.
The Right Doctor Makes All The Difference
Privacy is of paramount importance. Despite posting photos with actors like Amitabh Bachchan, Ranbir Kapoor and Neetu Kapoor, all of whom have attended her book launches, there isn’t a single photo of a celebrity patient in Dr Sharad’s clinic. “We have a basement parking lot because paparazzi are waiting to take photos of celebrities after they’ve been poked and prodded,” says Dr Bijlani, adding that her clinic has a strict no-selfie policy.
The surge of high-quality aesthetic care in India has also punctured the myth that beauty treatments are better overseas. “Aestheticians in other countries are scared of our skin and worried that we could pigment, which makes them very conservative and so you won’t get the same results. You may have the same car as me, but the way I drive it is different,” she says.
Both experts also share a ‘less is more’ philosophy. “You do not need to layer your face with so many products. You don't have to be overwhelmed,” says Dr Sharad. “The three most important things in skincare are sunscreen, moisturiser and retinol.”
Skincare is not one-size fits all. Dr Bijlani warns against blindly following celebrities or influencers. “Their skin might be very different, and there’s a motive to what they promote,” One must be mindful of both, what they use and which doctor they consult. Dr. Sharad has a word of caution: If the doctor you choose doesn’t have an aesthetic sense, they will end up making every face look the same.
Everyone wants to look like a celebrity, not realising the time, energy and commitment that goes into looking that way. All you can do, say both doctors, is care for the skin you’re in.