PLASTIC SURGERY AND COSMETIC PROCEDURS BOOMING AMID COVID-19 PANDEMIC
As summer approaches, you may not fully
recognize a relative or close friend. This may be due to an uptick in Americans
seeking cosmetic surgeries. As coronavirus restrictions have eased across the
U.S., the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) says pent-up
patient demand is fueling the industry's current boom, with interest in both
non-surgical and surgical treatments increasing.
But
this wasn't the case when the coronavirus pandemic shuttered the U.S. in March
2020. According to the ASPS, board-certified plastic surgeons stopped
performing elective surgical procedures for an average of 8.1 weeks due to
COVID-19. The society reported a decline in the total number of procedures
performed last year. But Americans still spent over $9 billion on plastic
surgery in 2020, according to the Aesthetic Society.
Dr.
Jeffrey A. Ditesheim, a plastic surgeon in Charlotte, North Carolina, says his
practice saw a shift because of the pandemic. As patients feared the unknown,
his office experienced a lot of cancellations.
"Some
were frankly scared and worried about the risks of general anesthesia or
complications from the virus causing blood clots," Diteshiem told CBS
News. "Others lost their jobs or had to stay home to take care of their
families."
However,
once local COVID-19 restrictions eased, his office like many other practices
reopened and experienced an uptick in cases rolling in. Diteshiem says he saw a
growing number of patients seeking elective procedures including injectables
like Botox and a range of plastic surgery procedures.
It's
been called the "Zoom boom" — a rise in demand for cosmetic
procedures due to people who want to make changes after seeing how they look on
screen.
"With
people now seeing themselves on screen for hours a day, there was a greater
scrutiny of the fine lines and wrinkles," Diteshiem explains.
According
to the ASPS, more than 15.5
million cosmetics procedures were performed in 2020 alone. Rhinoplasty (a nose
job) was the top cosmetic surgery in 2020, with more than 352,000 surgeries
performed. The society also reports that Botox
was the most sought injectable treatment with more than 4.4 million procedures
performed.
And
as many people continue working from home, some are recognizing an unexpected
benefit when it comes to getting cosmetic work done. Ditesheim notes that
people who are working remotely can recover from plastic surgery without
taking as much time off or having to let anyone else know.
"One
of my patients was working one week after high definition liposuction,"
Diteshiem said. "That is a procedure that defines the muscles and shapes
the body. Usually, that procedure has a three to four week recovery. When he
told me he was working remotely on his laptop within one week I was
amazed."
23-year-old
YouTuber Angelie Jean-Brice traveled
from New York City to Miami for a procedure called gluteal fat grafting (also
known as a "Brazilian Butt Lift" or BBL).
Jean-Brice
told CBS News it would have been really hard without being around family or a
support system.
"The
first two weeks after surgery was the hardest for me. Because I had my family
in Miami to help me, they made it easier. Living in New York and undergoing
this surgery by myself would not have been feasible," she revealed.
"Because of the pandemic I was working from home. It wasn't too hard to
take the time that I needed to recover and work. Not being out or in the office
was much easier and less stressful."
Plastic surgery cosmetic procedures covid-19 pandemic