Are Selfies Driving the Popularity of Plastic Surgery?
Social media has seeped into every aspect of our lives, changing the way we interact, connect, and share with others. Studies have shown that social media is even changing the way we perceive ourselves.
Refinery29 recently featured ways in which the “age of the selfie” is impacting our feelings of self-worth and what it may mean for future generations.
“Generation Selfie”
From Snapchat to Instagram, there are plenty of filters that can alter the lighting, contrast, and even the shape of your face. In the blink of an eye, you can go from a post-nap, drowsy mess to a glowing angel with a halo to match. While these apps can be fun and even give a short term boost in confidence, they could also be a driving force in people wanting to permanently alter their appearance with plastic surgery.
Loving yourself in your selfies should be a happy bonus with cosmetic treatments, not the reason for cosmetic surgery.
In fact, the most recent American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery survey found that more than 50% of surgeons have patients coming to them hoping to improve they ways they look in selfies. They’re calling this “selfie-awareness” and it grew by more than 13% just in the past year.
Risks of selfie-awareness
The potential problem with increasing selfie-awareness is the fact that it can become an obsession with comparing oneself to others, rather than a celebration of individuality. Social media feeds only tell part of a story, and it’s important to recognize that most people’s real lives are quite different from what they choose to show online. These people also generally look quite different in person.
Many celebrities and influencers stage the photos in their Instagram feed, choose the best out of many images, and then add in professional retouching for good measure—while most of us only make such efforts for significant life events, such as getting married.
Choosing plastic surgery for you instead of others
Our job as plastic surgeons is to help people feel confident and beautiful, but we also think it’s important to choose plastic surgery for the right reasons—the main one being you! In other words, it’s unwise to change your appearance with plastic surgery solely to impress others. Public opinion, fashion, and personal relationships all change over time.
That’s why, at Plastic Surgery Services, we focus on timeless enhancements. Our hope is for you to feel more confident and comfortable in your own skin. We understand having the desire to look more youthful, correct something that has bothered you for a long time, or change an aspect of your appearance that is impacting your self-confidence. We’ll provide honest feedback, help you explore options, and guide you towards treatments that fit your lifestyle and goals.
In sum, we say loving your new selfies should be a happy bonus to a treatment, not the driving reason for cosmetic surgery.
If you’ve wondered, “should I have plastic surgery” to make changes to your face, skin, breasts or body, contact us today. We will be glad to listen to your goals and discuss possibilities during a personal consultation.
Leave a Comment