Social Media and Dermal Fillers

Social Media getting into the Dermal Fillers industry

Social media is widely used nowadays, with an estimated 3.6 billion users globally. But often browsing through postings can affect how a person sees himself/herself/itself, especially when social media contain images that make someone feel bad about his/her/its image or a particular body type. It might be challenging to stay away from images and statements that might make you feel unfavorably about their face or body because social media is filled with people who only exhibit themselves in their best light.

Τhe ‘selfie awareness’, as mentioned by the AAFPRS, continues to trend up, with 77% of members, reporting this as a driving factor for patients - up 35% overall since the AAFPRS first identified this trend in 2016.

In the 2022 research “Follow, filter, filler? Social media usage and cosmetic procedure intention, acceptance, and normalization among young adults”, by Anne-Mette Hermans, Sophie C. Boerman, Jolanda Veldhuis, young adults reported having little intention to get cosmetic operations themselves. In this cross-sectional survey of 470 Instagram users between the ages of 18 and 25, objectives overestimated the frequency with which others underwent cosmetic procedures. Young individuals who follow influencers who have undergone cosmetic procedured indicated increased plans to have the procedures themselves when considering passive social media use, but following influencers who have not undergone procedures was associated with lower intentions. Instagram posting frequency was generally unimportant in terms of acceptance of and intention to have cosmetic operations on active social media platforms. However, those who frequently employed filters to modify their photos expressed higher willingness and intention for cosmetic procedures.

The TikTok era

Entering 2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic, social media users turned their focus on TikTok, a user generated, video content platform. TikTok has now over 1.53 billion users as of 2023. 1 billion out of those are monthly active users, while TikTok is used by 30.25% of the world’s internet users.

TikTok has been spurring trends in makeup, skincare, and plastic surgery, raising questions about the impact on users. Many beauty trends have to do with makeup, haircuts, and clothing styles. However, it’s also been triggering a significant increase in plastic surgery and cosmetic procedures, according to the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (AAFPRS). In a report released last year, the AAFPRS noted that demand for facial plastic surgery and aesthetic procedures skyrocketed in 2021 as people returned to in-person events post-pandemic and cited social media – in particular TikTok — as being a main driver.

With the pandemic’s breakout star TikTok firmly embedded in daily culture, the 2021 American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (AAFPRS) survey detailed an enormous increase in the trend for people seeking procedures to look better on screen. The survey shows that 79% of facial plastic surgeons identify patients seeking procedures for an improved appearance on video as a rising trend, compared to only 16% the previous year.

According to the AAFPRS, the now culturally ingrained desire to look better in selfies (aka ‘selfie awareness’ as coined by the AAFPRS) continues to trend up, with 77% of members, reporting this as a driving factor for patients - up 35% overall since the AAFPRS first identified this trend in 2016. As it became apparent that mask-wearing was here to stay, more and more patients are also asking for eyelid procedures to look less tired, as noted by 73 percent of surgeons (up 17 percent from 2020).