THE Love Island look of is something loads of us lust for.
But the explosion of big-lipped beauties on our screens has seen a massive surge in teens plumping for lip fillers.
That’s led experts to call for under-18s to be banned from cosmetic surgeries, for fear of causing permanent damage.
Growing numbers of young women are being encouraged on social media to sign up to have dermal fillers injected into their lips to achieve the reality TV look.
Dr Tijion Esho, founder of Harley Street’s The Esho Clinic, previously told The Sun that the show has had a massive impact on young women’s desire to get the Love Island look.
I’ve seen a huge rise in the number of 18-25-year-olds seeking lip fillers since the show began.
Dr Esho
“Many young women are coming to my clinic with pictures of the show’s contestants and asking how they can achieve that appearance.”
The problem is that these procedures aren’t taking place in high-end clinics – they’re being offered at rock-bottom prices in the back rooms of hair salons and in living rooms.
And that’s leading them to have allergic reactions and infections.
When it comes to the women chosen to appear on Love Island, the vast majority have had fillers.
The show’s new arrival Maura Higgins underwent a dramatic transformation before entering the villa – now sporting much larger lips.
Last year’s villa included contestants like Megan Barton-Hanson, who is reported to have spent £40,000 on surgery.
A former pal had revealed to Hello that Megan made her first visit to a plastic surgeon at just 14.
Megan, however, claims that she didn’t have her first procedure until she was 17.
The Essex bombshell had apparently stressed that she wanted to have her ears pinned back, having grown tired of the bullying she faced while at school.
Last year, Dr. Munir Somji of D. MediSpa said that he thought she’d had a nose job, boob job, cheek implants, chin reshaping, botox and lip fillers.
Laura Anderson admitted to having had botox and a boob job, while Dani Dyer went against her dads wishes to get cheek and lip fillers.
Ellie Brown had the same two procedures, while Ellie Jones also had lip fillers.
The Royal Society for Public Health is now calling for age limits on fillers, as 87 per cent of the British public believe the should illegal for under-18s.
There is currently no standard legal requirement across the UK in infection control for anyone offering special procedures, such as tattoos or piercings.
That means that currently anyone can set up shop without appropriate training and could ultimately put people at risk of infection.
There is also no specific legislation covering other equally invasive treatments, such as dermal fillers.
Shirley Cramer CBE, Chief Executive of RSPH, said: “The growing popularity of tattoos, piercings and cosmetic procedures is all part and parcel of people choosing to express themselves and their individual identity.
“However, the legislation and regulation of providers of these services, which ultimately protects the public, is markedly different across the UK and in some areas is not fit for purpose.
“This matters because one in five people are still at very real risk of sepsis and other complications.”
She said that the RSPH was now calling on the rest of the UK to follow the example set by Wales to ensure infection and other issues were minimised, by introducing a mandatory licensing scheme.
That would require practitioners must be licensed to avoid botch jobs taking place.
Two in three women admit to having had or are considering having aesthetic treatment.
We’ve previously reported on a number of cases of women who have had horrifying reactions to lip fillers.
Back in March, Lora Mua warned young people to think twice before buying into “Love Island culture” after a botched lip filer operation left her mouth drastically swollen.
She chose to get lip fillers after seeing it on Towie and Keeping up with the Kardashians – but it went “horrifically” wrong.
Mum Kelly McVicker was left too terrified to leave the house after having botched lip fillers that she found on Facebook for £90.
And last November, Rachel Knappier almost lost her lip after having fillers at a friend’s house.
Doctors have previously warned over the deadly side-effects associated with unregulated lip fillers – which can cause blindness or a stroke.
Leading cosmetic doctor Tijion Esho, founder of the Esho Clinic, said people can cause “catastrophic” damage to themselves by jumping on the filler bandwagon.
He said: “From hematomas to infections, abscess and tissue necrosis (where blood vessels become blocked with filler leading the tissue in that area to die), there are so many consequences to consider.
“People can go blind and suffer a stroke.
“There’s a risk of infection, abscesses can form and tissue necrosis is also a risk. People can be permanently disfigured.
“My fear is that something really bad will happen before people take note, which is why I’ll always be fighting for legislation.”
Officials want people to shop around and choose qualified professionals for their treatment.
The Government has now issued new advice – published on nhs.uk – setting out the questions that should be asked before undergoing any cosmetic procedure.
They include:
An increase in unregulated companies offering cheaper services, many offering procedures abroad, is also believed to be contributing to more people experiencing harm.
So just think before you jump on a bargain offer.
If you can, save up and go somewhere reputable. That’ll also buy you a bit of thinking time to decide if it’s something you definitely want to do.
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