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BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — A new study by researchers at Boston University's Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine found that using social media and photo-editing applications is linked to people’s desire to have cosmetic procedures.
Dr. Neelam Vashi, who is one of the authors of the study published in The Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology, spoke with WBZ NewsRadio about the new findings. Dr. Vashi is a board-certified dermatologist, an associate professor of dermatology at Boston University, and the director of the Boston University Cosmetic and Laser Center at Boston Medical Center.
At first, the study was originally an exploration of what aspects of social media usage are connected with greater acceptance of cosmetic procedures, explained Dr. Vashi. But then the research expanded to a national experiment, after pausing the studies because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The study spanned from October 2019 to June 2021, which allowed researchers to evaluate how the pandemic affected people’s relationship to social media and its correlation to wanting cosmetic procedures.
The research showed that using photo-editing applications, following social media accounts which show cosmetic results and discuss dermatological procedures, and following celebrities and influencers in general are all factors that can lead to an increase in a person’s desire for cosmetic procedures.
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Researchers also compared the results from the pre-COVID group and the post-COVID group. After the pandemic, there was a significant increase in people who follow social media accounts that show cosmetic results. And more people had discussed cosmetic procedures with a dermatologist, doctor, or other professional post-pandemic.
“This post-COVID group, compared to the pre-COVID group, believed that a cosmetic procedure would help their self-esteem," said Dr. Vashi.
Types of cosmetic procedures “can range from noninvasive procedures,” like improving skin texture, to more intensive changes like “filler and soft tissue augmentation," which is the process of "adding volume to the lips or the cheeks.” Dr. Vashi added that “plastic surgery may have seen an increase” as well, based on the study’s findings.
Dr. Vashi shared that the study's results were concerning for young people, considering how saturated their lives are with social media. Social media “is just so prevalent,” and Dr. Vashi added that “comparing themselves to others can just be really harmful.”
And on a broader scale, social media use is on the rise. A press release from Boston University announcing the study on Monday pointed to data showing that the average adult spent over six hours per day on an internet connected device as of 2018.
Dr. Vashi said that this time spent online can contribute to addictive and compulsive behaviors. “It can be very disruptive if [people's] view of themselves, or what they’re relying on, is the number of likes that they’re getting on a photo, which is just not reality.”
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When asked how people can combat these social media trends, Dr. Vashi said, “First, we have to set our own boundaries, the boundaries for screen time. Shorten the duration of it or make it certain times of the day.”
She added, “There also needs to be a discussion surrounding the content. So when we are on social media, what are we doing?”
Dr. Vashi also explained that the study shows that practitioners need to talk about social media usage with their patients to better understand why they might want cosmetic procedures.
“Quality care begins with quality conversations, and we hope this study encourages providers to ask about all aspects of a patient's life to better understand their motivations and goals of care,” said Vashi.
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