How Social Media is Influencing Plastic Surgery Decisions: Social Media Perfect Selfies Lead to Plastic Surgeries

We all seem to be using social media and various communication platforms in some form or another – Instagram, Snapchat, and FaceTime are just three of the newer platforms used today by consumers of all ages.

In 2016, the launch year of Google Photo, users uploaded more than 24 billion selfie images. Today, we continue to share images of ourselves and visit with friends and relatives using video chat apps on our digital devices.

But what if you don’t like how you look in these images? As the saying goes, “There’s an app for that!” Filters found within Snapchat, Instagram, and other apps allow users to remove a blemish, smooth out wrinkles, and even enlarge eyes in the photos we share. It’s easy to adjust our looks on the screen to suit our desires.

The emerging trend carries this ability further – as our society has grown obsessed with physical appearance and physical perfection, social media users are turning to plastic surgery to alter their physical appearance to match their desired digital appearance. Today, surgeons are met with patients holding smartphones containing images of their preferred results. All are performed through apps on their devices.

It seems that social media use has created an unrealistic expectation of physical appearance, which is a growing concern for patient-centered surgeons. Most patients bring requests that surgeons can complete with confidence. However, there are those occasions when patients may possess unreasonable outcome expectations. Here, it is the job of the surgeon to help the patient understand the line between reality and fantasy.

Once, it was celebrities that paved the way in plastic surgery trends. Now, it is these filtered photos that create the demand for outpatient surgeries like plumper lips, symmetrically contoured cheekbones, and straightened noses. However, some patients come to surgeons seeking larger surgeries such as rhinoplasty or the “mommy makeover” procedures that thin waists, enhance breasts, and shape buttocks. Many of these increasingly common surgery requests seem to stem from social media activity.

Keeping the patient’s well-being at the forefront, responsible surgeons work with patients to understand the rationale for the desired changes. When a medical procedure is in the patient’s best interest, surgeons are happy to listen to their wishes and proceed with the appropriate surgery to achieve the desired outcome.

Above all, maintaining a healthy perspective for any medical procedure is paramount. Decisions concerning physical alterations to your body should be made in close consultation with a doctor. The right physician will help you determine the right procedures based on the right reasons.

Your physical and emotional health is a top priority at Perimeter Plastic Surgery. We hope the information in this blog has been educational for you and your family. Contact us today if you have any questions about our services and how we can help you look and feel your best.