Objectives: 1. Define new phenomena linked to social media and their increase in the demands and consumption of aesthetic procedures in the medical aesthetic practice.
2. Provide with recommendations and advices on good practices in order to face these demands in our offices.
Introduction: We live in an era of hyperconnectivity to social media, with edited self-images and new beauty standards evolving constantly. The advent and popularity of image-based platforms has made photo editing programs and filters available to everyone. With just a few clicks to any pic-editing program, we can achieve smoother skin, whiter teeth, larger eyes and plumper lips. After sharing this edited pic on any social media, interactions will begin to appear to validate the iconographic work, but also; to validate ourselves. These filtered edits have become the norm, altering people's view on beauty.
Materials / method: Several studies have analyzed the effect of edited selfies on body dissatisfaction among the cosmetic patient-type and found that, people who most edited or filtered their images on social media reported a higher level of concern about their self-image. Other papers also suggested that those with a dysmorphic body image can seek in social media a mean of validating their attractiveness. Finally, those with higher levels of engagement on social media, might have a higher level of body dissatisfaction. The desire to undergo cosmetic procedures is an important component of Body Dismorphia.
Results: Patients often seek these procedures in hopes of looking better on selfies and social media. This Selfie phenomenon was first described in 2017 as the “Snapchat® Dysmorphia”. Previously, patients brought images of celebrities to the practice demanding to emulate their attractive features; now the same patients will seek any cosmetic procedure to look like filtered versions of themselves. When these disorders appear in the cosmetic patient, proceeding with any surgery or beautification procedure is not the option, since it won’t improve or may even worsen the underlying BDD if present.
Conclusion: The selfie dysmorphia and other disorders derived from social media are two phenomena which many physicians dedicated to cosmetic rejuvenation procedures will have to face, and that may represent an alarming trend because those filtered pictures seen in several apps and social platforms are blurring the line of reality and fantasy for patients. Only from an empathetic position, without prejudice, but with medical criteria and also realistic attitude, we will be able to discern between a cosmetic goal and an underlying dysmorphic disorder.
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