Has Snapchat provided a boost to the plastic surgery industry?
Lu Rahman continues her look at the cosmetic surgery industry and examines how social media, in particular Snapchat, is playing into the rise of cosmetic procedures.
In the last issue of MPN Europe, I commented upon the way in which a TV programme in the UK, Love Island, was being criticised for using contestants that had undergone cosmetic surgery as well as featuring commercials for breast surgery.
The global cosmetic surgery and procedure market is expected to hit $43.9 by 2025, according to Grand View Research. It’s hardly surprising that businesses want to take their slice of this sector if they can.
The opportunities offered by this market aren’t confined to Europe, or breast surgery. The latest influence to come under the spotlight for its effect on how we view our bodies, is Snapchat.
An article by Susruthi Rajanala in the JAMA Facial Plastic Surgery highlights the way in which Snapchat editing has gone beyond its puppy ears and flowery crown effect most of us have seen at some point. With its ability to smooth and offer youthful glamour to its photographs, the desire for this to extend into real life has now become a reality.
"The American Society of Plastic Surgeons recently ran a piece on how men were turning to plastic surgeons for better body image and confidence, resulting in a positive self-image."
“Patients may seek surgery hoping to look better in selfies and social media,” writes Rajanala, adding, “Plastics surgeons first identified this trend in the 2017 Annual American Academy of Facial Plastics and Reconstructive Surgery (AAFPRS) survey. Current data show that 55% of surgeons report seeing patients who request surgery to improve their appearance in selfies, up from 42% in 2015. The survey also noted an increase in patients sharing their surgical process and results in social media.”
This new craze, if is you can call it that - for people to appear as filtered version of themselves – is becoming known as ‘Snapchat dysmorphia’.
It would of course, be easy to point the finger at both the social medical industry and the plastic surgery sector. I’m sure Snapchat was unaware of the potential possibilities of its users to appear permanently filtered. As for the plastic surgery sector, we need to weight up this wave of desire for procedures against the many processes that improve body image and mental well-being as a result. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons recently ran a piece on how men were turning to plastic surgeons for better body image and confidence, resulting in a positive self-image.
There is a fine line between what we may view as the harmful effects of social media on how we view our bodies, and the way many of us are looking at how we appear physically. This may drive the need to improve appearance because we feel inadequate, or a resulting procedure may improve the way we think we look. It’s a tricky one to fathom and will be interesting to watch over coming years. Of course, there’s every chance we’ll see a backlash against filters on and off our phone screens…who knows what will replace it?