Once upon a time, we lived in an analog world, when the name “Kardashian” was solely associated with a Los Angeles criminal defense attorney, influencers weren’t a thing, and filters were just used to make your morning pot of coffee or oxygenate a fish tank. It was a time when cosmetic procedures were treated like shameful secrets, a taboo tinkering of the face and body seemingly reserved for the rich and famous. Unless you were Joan Rivers, procedures were rarely spoken about openly. One day you woke up, and Frances “Baby” Houseman from Dirty Dancing had a new nose.
Today, TikTokers share everything from live Botox injections to butt-plumping procedures (BBLs, for the uninitiated), medical professionals take to Instagram to advise on how many units of filler you may need, and 
HydraFacialists proudly show the floating funk collected from spending a half hour of vacuuming their client’s now-radiant pores.
We’ve come a long way, baby.
Mimicking much of the country, the cosmetic procedure industry in Rhode Island is thriving. One quick Google search and you’ll find pages upon pages of beauty outposts ready to prick, plump, resurface, and rejuvenate your skin – and other body parts – to help you achieve your best self.
I spoke with doctors, nurse practitioners, legislators and business owners about the risks and rewards of everything from dermal fillers and neurotoxins to body contouring, thread lifts and platelet-rich plasma treatments for The Bay, Hey Rhody and SO Rhode Island magazines.
Click the links for info and insights from those with skin incthe game.
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