Social media has us swimming in a sea of smiling faces, and more aware than ever of our facial flaws and imperfections.
“We’re actually seeing ourselves right there on the screen, and looking at ourselves much more closely than we ever have before,“ Dr. Jacob Steiger, a plastic surgeon, said. “Ten years ago, we were looking a photo albums, now we see ourselves in real time, live, all the time.“
That pressure to look good from all angles has more people turning to plastic surgeons and dermatologists.
More than 40 percent of doctors in a recent survey said patients told them looking better on social media was their incentive for getting a cosmetic procedure.
“People want their image to look like these celebrities that they see out there, so they are looking for something that’s quick– no down time and not super expensive,” Miami Beach dermatologist Dr. Martin Zaiac said.
Case in point: 27-year-old Miami event coordinator Maylin Perez.
Perez has almost 4,000 people follow on Instagram, but when she looks at herself on social media she sees room for improvement.
“I think that in photos you can see more of your flaws, more than in a mirror. I don’t know why. Maybe it’s a certain angle or the way you are holding the phone,” Perez said.