Boston University researchers have discovered a link between social media use and cosmetic procedures. Following “selfie culture”, users develop “Snapchat dysmorphia” and seek procedures to look like the filtered images of themselves, a new study shows, according to nypost.com.
Aesthetic interventions, correlated with the desire to look like in the edited images. PHOTO Shutterstock
The authors of the study identified an association between a longer time spent on applications and the use of photo editing programs, on the one hand, and dissatisfaction with appearance and the desire to change physical features, on the other hand, and speak of the development “Snapchat dysmorphia”.
According to the study, the number of participants who considered cosmetic procedures increased from 64% to 86%, and those who sought a consultation with a surgeon skyrocketed from 44% to 68%, according to the study cited by the New York Post .
Images that are physically unrealizable
About 78% of volunteers said that having a procedure would boost their self-esteem. The percentage is 30% higher than before the pandemic.
“However, filter effects and excessive photo manipulation often create images that are physically unrealizable“, wrote the authors of the study.
Previous studies have demonstrated the effects of social media on teenagers, suggesting an association between Internet use and poor body image. Last year, experts warned about the impact these platforms were having on teenagers after reports emerged from parents that the popular social apps had caused their children to commit suicide or develop an eating disorder. .
An increase in the number of aesthetic procedures
Boston University researchers believe that the distorted body image associated with “selfie culture” spurred a surge in cosmetic procedures during the pandemic, when screen time skyrocketed.
It is estimated that, in 2019, approx. 3.5 billion people used social media apps and spent more than 6.3 hours on the Internet, according to the report.
In the study, published in the Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology, 175 participants over the age of 18 were interviewed in the period 2019-2021. The volunteers completed a questionnaire about their use of social media and their views on cosmetic procedures, and were also asked if they would undergo surgery.
Frequent social media use associated with increased body image dissatisfaction
Researchers found that frequent use of social media, such as Instagram or Snapchat, and photo editing applications such as Lightroom or FaceTune, was associated with increased body image dissatisfaction, while following celebrities online, of influencers and accounts presenting the results of cosmetic procedures influenced users' willingness to undergo aesthetic treatments.
The study authors say that while there are several factors that likely contribute to this, “social media use likely increased the willingness, among a subgroup of patients, to request aesthetic procedures.”
The study's results prompted the authors to ask doctors to talk to their patients about Internet use, according to the New York Post.
