If a selfie, filter or feed started the concern, pause before treating that image as a measurement or instruction. Ask when you first noticed it, what changed online, whether the preference stays steady away from the screen, what you expect to change in daily life, whether it is affecting your wellbeing, and what would make you choose no cosmetic care.
Give the concern a little room
Perhaps one photograph caught you at an unfamiliar angle, a filter showed a different version of your face, or a stream of similar posts made one feature suddenly feel important. That does not make the concern foolish or unreal. It simply gives you a useful place to begin.
Before exploring cosmetic options, return to how you look and feel in ordinary conversation, movement and light. The aim is not to talk you into or out of care. It is to make sure the question belongs to you before anyone offers an answer.
Six questions to make the decision yours
| Ask yourself | What the answer can clarify |
|---|---|
| When did I first notice this? | Whether the concern existed before a post, comment or trend gave it a name. |
| Which image made it feel urgent? | The role of camera distance, angle, lighting, cropping or editing. |
| What do I expect to change in daily life? | Whether a physical preference is carrying a promise about confidence, relationships or acceptance. |
| Does the preference stay steady away from the feed? | Whether it remains recognisable in ordinary weeks, not only after scrolling. |
| Is the concern changing how I function? | Whether checking, avoidance or distress deserves health support first. |
| What would make me choose no? | Whether waiting, another opinion or no cosmetic care is genuinely available. |
A selfie is a clue, not a measurement
Close camera distance can change how facial proportions appear. A 2022 study comparing close front-camera selfies with standard clinical photographs found measurable differences in facial features. One image therefore cannot act as a ruler for your face.
Bring the original image if it helps explain where the idea began. Note the distance, angle, crop, light and any filter or edit you know about. Corey can then return the conversation to your live anatomy, movement, skin, history and preferences.
A saved image can help you name one quality you noticed. It cannot become a promise, a face to copy or proof that a procedure is right for you.
Does the preference stay with you offline?
You notice it in ordinary life
The same specific concern remains when you are talking, moving and away from saved images. An individual assessment may help you understand it more clearly.
The concern changes after scrolling
The feature, urgency or imagined answer shifts with new posts, angles or labels. More space from the trigger may be more useful than choosing an option now.
You hope life will feel different
If the hoped-for change is acceptance, confidence, relationship repair or a sense of worth, cosmetic care cannot responsibly promise it.
Notice what the concern asks of your day
Consider time and function rather than judging whether the feature is bad enough. Are you repeatedly checking or avoiding mirrors and photographs? Are appearance thoughts interrupting work, study, exercise, relationships or social plans? Do you keep seeking reassurance but find that it does not last?
Healthdirect lists persistent preoccupation, repetitive checking or grooming, comparison, avoidance and significant distress among signs that deserve professional help. These signs are not a self-diagnosis, and Corey does not diagnose or treat body dysmorphic disorder.
If the concern is persistent, distressing or disrupting daily life, a GP or mental health professional is the more appropriate first conversation.
Keep a real stop rule
Your stop rule might be that the preference must remain steady without filtered references, that you want independent advice first, or that the risks and likely limitations need to feel acceptable. You can also decide that doing nothing suits you better.
If the pressure comes from a friend’s comment or a group booking plan, the separate guide on keeping a cosmetic decision your own offers boundary scripts for that direct interpersonal situation.
What to expect at your visit
You will meet directly with Corey for a calm, private conversation. Bring the original image if it helps, but you do not need a polished explanation or a decision before you arrive.
Corey asks about your history, motivation and expectations, then looks at you in person. The current Ahpra guidelines require relevant psychological, social and cultural factors to form part of holistic suitability assessment. The conversation may lead to information, more time, independent support or no cosmetic care.
When health support should come first
Speak with a GP or mental health professional when appearance thoughts are persistent, distressing, repetitive or interfering with daily functioning, or when you are worried about body dysmorphic disorder. A cosmetic consultation is not diagnosis, psychological treatment or crisis care.
If you or someone you know has suicidal thoughts and is in immediate danger, call 000. Lifeline is available on 13 11 14.
If you want to assess the advertising behind an appearance prompt, use the cosmetic advertising guide. For a broader suitability conversation, read what an individual assessment considers.
Bring the question, not a commitment
Meet Corey in Oakleigh to discuss where the concern began, what you notice in person and whether assessment, more time or another kind of support is the right next step.
Is this for you?
Consider booking a consultation if
- Adults who want to identify where an appearance concern began
- People willing to discuss images, motivation, expectations and wellbeing honestly
- Adults open to waiting, independent assessment or no cosmetic procedure
- People who understand that a screenshot is context rather than a clinical measurement
This may not be for you if
- Anyone needing immediate mental health or emergency support
- People seeking diagnosis or psychological treatment from a cosmetic clinic
- Anyone expecting a filtered image or simulation to predict a personal outcome
- People unwilling to consider material risks, alternatives or the option of no procedure
Suitability is confirmed at consultation. This list is general guidance, not a substitute for clinical assessment.
Frequently asked questions
Can a close selfie change how my facial proportions look?
Yes. Camera distance, angle and lighting can change apparent proportions. Research comparing close front camera images with standard clinical photography found measurable differences, so a selfie should provide context rather than act as a clinical measurement.
Does using filters mean my concern is not real?
No. The concern may feel real and still be influenced by editing or repeated comparison. Identify the original image conditions and let assessment return to live anatomy, movement, history and realistic limitations.
What does Ahpra require a cosmetic practitioner to ask about?
Current guidance requires holistic suitability assessment, including history, relevant psychological, social and cultural factors, internal and external motivation, expectations and conditions that may make a person unsuitable.
Can Corey Anderson RN diagnose body dysmorphic disorder?
No. Corey can ask screening questions, identify reasons to pause and recommend independent assessment. Diagnosis and psychological treatment belong with an appropriately qualified health professional.
What signs suggest I should speak with a GP first?
Persistent preoccupation, repetitive checking or grooming, avoiding mirrors, photographs or social situations, repeated reassurance seeking, significant distress or disruption to daily functioning justify speaking with a GP or mental health professional.
Can I bring a filtered image to consultation?
Yes, if it helps explain where the idea began. Identify whether it is filtered, edited or generated and what caught your attention. It should not be treated as a promise, measurement or face to copy.
Why ask what I expect to change outside my appearance?
A cosmetic procedure cannot assure acceptance, relationship repair, career success, confidence or a sense of worth. Naming the expected life outcome helps separate a physical question from a promise the procedure cannot responsibly make.
What happens if the request changes from week to week?
Changing urgency or goals do not establish a diagnosis, but they support more time and assessment. Corey may recommend waiting, independent input or no cosmetic procedure rather than using care to settle an unstable request.
Does booking mean a procedure can happen on the same day?
No. Suitability, motivation, expectations, health history, risks, alternatives and informed consent come first. The appointment may end with information, waiting, referral or no cosmetic care.
Where can I get urgent mental health support?
If you or someone you know has suicidal thoughts and is in immediate danger, call 000. Lifeline is available on 13 11 14. A cosmetic clinic is not an emergency or crisis service.
Clinical references
- Ahpra: Guidelines for registered health practitioners who perform non-surgical cosmetic procedures
- Ahpra: Advertising higher risk non-surgical cosmetic procedures
- Healthdirect: Body dysmorphic disorder
- eSafety Commissioner: Pressures from social media
- PubMed: Size and perception of facial features with selfie photographs
- TGA: Advertising a health service
- Lifeline Australia: Crisis support
- Social media use and roles of self-objectification, self-compassion and body image concerns: a systematic review