Millennials Aren’t Shy About Plastic Surgery on Instagram
Plastic surgeon Dr. Melissa Doft says that about 30 percent of her millennial patients are referred to her through photo-sharing platforms.
“You won’t believe the amount of patients who come in saying, ‘I saw my friend who got a lip injection on Instagram, and she looked amazing!’ ” says Doft.
The doctor, who has her own practice on the Upper East Side, says that two years ago, no one snapped selfies at her office, much less shared them with friends or on social media. Now it’s a daily occurrence, and is especially common among younger patients.
“I’ve had patients taking selfies before an operation and then posting them on Instagram or sending them to their friends, like, ‘Look what I’m doing!’ ” says Doft.
A decade ago, women didn’t openly discuss their plastic surgeries, even if the results were obvious. Doft credits the change to plastic-surgery Web forums such as RealSelf with helping reduce the stigma about cosmetic procedures, and getting patients more comfortable revealing photos of the process. (RealSelf users upload some 1,200 images a day, compared with 60 a day five years ago.)