Since social media networks first emerged nearly 10 years ago, their popularity has exploded – and, with it, the popularity of cosmetic procedures.
Today, an estimated one billion people around the world subscribe to social channels such as Facebook and Twitter and, with the emergence of video technology such as Skype and Face Time, never before have we been so exposed to our appearance on a day-to-day basis. Now, experts are saying that this exposure has stimulated interest in cosmetic procedures.
Doctors believe video-chatting tools and social media networks have partly fuelled the boom in cosmetic surgery that has been seen over the last decade, and have even coined the term ‘Facebook Facelift’ for procedures they believe have been influenced by social media.
‘People will come in and say, “I saw myself in the mirror, but I didn’t really notice it until I saw myself on Facebook or on my iPhone or iPad”‘, says US plastic surgeon Dr Adam Schaffner. ‘When you look in the mirror you’re seeing the mirror image of yourself. But when you see yourself on social media, you’re seeing yourself the way the world sees you.’
According to the American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (ASAPS), the recent increase in the number of chin augmentations in America may be due to social media, as it is a feature many don’t notice until they frequently see images of themselves. Indeed, one patient in Los Angeles told ABC News that social media was the reason she invested $15,000 in cosmetic procedures, including a chin augmentation, rhinoplasty and fat grafting.
‘I have been self-conscious about my chin, and it’s all stemming from these Facebook photos,’ she said. ‘I think that social media has really changed so much about how we look at ourselves and judge ourselves. Ten years ago, I don’t think I even noticed that I had a weak chin.’
According to Dr Schaffner, this social-media driven vanity is also changing the way in which surgeons cater to their clients. Whilst one surgeon in the US offers the ‘FaceTime Facelift’, designed to make people more attractive during FaceTime conversations, Dr Schaffner performs what he calls the ‘LifeStyle Lift’: a minimally invasive procedure to tighten up the face.
With 400 million people using Facebook every day, and 40 per cent of internet uses owning a Smart Phone, it seems certain that we all, at some stage, will need to learn to become comfortable with seeing ourselves on-screen.
