Why Zoom makes you look bad (and how you can fix it)

By now, we’re all no strangers to Zoom. Having gone through various stages of restrictions and lockdowns, working from home for the past year has been the norm. In fact seeing so much of ourselves on Zoom has made us question they way we look. “Why do I have so many lines?” “Do I really look that old?” “Has that double chin been there all this time??”

Our doctors break it down why Zoom may not be helping you look your best and what you can do about them.

Read more: A Timeline of How Your Skin Ages…. Starting From Your 20s

Why does my face look bad on Zoom?

The changes in your face as you age are more visible when we move our faces. This is no wonder our doctors like to ask our patients to move their face, such as smile and frown during examination. This allows the doctor to better see where age has caused fat to thin under the skin and more visibly show the muscles pull on the facial tissues.

This allows the doctor to know exactly where to place fillers and anti-wrinkle injections to smooth out unwanted lines and wrinkles.

Do angles matter

If you’ve watched enough Tik Tok videos, you know angles can make a huge difference in the way our face looks.

Most times when we look in the mirror, we see it straight on. Many tips too have been shared to tilt your face to look up at the camera for a more flattering picture, such as selfies.

But when you’re on Zoom, the camera on your laptop may not be placed in the most flattering angle. Worst is when the camera is looking up at you, and we inevitably have our faces look downwards, exaggerating the appearance of our jowls and double chins.

Either you can start to adjust the camera angle on your laptop for a more universally flattering face on screen or if those hanging jowls are really bothering you, there are options to tighten saggy skin in this part of the face. From threadlifts, to Thermage FLX and Ultherapy, you aesthetic doctor will be able to customize a treatment that’s right for your concerns to give you the results you’re after.

Read more: 5 reasons to love the NeoGen Plasma treatment

Lighting

Between a camera-man and photographer, lighting can radically change the way one appears on screen and in pictures.

In our homes where Zoom calls are mostly conducted, the lighting typically comes from ceiling lights above head. This unfortunately is not the most flattering light for us, creating shadows in all the wrong areas such as highlighting eye bags and facial lines.

These too can be easily fixed with good lighting (if you know how to) or get fillers to improve your facial contours for a more aesthetically pleasing appearance, both in person and on Zoom.