Increased Interest in Elective Surgery? Chalk it up to the Home Improvement Effect
Until 2020, most plastic surgeons hadn’t considered providing virtual consultations to their patients. But, come March, as the coronavirus swept across the nation, virtual consultations became commonplace in all medical fields, including plastic surgery.
During the early days of the lockdown, most surgeons were concerned the demand for plastic surgery would decline. After all, why would anyone think about elective surgery during a pandemic, especially if they’re not even stepping out of their homes?
Yet something unique and unexpected happened instead—far from slowing down, the demand for cosmetic treatments, both surgical and non-surgical, shot up significantly. The demand for cosmetic treatments has continued rising steadily over the past few months.
According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, Botox and breast augmentation are currently the most popular requests. So, what’s driving the recent boom in demand for plastic surgeries?
1. Recovery without social or professional downtime
In the past months, most organizations have started conducting business online, with most employees working (and thus recovering) right from home. Furthermore, social distancing guidelines and lockdown restrictions have significantly reduced most social venues, including concert halls, theaters, bars, and restaurants. Many of us now spend more time indoors with little obligation to step outside for very long.
Thus patients see this as the perfect time to get cosmetic surgeries without worrying about professional or social downtime. Patients who may have been considering plastic surgeries but couldn’t afford to take time off work can finally make the adjustments and modifications they’ve always wanted. Patients can now undergo cosmetic treatments on a Friday and in some cases return to work by Monday, while in others they’ll have a much easier go of recovering without drawing too much attention before all is healed and looking great.
2. Under the radar cosmetic improvements
One of the biggest concerns that people, particularly men, have about plastic surgery is the possibility of social stigma. Though the stigma around plastic surgery has very significantly declined in recent decades, some are still keen on getting cosmetic treatments without showing the evidence it was ever done.
However, now that most people are working from home, they can get cosmetic treatments without worrying about others noticing. Swelling and bruising in the lower face can also be concealed with face masks. Thus the pandemic has given many patients the perfect cover for making cosmetic adjustments discreetly.
3. Zoom calls and virtual conferences
Most are now leading their social and professional lives with a much greater dependence on and use of computer screens. Patients spend more of their days looking at themselves on HD screens during Zoom meetings or virtual conferences with friends and family. So it’s harder to ignore facial flaws and irregularities. The desire to look good for Zoom meetings and video conferences has been termed the “Zoom Effect,” and has contributed to the upsurge in demand for injectables and facelifts.
4. The Home Improvement Effect
With more time spent in the house, those improvements we’ve longed to do have become not only more pressing, but often easier to tackle. And the same goes for our own health and wellbeing. Patients are making a point of self-improvement and smartly capitalizing on the time and resources now available to them. Contact Premier Plastic Surgery to make the best of this unique set of circumstances.
