In a new study released by the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (AAFPRS), an increasing number of people has been seeking facial plastic surgery due to the rise of social media platforms that encourage the sharing of pictures of oneself or 'selfies'.
A survey conducted among approximately 2,700 members of AAFPRS revealed that one of three plastic surgeons reported an increase in patients asking for facial plastic surgery. Surgeons also found out that different social media had something to do with the increase in number of plastic surgery patients.
"Social platforms like Instagram, Snapchat and the iPhone app Selfie.im, which are solely image based, force patients to hold a microscope up to their own image and often look at it with a more self-critical eye than ever before," explained AAFPRS President Edward Farrior, MD. "These images are often the first impressions young people put out there to prospective friends, romantic interests and employers and our patients want to put their best face forward," he added.
The 2013 data gathered from the AAFPRS members showed notable increases in facial surgeries compared with the 2012 information. For instance, rhinoplasty surgeries have seen a 10 percent increase in the number of patients availing of the service while hair transplants showed 7 percent increase and eyelid surgeries rose to an additional 6 percent. Meanwhile, 58 percent of the facial plastic surgeons surveyed said that there has been a jump in the number of patients availing cosmetic surgery or injectables. The patients who sought injectables, such as facial fillers and botox, normally fell under the age of 30.
"There has been a 25 percent increase over the past year and a half to two years. That is very significant," shared Dr. Sam Rizk. "They come in with their iPhones and show me pictures," added the 47-year-old plastic surgeon as he shared his experiences in his Manhattan clinic. "Selfies are just getting to be so crazy," the doctor further stated.
Despite the boost in business brought about by the onset of the 'selfie' culture, Dr. Rizk was not one to easily take advantage of the clients. He claimed that he had to refuse a "significant portion" of people who come in his clinic for rhinoplasty because he believed not everyone seeking such surgery actually needs it.
"We all will have something wrong with us on a selfie image," Dr. Rizk said. "I refuse a significant proportion of patients with selfies because I believe it is not a real image of what they actually look like in person," he explained. Moreover, Dr. Rizk shared that a person taking too many 'selfies' may be an indicator of one's self-obsession, which could contribute to the worsening of his or her insecurity level.
