Leave it to self-absorbed, insecure teens who are constantly dissatisfied with so many things to take something as simple and fun as a selfie and turn it into a twisted and quite unreal parameter of self-worth.
Cosmetic surgery used to be done on individuals who want to combat the superficial ravages of aging, and those who have been through accidents that have left their physical appearance altered in some way, and they want to revert back to their former appearance. Now, it's no longer just aging and destructive accidents that cause people to opt for cosmetic surgery. Teens now undergo cosmetic surgery so they will look better in the selfies that they post on social media.
The American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (AAFPRS), which has about 2,700 members, has surveyed a select few of these - specifically 13 percent - to find out what the latest trends in facial plastic surgery are. The results are quite appalling.
One in every three cosmetic surgeons disclosed that their patients opted to under cosmetic surgery for the singular purpose of looking better in selfies. There was a 10 percent increase in nose jobs, a 7 percent increase in hair transplants, and a 6 percent increase in eyelid surgeries. In 2013, 81 percent of all plastic surgery have been done on women, and two-thirds of this number are mothers. Of the surgeons surveyed, 58 percent stated that there has been an increase in plastic surgery done on people under 30.
Botox, hyaluronic acid and peels were also very popular, although they are not surgical in nature. There was have been 348 different Botox injections in 2013 by the surgeons surveyed. Hyaluronic acid injections have been performed 187 times, superficial peels and microdermabrasion procedures were done 119 times and non-ablative resurfacing was done 106 times. Facelifts and rhinoplasties were the most popular procedures in 2013, with an average of 37 procedures per surgeon each, followed by ablative skin resurfacing with 36 procedures, and blepharoplasty with 34 procedures.
The AAFPRS has published a statement to this effect, saying that the face of plastic surgery has been getting younger, and that social media is particularly significant in a teen's life.
"Social platforms like Instagram, Snapchat and the iPhone app Selfie.im, which are solely image based, force patients to hold a microscope up to their own image and often look at it with a more self-critical eye than ever before," said Edward Farrior, MD, President of the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. "These images are often the first impressions young people put out there to prospective friends, romantic interests and employers and our patients want to put their best face forward."
Bullying was also a factor in the decision of many teens to undergo plastic surgery. In the survey, it was revealed that 69 percent of children and teens that underwent plastic surgery did so because they were bullied for the looks, while 31 percent of them for the surgery to avoid being bullied.
Indeed, young folks of today have come a long way from probably the earliest surviving selfie ever, that of General Colin L. Powell, four-star general, former Secretary of State, taken some 60 years ago. One wonders if he ever worried about how he looked, or whether bullying had anything to do with his selife. But then again, social media was still many, many dreams away, and Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg had yet to be born. No one honestly knew that this is what it would come down to.
