Filler, the new podcast from Il Sole 24 Ore, explores the boom in cosmetic surgery

Whereas people used to go to the doctor with a photo of a celebrity, today patients turn up with a digitally altered version of themselves. A trend that began on social media with minor tweaks and has become a psychological trap. For this very reason, in January 2025 Meta removed 2 million filters from its platforms, in an attempt to curb the spread of unrealistic facial alterations in real time. Yet the trend has not stopped, and the comparison between digital images and the biological limits of the human body continues to fuel unattainable expectations.

Our relationship with time is also changing. The trends of ‘pro-aging’ and ‘longevity’ have become widespread: preventive treatments such as Botox and biorevitalisation are now being started in one’s 20s and 30s to stimulate collagen production even before wrinkles appear. This is evidence of a genuine phobia of ageing, increasingly interpreted as a loss of social value.

And then there is the question of taste, which, at least in Italia, is moving towards a quest for naturalness. Yet there remains a strong drive towards standardisation, driven by global aesthetic trends and social media algorithms.

The podcast series also tackles the sector’s most sensitive and rarely discussed issues: from the grey areas of Italian regulation to the consequences of aggressive communication on social media, via inconsistent enforcement across the country and the difficulties patients face in distinguishing between expertise, training pathways and commercial offers. There is also the phenomenon of low-cost beauty and cosmetic tourism, in a market where treatments and procedures are becoming increasingly accessible and where the quest for the lowest price often conflicts with the safety and quality of services.

The “Filler” series is the first part of a wider investigation that will continue in September with the publication of a book.