For some, it’s the nose. If only my nose were smaller, narrower, less irregularly shaped, I’d look better in my Facebook pictures.
For others it’s a double chin that is getting in the way of selfies. For others it’s the boobs.
Everyone has body parts and features that they’re not content with. Yet, with the increased popularity of social media and the selfie, more and more people are electing to undergo plastic surgery in order to be able to project a better-looking digital presence.
It looks like Facebook is turning into Face-lift-book, with more and more people choosing to undergo cosmetic surgery in order to meet their beauty ideals.
According to the Huffington Post, 41 million images have been tagged as selfies. As the selfie gained in popularity, so has plastic surgery. The Huffington Post reports that between 2012 and 2013 the number of nose jobs performed increased by ten percent. Between 2012 and 2013 eyelid surgery increased by six percent. Selfies have become such an important part of popular culture that the Oxford English Dictionary recently added the term to its lexicon.
Unlike a self-portrait, the selfie is often taken with the goal of gaining “likes” on Facebook and followers on other social media outlets. Given the immediate feedback that people receive when they take these photos, the pressure to look better, to stay looking younger longer, and the desire to meet our own internal aesthetic standards increases. Plastic surgery can often produce the desired results in a short period of time.
For individuals who want to get rid of flab for the perfect bikini shot, there’s liposuction. For those who want to keep looking fresh beyond 35, there’s Botox and fillers. For those who are self-conscious about certain facial features, there’s a nose job and other facial plastic surgery options. And for those who want to increase their sex appeal, there are always Breast Implants or the Brazilian Butt Lift.
People magazine noted that in 2014, a surge in plastic surgery was noted as people became more self-aware due to the selfie trend. Whereas in the past people worried about how they looked in the mirror, more plastic surgery patients are expressing concerns about how they will look in their social media profiles and in photos that appear online. The increase in nose jobs was attributed to the fact that in the kind of close-up image that is taken with a selfie, the nose tends to look bigger in the selfie than it looks in person.
For most people, plastic surgery provides a boost in self-esteem and maybe a boost in the “likes,” but patients should remember that plastic surgery isn’t for everyone. Plastic surgery is still surgery and procedures of such caliber must be handled only by the very skilled and experienced doctor.
For instance, Leonard Grossman, M.D., a plastic surgeon in NYC, understands that plastic surgery is a momentous step in any person’s life. As a result, Dr. Grossman takes the time to understand each patient’s aesthetic goals and needs and works to ensure that each patient receives the best possible outcome. Dr. Grossman who was the American Plastic Surgeon to have performed the first “Nose Job in the bottle” in 1996, where using fillers like Restylane or Juvederm allows patients to refine the nose, correct the hump and make the nose straighter in under 5 minutes. For those who want to improve their digital and real-life appearance, Dr. Grossman offers a range of options and not just surgery.
