Donegal woman digs deep into fillers and anti-wrinkle industry

A new documentary on the growing demand for beauty treatments will feature some familiar faces.

Are lip fillers and anti-wrinkle injections becoming the norm for young people today?

That’s what BBC Blas presenter Caoimhe Ní Chathail set out to investigate in her new documentary Croí na Ceiste le Caoimhe, airing on February 1^st on BBC 2 NI.

Caoimhe, who is originally from Letterkenny, goes beneath the surface of the aesthetics industry in Northern Ireland with the help of young men and women who have first-hand experience of treatments.

Caoimhe wants to find out why people decide to have aesthetics treatments, how easy it is to get them and how important it is to do your research. How safe are these procedures? 

The documentary hears from Former Miss Ireland Lauren McDonagh. The Buncrana model only started getting lip fillers was when she was crowned Miss Ireland in 2017 and one of her prizes was a voucher for a free aesthetic treatment. 

Caoimhe also investigates how the aesthetics industry is unregulated in Northern Ireland which causes a lot of non-medical practitioners to be in charge. In the programme, Dr. Chris Hutton explains the dangers around botched jobs and side effects that can include blindness and severe infections. 

Viewers will meet Clodagh Ní Mhaicin, 26, from Belfast, who started getting lip fillers at 18. The build up of numerous filler injections over the years means that she’s left with residue filler needing to be dissolved, which is, as viewers will witness, a very painful procedure. 

Presenter Caoimhe also gets a make-up lesson from local tik-tok sensation and make-up artist Emma Kearney. Emma admits to having had lip fillers, but she is adamant about the importance of feeling comfortable in your own skin and to remind everyone that not everything you see on social media is how it seems.

Catch Croí na Ceiste le Caoimhe – Cóireála Cosmaideach on Monday February 1^st, 10pm on BBC 2 NI.

Croí na Ceiste le Caoimhe is produced by Waddell Media for BBC Gaeilge with funding support from Northern Ireland Screen’s Irish Language Broadcast Fund.

Sarah Reddin is the Producer/Director on ‘CROÍ NA CEISTE LE CAOIMHE’. Executive Producers are Jannine Waddell and David Cumming for Waddell Media; Áine Walsh for the ILBF and Karen Kirby For BBC GAEILGE.