02 Jan “Selfie” trend increases demand for facial plastic surgery
The 2013 survey results from the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery are available and you won’t believe some of the trends being reported.
The rise of “selfies” is having a huge impact on the facial plastic surgery industry. One in three facial plastic surgeons reported an increase in request for procedures due to patients being more self-aware of their looks on various social platforms and apps, such as Instagram, Snapchat, Self.im and Facebook. In fact 13 percent of surgeons identified increased photo sharing and patients’ dissatisfaction with their appearance on social media sites as a rising trend in facial plastic surgery.
The most common surgical procedures were not surprising: rhinoplasty (nose surgery), facelifts, Blepharoplasty (eyelid surgery), septoplasty (functional nose surgery), and ablative skin resurfacing. The most common non-surgical procedures were Botox and hyaluronic acid (injectable filler). Remarkably, patients are more concerned about overall results (73 percent) and cost and recovery time (71 percent) than the social stigma of having a procedure. It is true. In the 2013 survey, surgeons said that being secretive, or feeling embarrassed about having surgery were the least of patient concerns; this is a change from previous years when patients were planning for a cosmetic get-away and hoping no one would ask about their revitalized appearance.
Women make up 81 percent of candidates for facial plastic surgery treatments. Facelifts and rhinoplasties were tied for the top cosmetic procedure, followed by ablative skin resurfacing and blepharoplasties. The most common non-surgicall cosmetic procedures were Botox, hyaluronic acid injections, superficial peels, microdermabrasion, and non-ablative resurfacing. Among male patients, the most common procedures were Botox, hyaluronic acid injections, hair transplants, and rhinoplasty.
The survey revealed some interesting trends on how patients come to the decision to have surgery. Most patients, (60) percent) are getting information about plastic surgery online, followed by referrals from friends (53 percent),. When they come into the office, 59 percent of patients are describing the area of concern rather than asking for physician advice or requesting a specific procedure.
There were some interesting statistics regarding age and procedures. For both male and female patients under the age of 35, the most common surgery performed was rhinoplasty (90 percent male; 86 percent female). Botox was the next highest among women (84 percent) and septoplasty among men (66 percent). In 2013, more than half of facial plastic surgeons (58 percent) have seen an increase in cosmetic surgery or injectables in those under age 30. In patients between the ages of 35 and 60, the most often performed procedures are blepharoplasty (eyelid surgery), browlifts, Botox, facelift, filler injections, and chemical peel procedures.
A continued trend from previous years, patients are more educated about plastic surgery and the use of non-surgical procedures to delay surgical procedures.