A recent survey suggests that the COVID-19 Pandemic sparked a surge in new beauty trends, with many young women now seeking surgical means to achieve glistening skin.
Millions of Americans experienced isolation, wore face masks, and added screen time during the pandemic. As such, various factors, such as wanting to emerge beautiful after COVID-19 era restrictions were lifted, dealing with skin conditions caused by face masks, and consuming additional content, may have contributed to a rise in cosmetic procedures among women aged 45 and under.
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The Effect of the High Demand in Cosmetic Procedures
The American Society of Plastic Surgeons researched the progression of cosmetic hospitals over the years. The result revealed that hospitals dealing with cosmetic procedures have had a business surge since the pandemic.
According to the report, 30 percent have doubled their revenue, and many have also seen a boost in their practice.
“Aesthetic procedures have seen a huge boom since the pandemic, with the industry experiencing an unprecedented surge in demand,” says Sacha Obaid, M.D. of North Texas Plastic Surgery.
The Role of COVID-19
The American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) report showed the surge in demand for cosmetic procedures was largely due to the pandemic.
Namely, the pandemic pushed people to work online. This means that people now spend more time on their screens than ever before. Thus, they see their own faces more than they normally would, and this jolted them to consider getting work done on themselves. Teleworking and limited in-person social opportunities afforded people enough time to stay home and conduct additional research on cosmetic procedures.
Secondly, travel restrictions caused by the pandemic prevented people from going on vacations, and many people used the funds for cosmetic procedures. This created unused disposable income which was funneled into cosmetic procedures.
Finally, teleworkers were able to work at home while comfortably recovering, making it easier to decide to get a cosmetic procedure.
The Influence of Social Media
Social media is a core inspiration for why younger women are getting more cosmetic procedures than ever before.
Simply put, the more someone consumes social media content, the more likely it is for her to become self-conscious of how she looks compared to the influencers and celebrities on her timeline.
During the pandemic, people spent more time on social media and comparing themselves on their screens. This created a larger interest in cosmetic procedures and engagement with related content for research purposes.
The Popular Cosmetic Procedures
The most popular cosmetic procedures following the pandemic include the following:
The average age range of women who get these procedures is 31-45. Women under 30 prefer lip fillers, and women aged 45 and above overwhelmingly prefer facelifts.
Although the pandemic has long passed, the number of women undergoing cosmetic procedures continues to grow. It will be interesting to see how cosmetic surgery rates change as Americans continue to return to the office and embrace lifestyles with more in-person interactions.
