A Major Shift in Plastic Surgery Trends

As the pandemic made its appearance on the global stage in 2020 and the United States Government announced a restriction on movement, the demand for plastic surgery went down considerably. However, the pandemic brought with it an increase in remote working, necessitating the use of Zoom and other similar platforms to hold online meetings. While people’s physical interactions with others became minimal within this period, facetime, on the other hand, increased.

Trends in plastic surgery are always shifting just as swiftly as the world changes. As plastic surgeons started offering their services after the lockdown, the demand for procedures like facelifts, browlifts, rhinoplasty, and eye lifts increased.    

What Influenced Plastic Surgery Trends?

Over the years, trends in the plastic surgery industry have been determined mainly by celebrities. Society’s definition of beauty within each period was more or less a question of what famous faces in the modeling, fashion, and entertainment industry projected. Sometimes, the pace was set by slim and petite women; at other times, the spotlight was on women with tiny waists, large hips, and busts.

However, from 2020, the plastic surgery trends have been significantly influenced by the following:

#1. A desire to Enhance Natural Features

Agreeably, some celebrities still seem to be in the game and calling the shots when it comes to influencing society’s definition of beauty. While liposuction, hip, and breast enlargement procedures are still in demand, there has been a significant demand for procedures that enhance people’s existing physical features. So, instead of undergoing plastic surgery to look like someone else, people opt for procedures that enhance their best features.

#2. The Wider Acceptance of Physical Features Particular with Specific Races

Certain physical features can differ between people due to their racial background. For instance, people of African descent may have fuller appearing lips, while Asians may have smaller appearing eyes.

In the past, physical features were deemed acceptable based on what was being projected by fashion magazines. Therefore, this has placed people under pressure to undergo different procedures to try and conform to the projected standards. 

In recent times, however, social media trends have made people begin to pride themselves in the natural features that are particular to their background and see the beauty in them. So, instead of having a procedure to reduce or enlarge the nose or achieve thinner lips, what is more common are procedures targeted at enhancing their natural features or correcting small imperfections such as a crooked nose.  

#3. The Rise of Photo Apps

Many photo apps have come up with filters that may create an unrealistic or distorted appearance of the patient in the photo.  Many patients have made requests from their surgeons to try and match the distorted photos.  The present-day surgeon has a lot of responsibility to educate patients on what is a safe and realistic outcome from surgery.

#4. The Zoom Boom

Have you ever heard of  Zoom dysmorphia? It is not an actual medical condition but a state of mind where people become overly conscious of their looks due to spending so much time on Zoom and other video messaging apps. This has led to a boom in aesthetic facial procedures after the pandemic.

According to a survey carried out by the International Journal of Women’s Dermatologists, 30 percent of the survey participants affirmed their willingness to invest more in their looks in preparation for resuming personal contact after the lockdowns were lifted and normal personal interactions resumed.

Although things are gradually returning to normal, and many people no longer use Zoom as much as they did during the first phase of the lockdown, their self-awareness and desire to look better has not changed. This self-awareness has played a significant role in influencing the kind of plastic surgery people request.  

Bottom Line

There has agreeably been a shift in the demand for plastic surgery over the years. One of the remarkable things to note is that trends usually reflect underlying factors and circumstances existing within a period. 

Patients requesting plastic surgery should look for an experienced surgeon to perform their procedure. This will go a long way to ensure they have a smooth surgery without complications.