The Kylie Jenner challenge can lead to bruising and scarring around the mouth
The reality of modern life is that we’re living in a culture that is obsessed with celebrities. Many people follow the lives of various celebrities by reading gossip magazines, watching reality TV shows, and through the use of social media. One of the most popular celebrity clans is the Kardashians, whose recent season premiere episode attracted a total of 2.547 million viewers. (1) While the older sisters of that clan originally made their family a household name, it’s the younger Kylie Jenner who has been generating a lot of attention over the last year. One of her key features that people go crazy for is her plump lips, which has led to a Twitter topic where young people attempt to plump their own lips by using a small glass and then sucking. However, this supposed beauty tip can be dangerous, as is attested to by licensed dermatologists, such as Dr. F. Victor Rueckl of Lakes Dermatology in Las Vegas.
The Twitter hashtag #kyliejennerchallenge has gone viral as a great deal of young people are attempting to artificially plump their lips. This is done by the person placing their lips within a small glass and then sucking as hard as they can. The result is that this action causes the lips to swell, but there are usually a number of negative effects as well. Pictures and videos of those attempting the challenge are showing that such a method is unsafe and, quite often, painful. Those who undertake the challenge are finding that their lips are often being bruised or even scarred from the experience. Sadly, the victims of this trend are mostly teens that are obsessed with celebrities and popular culture. Kylie Jenner is only 17 years old, but she has a total of 9.04 million followers on Twitter. (2) It’s hard enough to deal with body issues when you’re an adult, but it’s especially hard when you’re a teenager. Medical professionals, such as Dr. F. Victor Rueckl of Lakes Dermatology, are emphasizing that trying to change the features of your mouth in such a manner is unsafe and can lead to dangerous consequences.
In our culture today, young people look up to celebrities as role models, and, as such, want to imitate and look like them. A few years ago, it was Angelina Jolie that inspired young women to strive for fuller lips as those were seen as a key feature of her beauty. Now that baton has dropped to Kylie Jenner, and teenagers are willing to put themselves at risk to look anything like her. While most parents will put their foot down on their children asking for lip augmentation surgery, it requires no money or effort to grab a glass or bottle and attempt the Kylie Jenner challenge.
The sad thing is that young people are not aware of the risks that they’re taking by following this viral trend. Dr. F. Victor Rueckl of Lakes Dermatology in Las Vegas notes, “The more you cause injury to your lips in doing things like this, the more of a chance you have to create long-term issues in the lips which will require surgery to remove. While this lip ‘challenge’ seems minor, improper blood flow, damage to arteries in the lips, and possible scar tissue are not something anyone is going to want to deal with in the future. Young people should avoid this so-called ‘challenge’ like the plague altogether.” (3)
Trying to alter your features even on a temporary basis can be highly dangerous. The fact is that the bodies of young people are still growing and changing. Actions taken by teenagers to enhance their appearance can have tragic consequences. There are times when having a cosmetic surgical procedure is necessary in a young person, but consulting an experienced dermatologist, such as Dr. F. Victor Rueckl of Lakes Dermatology, is essential at such a time. They can properly examine the client and make a reasoned recommendation to them on how best to proceed. They can also fully outline the possible risks and side-effects that may occur from a procedure, as well as the best way to mitigate or lessen them. Licensed medical professionals have years of training and experience to determine the best, and safest, course of action, and going to them for cosmetic procedure advice is the smart thing to do. Following the suggestions of a Twitter hashtag or some other social media trend is not, no matter how popular the celebrity associated with it is.
References:
1) http://www.thewrap.com/keeping-up-with-the-kardashians-season-10-premiere-the-royals-tv-ratings-viewers-e/
2) https://twitter.com/KylieJenner
3) Quote from Dr. F.Victor Rueckl, dermatologist at Lakes Dermatology
