“You feel fake, but people tell you it’s normal”

From Botox at 18, to now advocating for natural beauty: why Kurt Coleman has changed his philosophy since appearing on Insight in 2016.

Kurt is embracing a more natural look these days. Source: Insight

At just 18, Kurt Coleman had tried Botox, lip fillers, jaw line and chin enhancements.

“I know you are jealous, I know you want my lips,” he told Insight in 2016.

“It’s literally just like changing my hair, it’s a little thing that I get done just ‘cause I can.”

Australians are now spending over $1 billion on non-surgical cosmetic procedures, with younger generations among those most willing to pay the price for their appearance.

Anti-wrinkle injections (Botox) and dermal filler injections - which can add volume to reshape the face - have seen the most significant increase in popularity over the last year.

Three years on, Kurt says the effects of his procedures have been completely reversed and claims he has since had his fillers dissolved.  He firmly states he will never go back, and now uses his 143,000 Instagram following to deter his young fan base from changing their appearance.  

Kurt Coleman, before cosmetic procedures (left) and after (right) back in 2016 Source: Supplied

“When I think back, I was 18, I was a baby, I’ve just left school, you’re not even in the real world yet…I just did it for fun,” says the now 21-year-old.

Kurt says the change of heart happened over night when he looked at his reflection and didn’t recognise himself anymore.

“I never had a problem with myself, I always loved myself,” says Kurt, a preacher of confidence and self-love on social media.

“I just looked in the mirror and said that’s not the same face I used to love. I had no confidence issues before, so why did I do it?”

Kurt says the rapid rise in friends around him with lip fillers normalised and downplayed the procedure: “I don’t know what I was thinking … I see it around me now and everyone just looks the same.”

“You feel fake, but people tell you it’s normal.”

He remembers walking into a clinic asking for one treatment and in the process, being pitched a number of other changes he should make.

“I never thought anything was wrong with my face, but she said ‘you should try this, do a bit of that’,” says Kurt.

“At the end of the day it’s a business and they want to sell products to young people.”

Kurt says dermal fillers are far too accessible and that a longer process should be in place, particularly for teenagers who won’t make informed decisions. Among his friends, he’s seen young women increasingly turn to “dodgy” places for cheaper deals at the cost of their safety.

This observation aligns with the growing number of underground cosmetic clinics operating in Australian cities.

“I was young and did something in the moment, if I was in my head then I wouldn’t have done it,” says Kurt.

“I don’t regret it though … I wouldn’t be able to tell a lot of people now that it is not a good thing to do.”