Plastic surgeon Dr Samuel Lin is an avid and successful user of Twitter whose tweets are guaranteed to educate and provoke discussion.

IMCAS Academy spoke to Dr Lin to discover his pearls of wisdom on getting the most out of social media.

How would you define your social media strategy and goals?

My social media strategy is to consistently share relevant and reliable information about plastic surgery, while making adjustments to the shared content according to feedback. Relevant information, by my definition, pertains to subject matters in the field that the general public would most often encounter. This revolves around patient information about plastic surgery procedures, as well as the current advancements in the specialty. Reliability is maintained by sharing content from accredited societies or institutions, from peer-reviewed journals and from individual professional opinion. Feedback is obtained through reviewing comments and messages, with future movement towards social media survey-based responses. The goal of my strategy is to inform, educate and stimulate discussion about the field that the public is interested in.

How important is it to use the Twitter hashtag #plasticsurgery?

The importance of #PlasticSurgery first and foremost stems from the ability to create a reliable community with standardization of content. By consolidating plastic surgery material under an umbrella hashtag, the general public will have a go-to source on social media to obtain information and stay updated. In addition, any discussion would be easily accessible for participation. The number of active users limits the reach of plastic surgery on Twitter. As such, this community can only be established through participation in the plastic surgery community to use the hashtag when sharing relevant, reliable information. #PlasticSurgery also paves the way for other topic specific hashtags, such as #rhinoplasty.

Is Twitter the most effective social media tool for you and, if so, why?

Twitter is the most effective social media tool for me primarily due to its simplicity and the function to communicate with a large audience by subject matter. This is all based on the fact that Twitter was formed for sharing of rapid short messages. It is a vehicle to provide a punch line while bypassing any unnecessary material, essentially laying the foundation for a high yield, tailored newsfeed. Most important is the hashtag function, which allows for establishment of large communities for different topics.

To what extent do you use social media as a news source for your field?

Over the years, I have started to use social media more and more as a news source for my field. At the present time, it makes up a large percentage of where I get news information. This is due to the increased active involvement of plastic surgeons, specifically in #PlasticSurgery. By extension, I have been able to find more reliable sources of information. Furthermore, social media, namely Twitter, allows me to tailor my newsfeed based on my specific interests.

What would be your advice to plastic surgeons who want to build their social media presence?

I would advise prospective plastic surgeons in social media to first establish their primary goal. Social media is a tool and is only as useful to the user depending on how he or she uses it. After establishing a goal, whether expanding a practice or contributing to academia, the next step would be to begin following reputable figures in these fields. Understanding how these figures conduct themselves on social media through the content they share would help the user better determine what to post. Furthermore, interacting with members of the general public more likely to be interested in plastic surgery would help in building a social media presence.

How has social media affected patient attitudes to plastic surgery?

Social media in plastic surgery has brought forth both negative and positive effects on patient attitudes. Negative aspects appear to stem from bombardment of plastic surgery advertisements and false information being spread from unreliable sources, mostly due to non-accredited social media posters. However, in the #PlasticSurgery age with involvement of academic plastic surgeons, the main effects of social media on patient attitudes appear to have shifted towards respect for the field, recognition of the breadth of plastic surgery and establishment of trust. The public has come to realize other aspects of the field, such as basic science or reconstruction.

How has the rise of social media affected your profession in other ways?

The rise of social media has had numerous other effects on the field. Apart from connecting with patients, it offers the opportunity for medical and surgical professionals to connect on an international level. Furthermore, it also provides a platform for plastic surgeons to further establish their brand or practice. With the negative stereotype of the field being associated with celebrity aesthetic surgery tabloids and superficiality, it also offers plastic surgeons a platform on which to shed light on what plastic surgery truly encompasses.

What do you find most exciting about using social media for professional purposes?

The most exciting aspect of plastic surgery to me is the ability to gain constructive feedback. Whether in regards to promoting private practice or academia, plastic surgeons can receive instantaneous responses from members of the general public. Surveys in the past relied on a limited patient cohort and took an extensive amount of time to receive responses. By identifying areas of possible improvement in the field from different perspectives, social media can be used to drive forward plastic surgery. The reach of social media is limited only by accessibility to the web and a common language.

Dr Lin will be one of the experts speaking at our upcoming webinar "#plasticsurgery and #dermatology – Using Twitter to engage and educate". Join us on March 29th for this exciting opportunity to gain social media tips and exchange directly with Dr Lin and other experts.