Encouraged by the stars of reality shows and social media influencers, cosmetic surgery has for many young people become as common as tattoos. ‘Youngsters idealise their image’, says Dr Hervé Raspaldo, a French cosmetic surgeon. ‘If it wasn’t fashionable, nobody would do it’, admits Joana, a 21-year-old aspiring influencer who gets lip fillers in an effort to look more like the Instagram filters she uses. The market is booming, with both high-end specialized clinics and their low-cost counterparts just a plane ride away in Tunisia or Turkey. For some women, their body transformation process is part of a deeper quest for identity and self-esteem. ‘I’d been at odds with my body for years’, says Swan, who has had nearly ten surgeries at the age of 24.