Is There an Obligation to Be Perfect in Today’s World?

Should we have lips, eyes, and cheeks straight out of a catalog? Or is there still room to simply be ourselves—unique and beautiful in our individuality?
Such space is shrinking, which is why it’s significant that new trends in medicine are emerging. These trends aim to support us in maintaining a beautiful appearance and delaying the signs of aging—without the use of botulinum toxin or fillers.

In the podcast “Health Uncensored”, we discuss whether this is the right direction with Klaudia Witczak, entrepreneur, founder, and owner of the Smart Aging Clinic, a regenerative skin medicine clinic. It is likely the only facility in Poland that has consciously abandoned invasive procedures using botulinum toxin and fillers. She is also the creator of the UNBOTOXED concept, host of the podcast “UNBOTALKS  Conversations”, and the initiator of social campaigns such as “Beauty is Not Copy-Paste” and “Unique Ones”.

Have we distorted the definition of beauty in today’s world? If so, can this phenomenon be reversed, and could it inspire change?

“I believe we’ve completely lost our way in perceiving beauty. A few years ago, I became an investor in an aesthetic medicine clinic. I had the opportunity to closely observe how the business operates, and I felt a natural, internal opposition to what I saw. I then thought it would be worth creating a place that emphasizes respect for the body as the ultimate value in self-care. That’s how the idea for my current work was born. The mission of the brand I created is to educate people that it is possible—and necessary—to care for the skin differently because it benefits our health,” says Klaudia Witczak.

“In my clinic, we don’t fight time; instead, we aim to raise awareness about healthy skin care alternatives available today. We often don’t use them because we’re bombarded with a variety of procedures and don’t know what to choose, what’s good for us, or, most importantly, what’s healthy for us. We often follow enticing advertising promotions or the ideal beauty standards relentlessly promoted on social media,” she adds.

Scientific studies now reveal that fillers used in aesthetic medicine do not fully dissolve and remain in our skin. They can migrate and cause side effects.
“It’s essential to pay attention to what we inject into our skin and consider the potential health consequences,” says Witczak.

In Smart Aging Clinic, we focus solely on biocompatible preparations—those that our bodies recognize as natural. Examples include exosomes, which transport nutrients between cells, delivering exactly what they need, or platelet-rich plasma and fibrin. All these autologous preparations are derived from the patient’s blood, minimizing the risk of complications to almost zero. We complement them with modern laser therapy and microneedling radiofrequency. This is enough to allow the skin to age gracefully.”

How do you convince skeptics or botox enthusiasts to consider these beneficial procedures?

"When botulinum toxin is injected and the procedure is performed regularly, the muscles are paralyzed, meaning the neuromuscular transmission is effectively blocked. The muscles weaken. This muscle paralysis prevents communication and, consequently, relationships with others, effectively freezing emotions—the face is always content, doesn’t wrinkle, and isn’t angry, sad, or surprised," says the owner of Smart Aging Clinic.

“This was emphasized by Paul Ekman, a researcher of emotions, who identified 43 muscles responsible for expressing key emotions like sadness, anger, joy, fear, or rage. When these muscles don’t function properly, disrupting micro-expressions, we stop communicating with the world. Our partner, friends, or children begin to perceive us differently,” she adds .

Klaudia Witczak, as an alternative to botox and fillers in anti-aging prevention, refers to studies by Professor Rose Anne Kenny, which indicate that only 20% of how we age is determined by genetics, while the remaining 80% is actually lifestyle. In other words, it depends on how we treat ourselves and our bodies on a daily basis.

This way, we will maintain our health, vitality, and unique appearance. We won’t feel the need to conform to current beauty standards, which create people who resemble each other, sometimes even identical. Our focus will shift from outward appearance to self-care, from enhancement to health.