Learn how Snapchat Dysmorphia is Impacting Cosmetic Surgery

The rise of social media has made it easier to stay in touch with friends and family all over the world. It has also increased the pressure of people to look their best at all times in their photos. There are some people who take the desire to look the same in real life as they do in social media posts to new levels.

The Journal of the American Medical Association defines “Snapchat dysmorphia” as seeking out plastic surgery in order to look the way people do thanks to filters on social media apps. This is a recognized mental health condition where people are obsessed with what they perceive as an imperfection with their body. It should be noted that the imperfection is usually only visible to the person and it is not easily seen by others.

Many plastic surgeons recognize that nothing they do surgically will make the patient feel better about their appearance. This is due to the fact that there is nothing really wrong with the body part they view as having an imperfection.

Social Media and Plastic Surgery

The filters that are available on social media apps such as Snapchat allow people to easily change the way they look. They can make their skin look smoother or make their eyes look wider or even their nose look smaller.

This is not necessarily a bad thing as it allows patients to give their surgeon a good visual idea of how they want to look after undergoing a plastic surgery procedure. It only becomes an issue when patients start to ignore what they look like in reality and start to believe that their filtered appearance is their actual appearance.

There are ways to try and help patients look the way they do on social media. For example, having some Botox placed around their eyes can make the eyes appear to be a bit wider. In addition, using a filter on their nose can help both the patient and the surgeon have the same reference point of what the person desires from a rhinoplasty procedure.

Becoming too attached to a Picture

While it is not always the case, the idea of filters on social media being used as a basis for a change in the appearance of a patient is sometimes viewed as being a sign of somebody suffering from body dysmorphia disorder. Patients that visit an office and exhibit unrealistic expectations, or even true signs of body dysmorphia, are people that are normally turned down for a plastic surgery procedure. Instead, they are often referred to a psychiatrist for an evaluation to make sure they are mentally fit to have a plastic surgery procedure.

As mentioned above, Snapchat dysmorphia is being treated as a legitimate disorder and plastic surgeons are taking steps to make sure patients suffering from the disorder get the help they need. Operating on patients that have the condition will not make them feel better about themselves or their appearance.

In addition, plastic surgeons have to take the age of the patient into account when they decide whether or not to perform a surgery. Most doctors will not operate on patients that are under the age of 18 since their bodies are still developing. The surgery will be performed if the procedure is deemed to be medically necessary by a doctor and if the patient has the written consent of a parent. If the teenager wants to have the surgery done simply to look more like their appearance on social media, the doctor will likely not perform the procedure.

It is important to select patients based on the psychical and psychological characteristics of the person. They have to be psychologically prepared for the surgery and have realistic expectations about the results that can be achieved by the procedure. They also need to be physically able to handle the surgery by being in good health and free of any medical conditions or bleeding disorders that will impact the healing process. Patients need to schedule a consultation with a board-certified doctor that can examine the person and make the proper determination about whether or not the person is an ideal candidate to have plastic surgery.

MA