A Blog by Jonathan Low

 

Dec 12, 2020

Plastic Surgery Is Booming As People Adjust How They Look Onscreen

 People are spending a lot of time on Zoom, which can be an unflattering reflection of one's image. And since they don't have to or want to go out, they can have plastic surgery without anyone knowing, especially if they wear a Covid mask. Whatever the personal motivation, it is adding up to lots of new business for plastic surgeons. JL

Danielle Braff reports in the Washington Post:

Call it a Zoom boom. Plastic surgeons across the globe are reporting an unprecedented number of requests for procedures. “It is unknown if this is pent-up demand from the months of shutdown when patients were not able to get their procedures, or increased interest" because many workers are spending more time on Zoom, which isn’t the most flattering of mirrors. They won’t have to return to an office anytime soon, which will make recovery, and keeping surgery private, easier. Those who choose facial surgery can cover postoperative swelling with a mask.

After logging many hours on Zoom, Sarah Hayes became distressed.

“I noticed my face was starting to look older: fine lines and droopy,” said the senior program manager for a financial firm in New Hampshire. “I’m definitely bothered by my lines more on video than in real life.”

So, she decided to get Botox.

Call it a Zoom boom. Or an opportune moment. Plastic surgeons across the globe are anecdotally reporting an unprecedented number of requests for procedures. “It is unknown if this is pent-up demand from the months of shutdown when patients were not able to get their procedures, or increased interest because of other potential factors,” said Adam Ross, spokesman for the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, adding that the organization would not have estimates for the number of procedures done this year until spring 2021.


It has been the perfect storm, according to those in the field. Many workers are spending more time on Zoom, which isn’t the most flattering of mirrors. They’re also realizing they won’t have to return to an office anytime soon, which will make recovery, and keeping surgery private, easier. Those who choose facial surgery can cover postoperative swelling with a mask when in public. Add to that the backlog of patients whose procedures were postponed during shutdowns, and the cosmetic surgeon’s clinic or operating room has become a very coveted place to be.

Jon Mendelsohn, medical director of Advanced Cosmetic Surgery & Laser Center in Cincinnati, said injectable procedures such as Botox and fillers were up 90 percent compared with the same period last year. He doubled his days in the operating room and extended his hours drastically. “During the virtual consultations, 9 out of 10 people commented about noticing these things over Zoom,” Mendelsohn said.

Jason Champagne, a plastic surgeon in Beverly Hills, Calif., said many people focus on their chin, jawline and neck on Zoom, because the camera angles tend to accentuate those features. “We are not accustomed to seeing ourselves while in conversation with others, so people are paying attention to their facial movements and features while speaking,” Champagne said.


But Zoom is only partly responsible for the spike in interest, and simple injectable procedures aren’t the only ones in high demand. Other people who had considered cosmetic surgery in the past had postponed the idea because of the significant downtime required post-surgery — usually two to four weeks for procedures such as facelifts, for example. But now that they’re working from home, they’re reevaluating.


“There are people who thought they’d never have downtime, because they were going to the office every day,” said Steven Levine, a New York-based plastic surgeon. Now that they’re working from home, he added, they might feel okay getting back to their remote desks after just a few days off, because no one can see them.

Still other potential patients are taking advantage of the fact that there aren’t any in-person weddings, bar or bat mitzvahs, or major vacations to work around, Levine said. Plus, if they are still employed, they aren’t spending money on those vacations or many other pre-pandemic activities, and they may have extra cash to spend.

The slowed-down social scene is the reason that Iva Marra, star of the Australian reality show “Yummy Mummies,” has scheduled four procedures with surgeon Daniel Lanzer, including liposuction and a neck lift.  “Events haven’t fully ramped up yet, not many people are going out, so if everyone is home, it’s the perfect time to recover,” Marra said.


Apparently, many other Australians agree. Lanzer said the patient load at his Melbourne clinic has increased 200 percent, and he has had to add five more nurses and four extra receptionists to his staff of 10 there. He has also expanded his clinics in the five other Australian states and added new day hospitals for cosmetic surgery in the cities of Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Perth.

Liz Diegle of Folsom, Calif., got breast implants 10 years ago, but thought she was too top-heavy with them. A decade and three children later, Diegle, who works in educational tech sales, realized she wouldn’t have to travel for work for a long time. So, she contacted a plastic surgeon and will have an appointment for a breast lift and possible implant removal as soon as the office, which is still closed because of the pandemic, reopens. “The recovery process will be so much better, because I won’t have to go to conferences or travel for work,” she said. “I can take the time to heal and recover.”


With so many people requesting procedures at once, it can be difficult to obtain appointments and schedule surgeries. Bruce Moskowitz, an oculoplastic and reconstructive surgeon in New York, said in an email that his practice has seen “a significant increase in requests for injectables (Botox, Xeomin, and fillers) as well as cosmetic surgical procedures such as blepharoplasty (eyelid lifts), rhinoplasties and facelifts since people have been working from home and have more downtime.” Some patients have even offered to pay a premium to expedite their appointments and surgeries. (He declined.) One of Levine’s patients offered to fly him in a private plane to the Middle East to do her facelift. (Again, no.)


The situation in the United Kingdom also is competitive. Clinics and hospitals associated with Pall Mall Medical, a private health-care provider in England, closed in late March and reopened June 1, with a large increase in both cosmetic surgery inquiries and bookings compared with the previous year.

“The biggest challenge that comes with covid is everything takes longer,” said Trish Adams, director of clinical services at Pall Mall. Many patients had been waiting a long time for their appointments, because they couldn’t get in when the offices were closed, which has resulted in a backlog. “When you’re confronted by four months of patients [who want to be] shoehorned into one month, it’s simply not going to happen.”

But, she said, they wouldn’t even think of fast-tracking anyone offering to pay extra. “It’s impossible to come and see us on a Friday, pay double and have a tummy tuck the next week,” she said.


If you’re a prospective patient, you should ensure that your surgeon is following recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Lanzer said, which include limiting in-office visits, conducting coronavirus screenings of staff and patients, and requiring everyone to wear face masks. “When performed safely, there is no extra risk of covid with cosmetic surgery,” he said.

Another factor to consider beforehand is what you expect from the surgery.

Suzanne Trott, a board-certified plastic surgeon in Beverly Hills, said it’s not about how you look on Zoom, but about how you feel that makes going forward with a cosmetic procedure worthwhile. “When you feel more confident, you will project a more positive image, and you will actually be more productive and successful with your work,” she said.


But therapists are more hesitant to recommend cosmetic surgery as a quick fix. “The way in which you look does not have as much of an impact as one might think on one’s life,” said Michael Mazius, a behavioral psychologist in Mequon, Wis. “If you like the way you look after surgery and it gives you newfound confidence, it’s unlikely the confidence will last if you haven’t meaningfully altered the architecture of your mind.”

Still, psychologists aren’t surprised that people are turning to cosmetic surgery during the pandemic. Robin Hornstein, a psychologist in Philadelphia, said we’re all feeling out of control at the moment, and a step like this puts people in control of something. Also, she said, it’s important to remember that video meetings are a new situation for most of us.

“In this way, a Zoom-inspired plastic surgery may be based on a new reality, and I would caution the judgment it elicits about our looks,” Hornstein said. “I, for one, am tired of looking at my own face all day — and I like myself.”

You shouldn’t expect cosmetic surgery to make you happy, Hornstein said. It may, however, erase your frown lines. 

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