What did you gift your significant other for Valentine’s Day: flowers, chocolates, a decadent dinner? How about plastic surgery?
A growing trend called “beauty matching” began to emerge a couple years back. It has two different interpretations. In the majority of instances, it refers to couples who book cosmetic procedures—fillers, Botox, CoolSculpting—together prior to a big event or simply to share the experience with each other.
When you think about it, beauty matching is not the stretch it may seem to be at first glance. Couples tend to be like-minded people who have similar priorities. Why wouldn’t that extend to how they go about improving their appearance?
Sometimes, a partner is inspired by the other’s rejuvenation and books their own version. As one person is learning about a given procedure, they’re likely also discussing it with their partner. A treatment then becomes a mutual exchange of ideas.
The other interpretation is more literal: couples who get procedures in tandem so that they can look like each other.
The benefits of beauty matching
Let’s be clear: Beauty matching needs to be a mutual decision to share the experience. Getting procedures with your partner is completely normal, even practical. Being able to offer your significant other emotional support during their recovery is a big advantage.
Having another perspective during the consultation is another plus. With so many ways to treat a given issue these days, having someone there who knows you so intimately can sometimes make it all that much easier to arrive at a decision.
So, beauty matching can be very rewarding and valuable. What it shouldn’t be is pressuring your partner, or feeling pressured, into something. Even if your partner really wants it for you, you want to do it for your own reasons.
It’s also not about getting procedures with the intent to look like each other.
How to go about it
As to what types of procedures can be matched, they’re typically aging procedures—couples are often relatively similar in age and tend to have common concerns about their appearance—but, technically, just about anything could be done together.
Generally, the procedures revolve around big life events—Botox before a wedding or liposuction before a milestone anniversary party—which is very often the case for individuals, too.
Regardless of the procedure, the key with beauty matching is communication. Before you schedule a consultation with a board-certified plastic surgeon, make sure that you and your partner are on the same page about what each of you wants from the experience. This is the rare instance in your relationship where compromise isn’t a solution.