Is Facebook Prompting Facelifts?

It seems that the surge in social media use over the last decade has had even more far-reaching effects than most realize, at least according to a recent article. The theory: that thanks to online chat and social websites like Facebook, people are now seeking out plastic surgery more often.

There’s certainly some logic behind this idea. In a world where you used to only have to worry about seeing old high school friends at reunions, for example, today you may be displaying regularly updated personal photos to them via Facebook. The medium may be different, but the desire to put your best face forward is the same.

Another suggested reason that social media and video chat might prompt more people to consider facial plastic surgery procedures is that these technologies allow you to see yourself in ways you previously couldn’t. You can view more angles, see what your face looks like in motion when you speak, and perhaps notice signs of aging like wrinkles that appear when your face is at its most expressive.

Procedures like facelift and blepharoplasty can certainly improve the look of Facebook profile photos, helping you look younger and more like the person your old friends remember going to school with. Considering other research related to Facebook, it’s really no wonder that social media is prompting patients to seek out plastic surgery procedures with increasing frequency.

Multiple media outlets have reported over the past six months that Facebook use has been shown to correlate to a reduction in self esteem, for example. It puts users in a position to continually judge themselves next to others.

Increased self esteem has always been among the positive benefits cosmetic plastic surgery patients enjoy, so the relationship between social media and aesthetic surgeries was bound to happen. It seems likely that these numbers will only continue to go up, as well. Just as a prevalence of plastic surgery among celebrities helped introduce the masses to the benefits of aesthetic procedures, people can now see that same evidence reflected through their Facebook friends lists.

With the internet becoming the primary place where people socialize with friends both old and new, plastic surgery offers even more benefits than before. In a world where we are constantly looking at photos and videos of ourselves, the increased self esteem such procedures provide becomes even more effective.

If you live in or near Gainesville and would like to learn more about how facial plastic surgery can help you achieve your goals, give us a call.