In case you haven’t noticed, you’re not the only one who is thinking and talking more about an interest in beauty treatments lately. This surge in aesthetic treatments happened globally, and it happened when we least expected it. The pandemic that began early in 2020 caused a brief stop-in-our-tracks moment. It lasted a few months, during which many plastic surgeons and others in the beauty industry wondered about their future relevance. Instead of seeing a dramatic drop in services, we experienced a boom. And it’s continuing still today. Here, we discuss why this could be.
Time Out of the Office
One of the biggest obstacles that patients must overcome to have plastic surgery is their busy schedule. Most patients get two weeks of paid vacation a year if they’re lucky. Any additional time off comes without pay, which is highly prohibitive of a stress-free surgical journey. As the majority of the population shifted into a work-at-home model last year, schedules became more flexible. Patients may have had less actual time off from work but found it easy to work a couple of hours a day from home while recovering from surgery. In addition to having more flexibility, patients also had more freedom to dress comfortably and “hide out” while bruising and swelling resolved.
The Zoom Effect
To work at home and still maintain morale and a good flow, employers turned to video conference platforms like Zoom to keep everyone connected. During video meetings, we all got a closer look at ourselves. We saw our facial expressions and also what we look like when the face is at rest. The Zoom Effect caused hundreds of thousands of people to seek some type of facial rejuvenation, including face and neck lift procedures. More conservative treatments like Ultherapy and injectables also increased significantly as a result of these moments of self-observation.
Masking Isn’t Hiding Anything
One might assume that our mask-wearing obscured the majority of our facial appearance. While masks do cover about two-thirds of the face, they direct all attention to the eye area. As a result of noticing more about our eyes and forehead wrinkles, we’ve become interested in procedures like blepharoplasty, which trims and tightens the delicate eyelid tissue without the need for extensive downtime. Injectables work well in these areas, as well, without any downtime at all. One interesting thing we’ve noticed is that more people are seeking lip augmentation while we’re still somewhat in the mask-wearing mode. Patients report that they feel freer to have lip injections because their temporary swelling and bruising are hidden behind their masks.
Dr. Richard A. D’Amico, Dr. Julie Ferrauiola, and their staff can easily be reached here or at 201.567.9595. We look forward to hearing from you and helping you with your cosmetic goals.
Comments are closed.