Effect of Media on Facial Plastic Surgery in Saudi Arabia.

Badi F Aldosari,Reham Almuhaya,Hana Alrashid,Mohmmed Alkarzae,Razan Aldhahri

doi:10.7759/cureus.6232

Abstract

ObjectivesTo evaluate the effect of social media, TV shows, plastic surgeons' self-advertisement, and before-and-after cosmetic surgery photos of patients who actually visited the clinic to seek a consultation or intervention. MethodsThis is a cross-sectional study; institutional review board approval was granted in 2018. This study was conducted among patients attending cosmetic clinics at King Abdulaziz University Hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The questionnaire is composed of socio-demographic data and about the reason for the trending of plastic surgeries.ResultsThree hundred and ninety-nine patients participated in the study. Of all participants, 60.4% agreed on the impact of the surgeon’s self-advertisement in the trending of plastic surgeries; 53.4% said yes to cosmetic television programs having an effect on the trend of plastic surgeries; 65.7% of the participants answered yes to before-and-after pictures of social media having an effect on the trend of cosmetic procedures; and 54.1% of the participants answered yes to wanting to look better in selfies as a reason for the rise of cosmetic surgery.ConclusionThe results of this study have shown that the majority of patients visiting plastic surgery clinics were positively affected, but not exclusively, by media coverage of cosmetic surgery results.

Highlights

Cosmetic surgery, by definition, focuses on enhancing the appearance, including surgical procedures, such as blepharoplasty, rhinoplasty, and breast augmentation, as well as nonsurgical procedures such as chemical peels and botulinum toxin injections
60.4% agreed on the impact of the surgeon’s self-advertisement in the trending of plastic surgeries; 53.4% said yes to cosmetic television programs having an effect on the trend of plastic surgeries; 65.7% of the participants answered yes to before-and-after pictures of social media having an effect on the trend of cosmetic procedures; and 54.1% of the participants answered yes to wanting to look better in selfies as a reason for the rise of cosmetic surgery
The results of this study have shown that the majority of patients visiting plastic surgery clinics were positively affected, but not exclusively, by media coverage of cosmetic surgery results

Summary

Introduction

By definition, focuses on enhancing the appearance, including surgical procedures, such as blepharoplasty, rhinoplasty, and breast augmentation, as well as nonsurgical procedures such as chemical peels and botulinum toxin injections. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgery (ASPS), nearly 17.5 million cosmetic procedures were performed in 2017, with rhinoplasty and blepharoplasty being among the top five procedures performed in 2016-2017 [2]. The rate of increase in cosmetic procedures from 2012 to 2017 for both men and women was estimated to reach 65.2% [3]. According to a study conducted by the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ISAPS), Saudi Arabia ranks 29th among the top 30 countries, with the highest rates of cosmetic procedures performed worldwide [4]. It was found that higher incomes, lower procedure costs, media coverage, and positive attitude towards cosmetic procedures have positively affected the rise of procedures performed annually [5]

Objectives

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion