By Paige Jungaro | Published December 28, 2023

Becca's sentiment echoes a growing trend amongst women. A 2021 American Society of Plastic Surgeons survey revealed nearly half of their patients felt influenced by social media to opt for surgery. 

Additionally, according to the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, in 2020, 72% of cosmetic surgeons had consultations with patients who “wanted to look better in selfies”. 

It can be easy to get caught up in the fantasy of social media and the ability to wrap how you can portray yourself online. Botox, fillers, and plastic surgery emerge as tools to bring these altered images to life. The progression from minor 'tweakments' like baby Botox, advocated by influencers, to more invasive procedures, such as buccal fat removal or even breast augmentation, seems like a natural progression. 

The small aesthetic tweaks or “tweakments” you can make to achieve a perfectly symmetrical face, plumper lips, or the ever-trendy cat eye that is plastered all over TikTok. 

Our perception of reality has become distorted because of social media and these image-altering filters.  

It begs the question:

Can Botox lead to a boob job? And how does social media fit into this ever-evolving phenomenon? 

What is a Med-Spa 

So, what is a “Med-Spa”?  

Short for medical spas, these venues provide treatments that target specific cosmetic concerns. Medical spa is an umbrella term encompassing everything from a treatment room with a plastic surgeon to a storefront in a strip mall where you can get a mani-pedi with Botox.  

Med spas are known to be loosely regulated. A med spa, for example, can be affiliated with a doctor. Still, even that can mean anything from having a board-certified plastic surgeon on site who supervises every procedure, to a doctor who doesn’t even specialize in skincare merely lending his or her name to the establishment (for a cut of the profits, naturally).  

A med spa, in a nutshell, provides treatments that target cosmetic concerns. However, their focus extends beyond treatments to selling complementary products. 

Understanding Plastic Surgery  

The easiest way to think about plastic surgery is going under the knife.  

Plastic surgery is a medical specialty involved in the alteration of a person’s appearance. Plastic surgery can restore and improve function, as well as appearance.  

It can involve surgery on any part of the anatomy, except the central nervous system, including, but not limited to: Skin (including skin cancer, scars, burns, birthmarks, and tattoo removal), Maxillofacial (the facial skeleton), and Congenital anomalies (including deformed ears, cleft palate, and cleft lip).  

Plastic surgery is broken down into two categories: reconstructive and cosmetic. For this article, we’ll be focusing specifically on cosmetic surgery.   

Aesthetic Trends of 2023 

If you’ve scrolled through social media lately you have probably noticed influencers looking slimmer, which has led to many people questioning whether they’ve had their Brazilian Butt Lifts (BBL) removed in favour of smaller hips and waist.  Over the past decade, many celebrities and influencers have taken the bigger is a better approach (think Kim K), but now we’re seeing a shift back to more natural-looking physiques.  

At the end of the day, people are influenced by influencers, and there’s been a subtle shift recently towards a more natural-looking aesthetic.  When it comes to plastic surgery, many patients are still interested in a butt lift but smaller, the same goes for boob jobs.  

In other words, extreme plastic surgery is falling out of trend and a more athletic and natural look is taking its place. Individuals who opted for larger breast implants are now wanting them removed and replaced with smaller options. 

Many plastic surgeons are also seeing a rise in liposuction and body contouring, which is the process of removing fat from the body to help combat weight gain. Liposuction has always been a popular procedure, but some surgeons are noticing a more personalised approach to liposuction.  

I dub these procedures “lipo-tweakments” – the removal of fat in some unique places such as ankles, calves, armpits, and upper back. 

Med-Spa Procedures 

For those who do not want plastic surgery or are not yet ready to go under the knife, Med Spas have several minimally invasive procedures available.  

Recently there has been an uptick in nonsurgical procedures at med spas, such as Botox, filler, and facial rejuvenation techniques. With the rise of lip and cheek injections, injectables and derma fillers remain one of the most sought-after cosmetic treatments. 

As plastic surgery trends evolve, these less drastic procedures gain popularity. 

Social Media’s Influence on Aesthetic Alterations 

Plastic surgery has always seen its share of celebrity worship. Pretty much every plastic surgeon in the country has had one patient who requests “Bella Hadid’s eyes” or “Kylie Jenner’s lips.”  

Sometimes, these surgeries are ill-advised, as Bella’s eyes will not fit every face — but with a few tweaks and a genuinely caring cosmetic surgeon, patients could eventually attain graceful and natural results for their eye lifts.  

Yet, over the past two years, we’ve seen just how much social media promotes plastic surgery — but without the backing of “real faces.” Patients have moved away from genetically blessed Hollywood royalty and began taking inspiration from social media influencers, or even their own altered selfies. 

The Result of Social Media Use on Self-Esteem and Aesthetic Alterations 

Even regulatory bodies are now taking notice. According to the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, in 2020, 72% of cosmetic surgeons saw patients who “wanted to look better in selfies” coming for consultations. In 2021, a survey study by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons showed that nearly half of all patients reported social media played a role in their decision to seek plastic surgery. 

This plastic surgery phenomenon is not restricted to the United States, earlier this year the Australian Board of Plastic Surgeons suggested there is a strong link between social media use and acceptance of cosmetic surgery procedures. Over three months, the researchers recruited more than 250 people to participate in the survey research through online platforms like Instagram and Facebook.  

The people involved reported demographic data, as well as which social media platforms they used and how many hours a day they used those platforms. They were also asked about their use of photo-editing tools, including software like Photoshop, but also photo-filtering applications like Snapchat (that have various filters to hollow your cheeks, plump your lips, or make your eyes bigger).  

Finally, they were asked how often they digitally enhanced their photos, how often they took selfies, and about their self-esteem. Most of the survey respondents were women with an average age of 24.  

The researchers found that the more social media applications a person used, the more likely they were to consider cosmetic surgery. Those who used Tinder and Snapchat were more likely to have a positive attitude to surgery, compared with other apps. 

Interestingly, they also found that people who had removed or untagged themselves from social media photographs were also more likely to want surgery, perhaps suggesting they were especially conscious about their presentation or body image. 

The Pipeline from Botox to Boob Job  

Now that we have established a correlation between social media, filters, and cosmetic surgery – we can address the role med-spa treatments plays as a gateway to plastic surgery procedures. 

Every woman I spoke to said that they find themselves influenced via social media to alter their appearance. 

Their overall responses varied but what was similar across the board was the notion that social media affects your desire to change your appearance and that med-spas are potentially gateways for more invasive procedures.  

Many of the women I spoke to did feel as though med-spas were gateways to plastic surgery, but that there were a variety of factors that led to people actually going under the knife.

The most significant factors being, budget, resources, and the patient’s perspectives on plastic surgery.

The Evolving Landscape of Cosmetic Enhancement 

What we see on social media has a deep effect on our body image and overall perception of ourselves. Celebrities and influencers are not doing us any favours by not owning up to their procedures.

Social media's impact on self-perception and beauty standards is undeniable. Med spas, offering accessible cosmetic enhancements, are becoming the initial step towards more permanent surgical alterations.

This trend, driven by the pursuit of unattainable perfection that social media has produced, is likely to continue growing.

Sources

myDr. “Social Media Influences Attitudes towards Cosmetic Surgery.” MyDr.Com.Au, 28 Nov. 2023, mydr.com.au/mental-health/social-media-influences-attitudes-towards-cosmetic-surgery/.

Saber, Dr. Sepideh. “The ‘Instaface Effect’: How Social Media Shapes Plastic Surgery Expectations.” Saber Plastic Surgery, Saber Plastic Surgery, 9 Nov. 2022, saberplasticsurgery.com/blog/social-media-and-plastic-surgery-expectations/.

This piece was originally written for an NYU class and has been adjusted for magazine publication.

Paige Jungaro (she/her), a second-year Master's student in NYU's Media, Culture, and Communications Program at NYU Steinhardt, is exploring the rise of Med-Spas and their connection to Plastic Surgery. Her research investigates whether Med-Spas act as gateways to plastic surgery and examines the influence of social media in this evolving trend. Originally from Vancouver, Canada, Paige aims to unravel the complex relationship between beauty practices, technology, and cultural shifts in her work.