There’s no doubt that Facebook and other social networking sites have made a huge impact on our lives. No longer do we have to wonder if Johnny from third grade ever became a lawyer or if Sally became a model. Odds are that social media can tell you. And while social networking sites are a great way to communicate, there seems to also be a correlation between their usage and the increasing amount of people going in for plastic surgery.
According to The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, surgeons have recently dubbed these social media inspired procedures “Facebook Facelifts,” despite the fact that many procedures don’t include a facelift. It often takes seeing photos of yourself on these sites to notice things you didn’t notice in the mirror. That’s because rather than just looking at an image of yourself, you’re seeing how everyone else sees you.
“People have always come in with a photo of themselves where they didn’t like what they saw,” says La Jolla, CA, plastic surgeon, Robert Singer, MD. “But now with digital phones and more opportunities to take pictures from different angles, people are more likely to see ones where they don’t like their appearance.”
Experts are also guessing that the increase in chin augmentation procedures in 2011 are because of social media pressures. Other popular procedures include nose jobs, fat grafting on the face and various fillers. And not only is the number of people opting for different procedures increasing, the people doing so are also younger, says Dr. Singer.
Plus, in the digital age, people have access to more information about different procedures, including non-surgical options, especially through social media sites. “With so much information out there, the important thing is that you need to get valid information from a board-certified plastic surgeon.”
